UAE car-sharing platform ekar has been ranked as the best start-up to work for in the Emirates this year by professional network LinkedIn.
Dubai-based buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) company Postpay, Abu Dhabi agriculture technology start-up Pure Harvest Smart Farms, sustainable active wear brand The Giving Movement and e-commerce and supply chain company Right Farm complete the top five in the LinkedIn Top Start-ups List 2022.
Other sought-after start-up employers in the UAE include BNPL company Tabby, low-cost robo-advisory Sarwa, investment platform baraka, e-commerce aggregator Opontia and property technology start-up Huspy, LinkedIn said.
While global hiring was trending downwards in many markets, the UAE recorded an 8.2 per cent increase in hiring this year, LinkedIn said. Companies on the UAE list are “hiring and actively looking for talent”, it added.
“This year’s list has witnessed the emergence of many start-ups from financial backgrounds with over half the list consisting of FinTechs, signalling the increase in popularity and adoption of innovative FinTech solutions by UAE entrepreneurs and consumers,” Salma Altantawy, senior news editor at LinkedIn, said.
The global Top Start-ups List is an annual ranking of emerging start-ups to work for and is based on LinkedIn data, the company said on Wednesday.
The four criteria LinkedIn used to identify the best start-ups in the UAE were employment growth, engagement with employees, job interest and talent attraction. The start-ups were analysed from July last year until the end of June this year.
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of the UAE economy. More than 400,000 SMEs operate in the country.
They represent more than 60 per cent of the UAE’s non-oil economy and provide employment opportunities for 86 per cent of the workforce in the private sector, the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development reports.
This year’s list has witnessed the emergence of many start-ups from financial backgrounds, with over half the list consisting of FinTechs
Salma Altantawy,
senior news editor at LinkedIn
Start-ups in the UAE raised $699 million in the first half of 2022, ranking the country as the leading destination for venture capital financing in the Middle East and North Africa region, data platform Magnitt reported.
The Emirates was also the leader in terms of deals, which grew by 10 per cent in the first half of 2022 compared with a year ago. Regional investors have been attracted to digital services offered by FinTech, e-commerce and transport and logistics start-ups, Magnitt data showed.
“Albeit a more nascent sector regionally, the start-ups and venture capital space is facing unprecedented growth despite the economic downturn that is sweeping the globe,” Ms Altantawy said.
“The start-ups on this list are those that are successful in navigating the evolution of consumer and business needs, leading the way through the new world of work.”
To be eligible for the UAE Top Start-ups list, a company has to be privately held, have 50 or more country-based employees, be seven years old or younger, and be headquartered in the Emirates, LinkedIn said.
Start-ups that laid off 10 per cent or more of their workforce within the methodology time frame were ineligible.
LinkedIn found that most successful start-ups in the UAE are those that prioritise sustainable solutions.
For instance, start-ups such as Pure Harvest Smart Farms and Right Farm ventured into AgriTech to reimagine food supply.
Such innovative solutions are essential for food security, especially in this region, which faces higher risks of droughts and food shortages due to climate change, LinkedIn said.
Other start-ups, such as The Giving Movement, are doing their part by producing streetwear using sustainable materials and donating a percentage of their proceeds to different causes, LinkedIn said.
“BNPL platforms like Postpay and Tabby are a testament to the growth of the FinTech sector, unlike other regions where such start-ups are on the decline,” the network said.
“With financial independence becoming crucial in today’s uncertain climate, a lot of retail investors are turning to FinTech companies like Sarwa, baraka and Huspy to invest their money in stocks, houses and digital currencies.”
Postpay secured an equity investment of $10m in June last year that will help it to serve retail groups and brands across the GCC and the rest of the Mena region.
Abu Dhabi-based Pure Harvest Smart Farms raised $181m in its latest funding round in June as it looks to expand further into the GCC and Asia. The latest financing brought the AgTech company’s total funding to $387.1m and made it among the most-funded start-ups in the region.
Meanwhile, the best start-ups to work for in Saudi Arabia are BNPL company Tamara, digital marketplace Sary, online grocery delivery business Nana, e-commerce enablement platform Zid and payment app Tweeq, LinkedIn says.
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Watch: The law firm where few people 'go to work'
Best start-ups to work for in the UAE:
- ekar
- Postpay
- Pure Harvest Smart Farms
- The Giving Movement
- Right Farm
- Tabby
- Sarwa
- Baraka
- Opontia
- Huspy
First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
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TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
Honeymoonish
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Results:
5pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic (PA) Prestige Dh 110,000 1.400m | Winner: AF Mouthirah, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
5.30pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic (PA) Prestige Dh 110,000 1,400m | Winner: AF Saab, Antonio Fresu, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 1,600m | Winner: Majd Al Gharbia, Saif Al Balushi, Ridha ben Attia
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Championship (PA) Listed Dh 180,000 1,600m | Winner: RB Money To Burn, Pat Cosgrave, Eric Lemartinel
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap Dh 70,000 2,200m | Winner: AF Kafu, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 100,000 2,400m | Winner: Brass Ring, Fabrice Veron, Ismail Mohammed
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Pros%20and%20cons%20of%20BNPL
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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
if you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Seoul from Dh3,775 return, including taxes
The package
Ski Safari offers a seven-night ski package to Korea, including five nights at the Dragon Valley Hotel in Yongpyong and two nights at Seoul CenterMark hotel, from £720 (Dh3,488) per person, including transfers, based on two travelling in January
The info
Visit www.gokorea.co.uk
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Pad Man
Dir: R Balki
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Radhika Apte
Three-and-a-half stars
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirectors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVarious%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nicola%20Coughlan%2C%20Luke%20Newton%2C%20Jonathan%20Bailey%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
GOODBYE%20JULIA
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMohamed%20Kordofani%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESiran%20Riak%2C%20Eiman%20Yousif%2C%20Nazar%20Goma%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%205%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Gran Gala del Calcio 2019 winners
Best Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Best Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta)
Best Referee: Gianluca Rocchi
Best Goal: Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria vs Napoli)
Best Team: Atalanta
Best XI: Samir Handanovic (Inter); Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Joao Cancelo (Juventus*); Miralem Pjanic (Juventus), Josip Ilicic (Atalanta), Nicolo Barella (Cagliari*); Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Duvan Zapata (Atalanta)
Serie B Best Young Player: Sandro Tonali (Brescia)
Best Women’s Goal: Thaisa (Milan vs Juventus)
Best Women’s Player: Manuela Giugliano (Milan)
Best Women’s XI: Laura Giuliani (Milan); Alia Guagni (Fiorentina), Sara Gama (Juventus), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Elisa Bartoli (Roma); Aurora Galli (Juventus), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus); Valentina Giacinti (Milan), Ilaria Mauro (Fiorentina), Barbara Bonansea (Juventus)
