Before the lights, cameras and big-money deals roll on The Final Pitch: Dubai, four of the region’s investors (and the show’s judges) are already delivering their inputs.

From real estate expert Dr Mohanad Alwadiya and Web3 heavyweight Bijan Alizadeh to cleantech pioneer Sami Khoreibi and strategic advisor Jigar Sagar, these investors aren’t just waiting to be impressed. Their message to startup founders? Come armed with data, clarity, and a vision that can scale — not just sizzle. Each offers advice honed through decades of hard-won experience.

Ahead of the show‘s Middle East debut, we asked these decision-makers for their biggest red flags — and green lights — when it comes to how investors evaluate founders. The result is a masterclass in funding and growth, dished out with honesty and a clear call: if you’re ready to pitch, you should be ready to deliver.

Here’s what the experts have to say …

On the top three factors founders should keep in mind when seeking funding

Jigar Sagar, investor, strategic government advisor and founder of Triliv Holdings

1. Clarity beats complexity: Be razor-sharp about your value proposition, numbers, and ‘why now’. Don’t make investors decode your pitch — make them believe in it.
2. Traction talks: Momentum matters more than storytelling. Show real signals — revenue, users, partnerships.
3. It’s a relationship, not a transaction: Choose investors who align with your vision, not just those offering the best valuation.

Sami Khoreibi, entrepreneur, investor and founding partner, Incubayt Investments

1. Expect rejection and plan for it: Persistence is key — budget more time than you think it’ll take.
2. Do your homework on investors: Make sure they’re a fit for your stage, sector, and geography. If not, still reach out and ask for referrals.
3. Warm introductions win: Use LinkedIn, network hard, and personalise your outreach. Cold emails often get ignored.

Bijan Alizadeh, founding partner, Cypher Capital and co-founder, Phoenix Group

1. Master your metrics: Know your numbers inside out—unit economics, path to profitability, and growth levers.
2. Show momentum and agility: Demonstrate traction and how you’ll adapt to scale.
3. Nail the pitch — fast: Your vision must be clear in two minutes or less. Be concise, compelling, and memorable.

Dr Mohanad Alwadiya, CEO and managing partner, Harbor Real Estate

1. Know what you need — and why: Have a clear capital strategy. Don’t raise money just to survive.
2. Be investor-ready: Clean financials, clarity in your model, and transparency are critical.
3. Choose the right investor: The wrong investor can set you back. Find ones who add value beyond funding.

On key advice for startups looking to scale

Jigar Sagar

• Don’t confuse growth with scale: Growth is messy. Scale is methodical.
• Systemise what works: If it’s not repeatable, it’s not scalable.
• Invest in people, not just tools: Good tech won’t fix a weak team.
• Stay close to unit economics: Scaling loss-making models just burns cash faster.
• Protect your culture: It’s your startup’s DNA — and a key to long-term edge.

Sami Khoreibi

• Ensure product and infrastructure readiness: Don’t scale prematurely.
• Build SOPs: Standard operating procedures are key for efficient team execution.
• Scale through repeatability: Standardise, but continue improving and iterating.

Bijan Alizadeh

• Do it right — not just fast: Build systems that scale with you.
• Invest early in infrastructure and team: Culture and capability are your growth enablers.
• Stay agile: Fix what’s broken, double down on what works, and be ready to pivot.

Dr Mohanad Alwadiya

1. Strengthen internal systems first: Poor processes crumble under pressure.
2. Be data-driven: Real-time insights into cost, margin, and burn rate are essential.
3. Stay customer-centric: Don’t lose sight of your core audience while expanding.
4. Balance speed with stability: Scale fast enough to seize opportunity—but steady enough to stay in control.

The deadline for final submissions for the Final Pitch is June 8.

Read: From idea to impact: How MENA startups can stand out in a global arena

The UAE-based Sport Impact Summit (SIS) is stepping up support for the country’s new climate law by partnering with two AI innovators to help organisations cut emissions and scale sustainability efforts.

SIS has announced new strategic alliances with Scoreboard, an AI-powered emissions tracking platform, and Hum(AI)n Assets, an AI-driven creative content engine developed by global creative agency HOKO.

Both platforms are being integrated into the SIS ecosystem to support implementation of Federal Decree-Law No. (11) of 2024 on the Reduction of Climate Change Effects.

