Company Profile
Founders: Tamara Hachem and Yazid Erman
Based: Dubai
Launched: September 2019
Sector: health technology
Stage: seed
Investors: Oman Technology Fund, angel investor and grants from Sharjah's Sheraa and Ma'an Abu Dhabi
Tamara Hachem realised there was a market for online fitness classes long before restrictions to curb the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic shut gyms and yoga studios.
As a professional in the mergers and acquisitions advisory industry, her work hours were long and not conducive to keeping a regular fitness schedule.
“I sometimes had to travel for work and I personally struggled to maintain healthy habits or have regular physical activity,” says Ms Hachem, co-founder of ShalaOnline.
“So, I turned to online classes as a solution.”
She was inspired to start a platform connecting teachers with fitness enthusiasts after yoga – an ascetic discipline that originated in India – had a positive effect on her personal health.
Once ShalaOnline – which she founded with Yazid Erman – was live, Ms Hachem sensed a significant gap in the market for yoga and meditation classes in Arabic.
“Most people will be able to follow a class in English but they found better engagement when they spoke in Arabic,” she says.
“And that is when the idea started ... maybe people actually want to have this content in Arabic.”
Meditation proved to be popular in Arabic with fitness enthusiasts. Hearing instructions in a student’s native language improved focus and overall well-being.
Wellness is a booming global industry that is expected to grow by up to 10 per cent a year to $1.5 trillion, according to McKinsey. About 79 per cent of respondents surveyed by the consultancy earlier this year said that they considered wellness important while 42 per cent said it was a priority.
The research also found a “substantial increase” in the prioritisation of wellness over the past two to three years. The industry received a boost from the Covid-19 pandemic as people stuck at home bought exercise bikes and switched to online classes to stay fit during prolonged lockdowns.
Meditation apps also registered a boom as people began to pay attention to their mental health during long periods of isolation. The apps also evolved to cater to the needs of people who were coping with loss, working from home and overwhelmed by growing sense of loneliness.
To help many pull through, ShalaOnline made all its content free for a certain period.
“We felt that everyone was dealing with an added level of stress. People were really stranded at home; basically, it was a stressful time. So, we decided to support the community this way,” says Ms Hachem.
The company charges $16 for a monthly subscription that provides access to all the content on the platform. The fee is about the same price as that of one standard class at a yoga studio.
The price point encourages students, particularly beginners, to not only practise at home at their convenience but to also to seek out an actual studio when they need one.
“You can have that membership, so you can have the access every day and still be able to, from time to time, go to the physical studio,” says Ms Hachem.
The growing popularity of online yoga is expected to continue, with physical studios encouraged to add packages to entice a new and growing online audience.
“I think the two will coexist in the future and each has a different experience. Obviously, the energy of the group class is incredible but you know it is not always feasible for a lot of people to be able to go to a studio every day,” she says.
ShalaOnline currently has eight yoga instructors on the platform and has recruited three more. It is now looking to add variety, with different styles of yoga and various teaching styles.
The platform offers gentle flows for beginners, which are simple sequences to warm up the body, as well as the more strenuous vinyasa and ashtanga styles. The instructors also offer yoga courses to help ease back pain and address specific posture-related issues.
ShalaOnline also plans to add other forms of exercise that require minimal equipment and allow users to work out from home.
Plans are also afoot to forge a stronger bond among yoga students by creating a community of users.
The platform is also leaning into the power of artificial intelligence to create a more user-friendly experience for its students.
It is in the process of building its in-house technology team to hasten its evolution and cater to the growing and diverse needs of students.
Ms Hachem declined to comment on the company’s overall funding so far but says it is currently looking to raise seed finance in the next few months.
ShalaOnline intends to expand across the GCC region, particularly into Saudi Arabia, where there is growing demand for yoga and meditation classes.
We want to “improve our product by integrating AI and giving our users a better experience and we want to expand our team”, she says.
Q&A with Tamara Hachem, co-founder of ShalaOnline
What is your vision for the company?
Our vision is to expand beyond the region and to become a reference point when it comes to physical and mental wellbeing.
Where did you raise funds from?
In the beginning, it was personal savings. Then funding came from a mix of investments and grants.
What are your plans for expansion?
Our focus for the next year is on really accelerating our growth in Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC.
Why is ShalaOnline so popular in Saudi Arabia?
Our biggest audience is women. This is our main target market. It is a big, young population. I think they really appreciate the convenience of the content that we are providing.
Do you have plans to add products to your website?
We will be working and [forming more] partnerships with, for example, yoga prop brands making products such as bolsters, straps, mats, etc. For the moment, we will only focus on the classes.
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Company name: Play:Date
Launched: March 2017 on UAE Mother’s Day
Founder: Shamim Kassibawi
Based: Dubai with operations in the UAE and US
Sector: Tech
Size: 20 employees
Stage of funding: Seed
Investors: Three founders (two silent co-founders) and one venture capital fund
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
The years Ramadan fell in May
if you go
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
What is the Supreme Petroleum Council?
The Abu Dhabi Supreme Petroleum Council was established in 1988 and is the highest governing body in Abu Dhabi’s oil and gas industry. The council formulates, oversees and executes the emirate’s petroleum-related policies. It also approves the allocation of capital spending across state-owned Adnoc’s upstream, downstream and midstream operations and functions as the company’s board of directors. The SPC’s mandate is also required for auctioning oil and gas concessions in Abu Dhabi and for awarding blocks to international oil companies. The council is chaired by Sheikh Khalifa, the President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi while Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, is the vice chairman.
The biog
Favourite hobby: taking his rescue dog, Sally, for long walks.
Favourite book: anything by Stephen King, although he said the films rarely match the quality of the books
Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption stands out as his favourite movie, a classic King novella
Favourite music: “I have a wide and varied music taste, so it would be unfair to pick a single song from blues to rock as a favourite"
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
How it works
1) The liquid nanoclay is a mixture of water and clay that aims to convert desert land to fertile ground
2) Instead of water draining straight through the sand, it apparently helps the soil retain water
3) One application is said to last five years
4) The cost of treatment per hectare (2.4 acres) of desert varies from $7,000 to $10,000 per hectare
Major honours
ARSENAL
BARCELONA
- La Liga - 2013
- Copa del Rey - 2012
- Fifa Club World Cup - 2011
CHELSEA
- Premier League - 2015, 2017
- FA Cup - 2018
- League Cup - 2015
SPAIN
- World Cup - 2010
- European Championship - 2008, 2012
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
If you go...
Etihad Airways flies from Abu Dhabi to Kuala Lumpur, from about Dh3,600. Air Asia currently flies from Kuala Lumpur to Terengganu, with Berjaya Hotels & Resorts planning to launch direct chartered flights to Redang Island in the near future. Rooms at The Taaras Beach and Spa Resort start from 680RM (Dh597).
Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Company Profile
Founders: Tamara Hachem and Yazid Erman
Based: Dubai
Launched: September 2019
Sector: health technology
Stage: seed
Investors: Oman Technology Fund, angel investor and grants from Sharjah's Sheraa and Ma'an Abu Dhabi
