5 Dubai Tech Startups You Need To Know If You Live In The City

Dubai is often referred to as an entrepreneur’s hub. With its strategic geographical access to the East and the West coupled with a thriving startup ecosystem, Dubai has risen the ranks as an ideal destination to experiment and innovate in the tech sector. As a leader in disruptive technologies such as blockchain and cryptocurrency, Dubai offers its diverse talent a launch pad to create specific solutions to global conundrums. In June 2024, the UAE raised $1.81 billion across 65 equity funding rounds in the UAE. 

1.Syrve MENA

Syrve MENA offers nearly 8,000 restaurants and cloud kitchens in over 50 countries a closed-circuit solution that unites “the chaotic front of the house [of restaurants] with the mundane and systematic back of the house.” Founded in 2022, Syrve MENA hoped to create a seamless bridge that linked the kitchen and management in a restaurant setting. Its flexible API offers real-time AI forecasting for food waste prevention and inventory updates while juggling constantly changing budgets. Syrve MENA’s all-in-one cloud-based POS has partnered with several renowned names in the F&B industry, including its most recent collaboration with Angel Cakes using its Loyalty App. The app, integrated with Angel Cakes’ operations, focused on emotional engagement and cost efficiency. Customers could collect bonuses, explore recipes, and stay updated with the latest news from Angel Cakes, all within the app. 

Syrve MENA’s expansive repository of data served as the ideal training for its AI forecasting tool. The menu manager, a bespoke Syrve MENA feature, was designed to eliminate a situation where “the same items of different sizes are doubled, tripled, or quadrupled in the system, leading to longer item lists and extensive reports, making control over operations unnecessarily complex. This Dubai-based startup hopes to become a leader in the F&B automation market, expanding to over 65,000 venues across Europe by 2030. 

2. Huspy

As the region’s largest mortgage provider in 2020, Huspy positions itself as a proptech startup that simplifies buying and selling property in the UAE and Spain. Jad Antoun, CEO of Huspy, expressed great optimism about Huspy’s journey in the Middle East and Europe, hoping to become the “Amazon of real estate.” Huspy’s comprehensive solution handles CRM, data, products, and operations in the property browsing experience. Huspy recently secured $37 million to build a real estate SuperApp for the region. The funding round was led by Balderton Capital. In creating a real estate SuperApp, Antoun hopes to “build a category-defining business in this space [real estate] in Europe and the Middle East, and we believe we’re in a prime position to achieve that,” he added.

3. Admitad

As a leading partnership marketing platform in the MENA region, Admitad assists in driving targeted traffic and boosting sales for over 3,000 clients by partnering with more than 300,000 publishers worldwide. Admitad’s services focus on three pillars: brands, partners, and technology, to enhance client support in the digital marketing space. After releasing a SaaS solution for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the digital marketing space, Admitad hopes to bridge the gap between beginner businesses and the complexities of affiliate marketing tools. Additionally, Admitad is expanding its presence in the MENA region, with plans to enter the Saudi Arabian market. 

In the age of AI, incorporating machine learning models into the Admitad product basket was essential to its growth. Instant Payout Pro, under the Admitad umbrella, is a system that allows partners to withdraw their payout just one day after a targeted action’s completion. This innovation ensures quick remuneration, eliminating the wait for approval or paychecks from advertisers. In launching its parent company, Mitgo, Admitad aims to leverage its current framework to “enhance our ability to scale businesses globally, fostering greater efficiency and innovation within our tech solutions.”

4. Tabby

Tabby, a homegrown Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) app, ushered in the Middle East’s e-commerce revolution. A Tabby card or the app offers customers the luxury of purchasing goods and services instantly and making interest-free payments split across four months. In 2023, Tabby secured $250 million in a Series D funding round, attaining unicorn status. With the success of the Tabby Card in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, Tabby began developing Tabby Shop, a discovery tool within the Tabby ecosystem that enhances users’ shopping experiences. Currently, Tabby Shop hosts over 2 million products from their merchant partners. Tabby founder and CEO, Hosam Arab, is “exploring ways to provide merchant partners with more insights about the users they are directed to, enhancing the overall value of their presence on Tabby Shop.”

5. Tumodo 

Tumodo is an online business travel platform headquartered in Dubai. It’s intuitive AI-powered system connects over 100 MENA firms with over 400 airlines and 2 million accommodations in the region. Tumodo utilized the UAE, a global business hub, to introduce a business-class upgrade in the hospitality sector. The integration of AI amplified Tumodo’s database, enabling the platform to forecast real-time changes and availabilities. Tumodo anchors its efficiency on AI, stating that “Users can also chat with ChatGPT on our platform about various destination-related topics, such as asking for hotel suggestions.”