AI-powered sustainability through Scoreboard

Built by a team with over 90 years of combined expertise in climate science, decarbonisation, artificial intelligence and global sport, Scoreboard significantly reduces the time and cost of emissions reporting — from 90 days to 90 minutes, at 90 per cent lower cost.

Initially developed for elite sports organisations, the platform has now been scaled to support wider sectors. It provides real-time data dashboards, AI coaching tools, and commercial opportunities tied to sustainability leadership.

Backed by climate specialists behind decarbonisation strategies for Unilever, Tesco, Pfizer and more than 50 global brands, Scoreboard plays a key role in SIS’s push for technology-led environmental progress.

Key features include:

“Declaration signatories will gain preferential access to Scoreboard and other SIS tools.”

Sean Morris, Founder of Scoreboard and former sustainability lead for Formula One, the PCA, and Rajasthan Royals, added: “We built Scoreboard to empower organisations — starting with sporting bodies — to take game-changing, measurable, and cost-effective action.”

Creative at the speed of AI

Also joining the SIS technology roster is Hum(AI)n Assets, a content-generation platform blending the strategic direction of traditional agencies with the speed and flexibility of AI.

Developed by HOKO, the platform delivers content — including imagery, video, and copy — at scale and on demand.

HOKO is an equity partner in the SIS initiative and is developing Hum(AI)n Assets under its portfolio.

“We believe creativity should move at the speed of relevance,” said Bally Singh, chairman of HOKO and Founder of Hum(AI)n Assets.

“Together with SIS, we’re showing how human talent and AI can align with the UAE’s bold climate agenda.”

Backing UAE climate action

The two platforms offer public and private sector organisations ready-to-deploy tools for both reporting and storytelling — helping to operationalise the UAE’s national climate commitments.

“These partnerships exemplify the convergence of policy, innovation, and purpose,” said Gietzen. “Sport has the power to lead by example — and through platforms like these, we’re enabling exactly that.”

About the Sport Impact Summit

Founded in the UAE, the Sport Impact Summit is a global platform focused on driving sustainability, innovation, and social impact through sport. Its 2024 debut in Dubai welcomed more than 200 leaders and athletes, including Sheikh Suhail Bin Butti Suhail Al Maktoum, Executive Director of the Sports Development Sector at the General Authority of Sports.

SIS’s mission is to inspire one billion people to join its movement across seven pillars: innovation and technology, sustainable sponsorship, education and communication, human health, equality and inclusion, green investment, and legacy.

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As Saudi Arabia intensifies efforts to diversify its economy under Vision 2030, the healthcare sector emerges as a pivotal focus. SMC Healthcare, a prominent private provider in Riyadh with over 25 years of operational excellence, is poised to play a significant role in this transformation.

The company recently initiated plans for an initial public offering (IPO) on the Saudi stock exchange, collaborating with banks such as EFG Hermes and SNB Capital to facilitate the process. This strategic move aims to bolster SMC’s expansion, including the development of three new hospitals in northern Riyadh, thereby more than doubling its current bed capacity.

In this interview with Gulf Business, CEO Bassam Chahine discusses the company’s growth strategy, digital innovations, and its alignment with the kingdom’s evolving healthcare landscape.

SMC’s IPO marks a major milestone in your 25-year journey. What strategic goals are you looking to achieve through this listing, and how does it support your expansion into Northern Riyadh?

The IPO is a natural evolution of our 25-year legacy in Riyadh and marks a pivotal chapter in our growth journey. Since launching as a single-day surgery centre, we have transformed into one of the leading multi-specialty healthcare providers in the kingdom. This listing will allow us to accelerate our expansion plans, particularly in Northern Riyadh — one of the capital’s fastest-growing corridors.

Our three new hospitals are strategically locate in rapidly developing neighbourhoods tied to giga-projects such as New Murabba, NHC suburbs and North Pole.

Once operational, they will more than double our capacity to over 1,275 beds, significantly strengthening our footprint in Riyadh’s fastest-growing healthcare corridor.

The IPO will help us execute this roadmap efficiently, ensuring we are well positioned to meet future demand and remain at the forefront of healthcare delivery in the capital.

Read: MENA M&A activity surges in Q1 2025 with $46bn in deals, reports EY

With three new hospitals under development and the capacity set to more than double, how is SMC preparing to meet the operational demands and talent needs of this significant scale-up?

We are scaling with discipline. We have centralised key operational functions such as revenue cycle management, procurement, HR, and IT, which reduces overhead duplication as we grow. From an infrastructure perspective, we’ve invested early in systems and workflows that allow us to integrate new facilities seamlessly.

