A new business directory listing female-founded businesses in the UAE has been launched to offer more exposure to women-run companies.
The platform, created by Female Fusion, a professional community for female entrepreneurs, makes it easy for potential customers to discover verified and legal businesses in the UAE and support their growth, the company said on Tuesday.
“Irrespective of the positive outcomes women-owned businesses bring to the country’s economy, [they] are still not getting an equal share of contracts and business,” Jen Blandos, chief executive of Female Fusion, said.
Women-owned businesses are still not getting an equal share of contracts and business
Jen Blandos,
chief executive of Female Fusion
“This verified business directory will help women-owned businesses find support among like-minded women as well as new clients to expand, evolve and achieve their dreams.
“Organisations that are committed to supporting female-founded businesses can find a variety of service providers, such as auditors, lawyers, architects, photographers and more on the directory.”
Start-ups founded by women in the Middle East and North Africa raised $34.6 million in 2021, only 1.2 per cent of the region’s total venture capital funding, according to data from Wamda. All-male founders, meanwhile, raised $2.6 billion across 526 deals or 91.5 per cent of the total last year, the data showed.
It will take 135.6 years to close the gender gap worldwide if the current trajectory in the growth of female entrepreneurs continues, according to the Global Gender Gap Report 2021.
The UAE ranked among the top five “most improved” countries for making progress on gender parity last year, the report found.
Half of all small and medium enterprises in the UAE are women-owned, while 48 per cent of women business owners are also the sole owners of their companies, according to the Ministry of Economy.
The Female Fusion directory will list businesses where female founders hold a share of 51 per cent or more, as well as companies that are led by women, it said. The community currently has more than 20,000 members.
“Small businesses can find it hard to get reach and awareness,” Ms Blandos said. “The business directory allows members to showcase their expertise on a verified platform and their potential customers know that the business they are engaging with is licensed.”
The business directory lists companies in more than 1,500 categories, ranging from pet services and personal coaching to legal entities and more.
It offers two types of listings — premium and basic. Paid members of Female Fusion are eligible for a premium listing in the directory at no extra cost. For non-members, a premium listing costs Dh158 ($43) per month or Dh1,575 per year.
The premium listing allows businesses to highlight their specialities through channels such as video, social media and product photos, Female Fusion said.
The basic listing is free except for a Dh100 annual fee for trade licence verification.
Business owners must submit their trade licences annually to Female Fusion to initiate the verification process and to confirm that they are licensed, the company said.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
FA Cup quarter-final draw
The matches will be played across the weekend of 21 and 22 March
Sheffield United v Arsenal
Newcastle v Manchester City
Norwich v Derby/Manchester United
Leicester City v Chelsea
Zayed Sustainability Prize
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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
The%20specs
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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
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Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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.
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
Fringe@Four Line-up
October 1 - Phil Nichol (stand-up comedy)
October 29 - Mandy Knight (stand-up comedy)
November 5 - Sinatra Raw (Fringe theatre)
November 8 - Imah Dumagay & Sundeep Fernandes (stand-up comedy)
November 13 - Gordon Southern (stand-up comedy)
November 22 - In Loyal Company (Fringe theatre)
November 29 - Peter Searles (comedy / theatre)
December 5 - Sinatra’s Christmas Under The Stars (music / dinner show)
