Entrepreneurs | Page 4

At LEAP 2026, Tahaluf EVP and LEAP Co-creator Annabelle Mander reflects on the platform’s five-year journey, its growing global ambitions and why real business outcomes matter more than attendance.

Following a funding round valued at approximately US$178 million, COFE Tech Founder and CEO Ali Al-Ebrahim joins Entrepreneur Middle East at LEAP 2026 to discuss enterprise AI, B2B growth and why he believes Riyadh is becoming the region’s ultimate startup gateway.

At LEAP 2026, Faisal AlSaif, CEO of Tech Pills and Snap Star, answers one unexpected question on resilience and reveals why returning to his faith keeps him going when things get tough.

The UAE brings together entrepreneurs, investors, family offices, business leaders, and professionals whose interests often extend across multiple markets. For George, the value of operating in such an environment lies partly in the range of perspectives it creates. A conversation about investment can lead into business strategy, international expansion, private markets, or an entirely new commercial relationship.

As AI-generated submissions become commonplace, can thought leaders claim authorship of words they did not write, and what does that mean for the value of their expertise?

Before he built ZOOP, the social platform focused on challenging legacy platforms, RJ Phillips spent years learning exactly how much value creators generate, and how little of it usually reaches them.

Dmitry Grinik, Founder and CEO of Legaline Platform, explores how AI-powered LegalTech could reshape the economics of legal services, expand access for SMEs and force traditional law firms to rethink pricing, trust and accountability.

At LEAP 2026 in Riyadh, Amal Dokhan, Managing Partner at 500 MENA at 500 Global, takes on Entrepreneur Middle East’s ETV Q Cards and reveals the one quality she believes matters more than talent for long-term success.

Pick a card, reveal the question, answer on the spot. Shorooq Partners Founding Partner Shane Shin takes on Entrepreneur Middle East’s ETV Q Cards at LEAP 2026.

Abu Dhabi is an individual food and beverage market, and they believe operators entering the city should take the time to understand what makes its diners and communities different rather than simply replicating a strategy that worked elsewhere. Listening can inform everything from a seasonal menu to the way a new concept introduces itself to the market.

Participants will receive access to Kitopi's kitchens, customer base and delivery network, as well as mentorship, content production and marketing support.

Hiring each person permanently can create an organizational structure that exceeds the company’s immediate requirements. A fractional model allows businesses to bring experienced professionals into specific functions while matching the level of expertise to the actual need.

Noora Al Suwaidi and Mahra Al Balghouni wanted customers to remember Teel Floral Studio because of how the experience made them feel and how much of themselves they could see reflected in what had been created for them. 

Khalil Khamis, Managing Partner of Brain Bites SAL, discusses the company’s ambitions to build a new-generation F&B platform in Lebanon, beginning with the return of Pinkberry.

The inaugural edition will be held under the theme "Finance Reimagined: Where Innovation Meets Policy and Purpose."

That question has quietly become the single most important variable in MENA payment expansion. Not pricing. Not features. Geography.

The broader investment thesis, then, is about recognizing the network of physical requirements that accompanies its expansion.

The program brings together the expertise of Virtuzone and its partners, Sourcing with Kian and Titan Network.

How global capital is redrawing the investment map in 2026

To qualify, companies must be members of Dubai Chambers, have no more than 500 employees, and have no current or previous paid Canva subscription.

After his own health struggles exposed the fragmentation of healthcare, the serial entrepreneur set out to build an AI-powered platform that brings health guidance, monitoring, and professional support into one ecosystem.

With the 13th edition of the Middle East Film and Comic Con set to take place this month, Show Director Loy Pinheiro reflects on what it has taken to build the region’s largest pop culture festival (and why the event may not be far from hosting its own version of SDCC’s iconic Hall H someday).

The launch adds a new dimension to stc group’s venture ecosystem.

The platform reduces repetitive data entry and document submissions while strengthening coordination among developers, DLD, and banks managing escrow accounts.

Speaking with people from different backgrounds gave him a close view of the same business problems appearing in different forms: weak customer value, poor incentive design, short term thinking and growth that looked impressive before the underlying structure was ready.

Capital then determines what can be sustained beyond the purchase. A building may need refurbishment before it becomes suitable for occupation, followed by maintenance and eventual adaptation. Those demands can arrive before the income or operating benefits expected from the investment.