On the talent front, SMC Healthcare has a long-standing reputation for attracting world-class clinicians and specialists.

Our fixed salary model incentivises long-term commitment, and we complement this with robust professional development programmes. We are also investing in automation and AI tools to streamline clinical and administrative processes, which allows our staff to focus on patient care.

The company has posted impressive financial performance, with profit margins more than doubling in three years. What are the key levers driving this growth, and how do you plan to sustain it post-IPO?

Our margin expansion—from 5.3 per cent in 2021 to 12.9 per cent in 2024 — has been driven by three deliberate strategic levers.

First, we’ve shifted away from long-term care to higher-margin acute specialties like cardiology, orthopedics, and pediatrics. Second, we’ve doubled down on outpatient services, which are more scalable and structurally profitable. Third, our digital infrastructure — including our proprietary mobile app and AI-integrated systems, has improved operational efficiency across the board.

Post-IPO, we will continue this strategy by optimising our specialty mix, driving higher patient volumes through new outpatient clinics, and maintaining a lean, tech-enabled operating model. As our new hospitals are coming online, we expect to unlock further operating leverage.

SMC has embraced AI, digital tools, and telemedicine early. How central is digital transformation to your patient care model and competitive edge in a rapidly evolving healthcare landscape?

Digital transformation is integral to our care model and a key differentiator for SMC. Our in-house developed mobile app has over 83,000 users and accounts for 62 per cent of bookings. It handles everything from registration, payments, online check in up to prescription access. This has halved patient waiting times and improved patient throughput.

We are also among the first in the kingdom to integrate AI into diagnostics and lab result interpretation. This enhances diagnostic accuracy, speeds up clinical workflows, and supports personalised care delivery.

Our tech-first approach not only boosts operational efficiency but ensures that we continue to lead in patient experience, which is increasingly central to competitive healthcare.

With the kingdom’s Vision 2030 pushing public-private healthcare partnerships, how do you see SMC’s role evolving in this new ecosystem — and what opportunities do you see beyond Riyadh?

Vision 2030 is unlocking significant opportunities for private healthcare providers. We’re already a frontrunner — SMC Healthcare was selected as the preferred bidder to operate the kingdom’s first mental health facility under a PPP model in partnership with Dr Ebel Kliniken, and HealthGate.

This underscores our capability and credibility as a strategic partner to the government.

Our immediate focus remains Riyadh, where demand continues to surge. Northern Riyadh alone will need thousands of new hospital beds by 2035. We’re addressing this head-on by becoming the largest private operator in that region.

That said, the PPP framework opens new doors across the kingdom — and when the time is right, we will evaluate opportunities in other high-growth cities with the same disciplined, data-driven approach that has defined our growth so far.

Airports in the UAE, particularly those in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, have established new global benchmarks in innovation, efficiency and passenger experience.

This was confirmed by Selim Bouri, President for the Middle East and Africa (MEA) at SITA, a global leader in air transport IT and communications. He noted the country’s clear commitment to digitalisation and the adoption of cutting-edge technologies, particularly in light of the increasing challenge of managing growing passenger volumes, a WAM report said.

Smart Travel system at Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport

In remarks to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), Bouri explained that SITA works closely with UAE airports to understand their unique needs and opportunities, providing tailored technology solutions, pointing to the implementation of the Smart Travel system at Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi—a fully integrated platform for biometric identity processing.

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This system, he noted, reduces congestion and waiting times while enhancing airport capacity to handle the rising number of international flights. Zayed International Airport experienced strong growth in flight traffic in 2024, making it essential to adopt digital solutions to meet this surge.

Bouri described the airport’s experience as a testament to the value of advanced biometric processing, highlighting that since the opening of its new terminal in November 2023, the airport has processed over one million passengers using facial recognition. This has created a unique digital identity for each traveller, enabling a seamless journey from check-in to departure—including border control—in under 12 minutes.

The success of the Smart Travel system at Zayed International Airport, he added, paves the way for its adoption at other airports across the UAE.

On future technologies passengers can expect at UAE airports, Bouri said that the country’s travel experience is increasingly powered by smart solutions that provide efficiency and convenience. He revealed plans to expand biometric processing across airport checkpoints, delivering a fully contactless passenger experience.

Self-service technologies

Self-service technologies, he said, will be a core focus area in the coming years. These include self-check-in kiosks, automated baggage drop services, and smart boarding gates, all aimed at reducing congestion and streamlining travel procedures.

