SME

Four students — three from Middlesex University Dubai, one from RIT Dubai — have built Creators Blueprint, an AI platform helping Middle East creators turn their audiences into income they actually keep. With 150 creators onboarded and not a dirham spent on marketing, the founders talk ownership, accountability and why the region’s creators were being underserved

Rhys Holding and Sam Loyd, co-founders of Fractional, talk to Gulf Business about how on-demand C-suite leadership is helping the UAE’s fast-growing SMEs scale without the cost of a permanent hire

The Middle East lead at SC Ventures, Standard Chartered’s venture-building arm, talks about stablecoins, tokenisation and digital assets, and why the Gulf’s next chapter is about building globally relevant companies, not just funding startups

Rechitta, Atiksh Mittal, says is an AI-native platform designed to streamline real estate communication using verified developer data

The facility will benefit from direct connectivity to Khalifa Port and the UAE’s Etihad Rail network, while providing access to more than 75 per cent of the country’s urban areas within a 90-minute drive

The head of Mohammed Bin Rashid Innovation Fund discusses why access to capital is only part of the equation for industrial startups and how financial institutions and ecosystem enablers can work more effectively together

Comfi AI serves more than 1,000 small and medium-sized enterprises across the MENA region

Majid Al Futtaim Asset Management’s Khalifa Bin Braik explains how Ma’an fits into the UAE’s broader SME push and why malls are being repositioned as platforms for entrepreneurs

Dargham offers a grounded view on what real maturity looks like, where founders often stumble, and how platforms like Step are positioning the region to produce globally competitive companies

Founder Joey Chaaya shares how the brand is leveraging its newfound visibility to scale grooming services, optimise its tech stack, and lead a “pet-first” movement across the UAE.