Ritesh Tilani and Alper Celen

Co-founders, Joi Gifts

In March, UAE-based gifting platform Joi Gifts expanded into its eighth country, Qatar, after raising $750,000 as part of a pre-Series A funding round expected to close in May 2021. The startup, which claims to be the region’s largest online gifting marketplace, is now “profitable”, according to cofounder Alper Celen. Launched in late 2015 by the two seasoned investors, Joi is an online platform that offers a range of gifts including fresh floral arrangements, chocolates and cakes, gourmet gift baskets, jewellery as well as personalised gifts. It is aiming to launch a concierge service in H2 of 2021. For its founders, the mission from the start has been to create “a seamless and enjoyable experience from start to finish to offer the true art of gifting”.