Cybersecurity also remains a top priority within the UAE’s airport digital strategies. Bouri emphasised that smart innovations will play a key role in boosting efficiency, minimising waiting times, enhancing safety and reinforcing the UAE’s status as a leader in smart, integrated airport systems.

He added that the coming decade will witness a significant increase in the deployment of next-generation communication technologies within airports. This will create a highly integrated smart airport ecosystem and flight operation network.

Bouri discussed the impact of 5G networks on enabling seamless device-to-device communication, benefitting passengers, systems and operations through improved ground connectivity. He also pointed to future support for sixth-generation network technologies and advanced wireless internet services.

Airports, airlines and governments in the Middle East, known for their leadership in innovation, are investing heavily in the latest technologies to enhance passenger experience and streamline airport operations. These include biometric processing systems and e-gates backed by strategic initiatives and major investments.

Role of AI, big date in flight management

Addressing the role of artificial intelligence and big data in improving flight management and reducing delays, Bouri explained that although airports, airlines and partners generate vast amounts of data, it is not always fully understood or leveraged. Over the next decade, he said, future-ready airports will increasingly rely on big data, predictive analytics and advanced platforms to achieve peak operational efficiency.

The growing role of AI and robotics, he clarified, does not eliminate the human factor but rather fosters smart collaboration between people and technology.

Bouri concluded that the next decade will see AI extend to more sectors, enhancing flight scheduling, personalised communication with passengers, operations centre support, predictive maintenance, multilingual assistance, automated baggage handling and reduced fuel consumption for autonomous vehicles. AI will also be used by airports and governments to improve security screening and increase the accuracy of threat detection.

The head of the world’s largest international airline, Dubai’s Emirates, said on Sunday there were positive signs of progress at Boeing, having previously voiced frustration over delays in delivery of new jets from the plane maker.

Emirates President Sir Tim Clark said he was seeing a greater degree of determination from Boeing to resolve its many issues under a recently appointed CEO, and management had indicated cautious optimism over its recovery in discussion with Emirates.

Read-Emirates soars to further success: CCO Adnan Kazim on its growth and global reach

Boeing is trying to stabilise and ramp up production after a quality crisis and then labour strike shuttered production of most of its aircraft last year.

Boeing is also awaiting certification from the US Federal Aviation Administration for its 777X wide-body plane, of which Emirates has 205 on order.

Deliveries of the 777X are set to start in 2026, six years behind schedule.

Emirates has been told it could receive its first 777X any time between the second half of 2026 and the first quarter of 2027, Clark said, adding that he was sensing a more positive tone from Boeing on the plane’s progress.

Delays in plane deliveries

Boeing and European plane maker Airbus are months and years behind on new plane deliveries, frustrating airlines that want to upgrade to more fuel-efficient aircraft and launch new services.

Speaking at a news briefing on the sidelines of an IATA airline summit, Clark said the industry was still facing chronic aerospace supply problems and challenged plane makers to take responsibility.

“I am pretty tired of seeing the hand-wringing about the supply chain: you (manufacturers) are the supply chain,” Clark said.

Last week, sources told Reuters that Airbus has been warning airlines it faces another three years of delivery delays in working through a backlog of supply-chain problems.

Clark said the pandemic was no longer an acceptable excuse.

“It’s a highly consolidated industry … I don’t think they’ve managed to strip out the inefficiencies of the smaller units they brought together,” he said of the largest aerospace firms.

Tariff Impact

Emirates has not yet seen a shift in demand patterns as a result of US President Donald Trump’s tariff war, Clark told an annual meeting of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Clark said he expected US manufacturer GE Aerospace, which makes engines for some of Emirates’ planes, to absorb a lot of the impact from tariffs into its own margins.

GE is Emirates’ main engine supplier. It has said that it is passing along tariff costs to customers in the form of a surcharge.

Clark has previously expressed frustration with its other engine supplier, Britain’s Rolls-Royce, because some engine models have struggled with maintenance problems when operating in the world’s hottest climates.

On Sunday, Clark said opportunities still exist in the Gulf region for Rolls-Royce if it can deliver the required performance.

He left open whether a potential deal for Rolls-powered Airbus A350-1000 jets, which faltered over the durability of their engines at the Dubai Airshow in 2023, would be ready in time for the next edition in November this year.

“I am not sure about that,” he told reporters.