Aldar headquarters in Abu Dhabi. The investment in Taronga is Aldar’s first in a property fund in the Asia-Pacific region. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
Aldar headquarters in Abu Dhabi. The investment in Taronga is Aldar’s first in a property fund in the Asia-Pacific region. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
Aldar headquarters in Abu Dhabi. The investment in Taronga is Aldar’s first in a property fund in the Asia-Pacific region. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
Aldar headquarters in Abu Dhabi. The investment in Taronga is Aldar’s first in a property fund in the Asia-Pacific region. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

Aldar invests in Taronga Ventures to tap into PropTech boom in Asia-Pacific


Aarti Nagraj
  • English
  • Arabic

Aldar Properties has invested in Taronga Ventures, a property technology investor operating across the Asia-Pacific region, as it seeks to diversify operations and expand.

Through the partnership, Aldar, the biggest property developer in Abu Dhabi, will gain access to technology co-investment opportunities providing "additional revenue streams and new efficiencies" for its portfolio, the developer said in a statement on Tuesday.

The agreement aims to increase the exchange of technological know-how and ideas in the Middle East and focus on sustainable solutions.

The size of the investment was not disclosed.

Maan Al Awlaqi, Aldar’s executive director of strategy and transformation, said: “By tapping into technology and tech-enabled companies across the world, Aldar is not only able to further diversify its business but crucially, it is able to facilitate the transfer of innovation to the Middle East's real estate market."

Investors have increasingly focused on PropTech after the coronavirus pandemic forced companies, including those in the property sector, to digitise to ensure business continuity.

Connected buildings, analytics, mortgage solutions, blockchain and online viewing technology are among the key focus areas for PropTech companies, which are looking to disrupt the traditional market through digital solutions for the entire property value chain.

Maan Al Awlaqi, Aldar’s executive director of strategy and transformation. Photo: Aldar
Maan Al Awlaqi, Aldar’s executive director of strategy and transformation. Photo: Aldar

The investment in Taronga is Aldar’s first in a property fund in the Apac region, where investment in PropTech is expected to reach $26 billion by 2024, said Unissa, a global platform for PropTech procurement.

Taronga invests in "innovation-driven companies" and provides strategic access to its network of property co-investors. It is also a certified carbon-neutral platform and prioritises collaboration with companies aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Jonathan Hannam, co-founder and managing partner of Taronga Ventures, said: "We can see immediate growth opportunities for many of the fund’s investments within the existing Aldar portfolio and especially in new developments being undertaken by the group.

"We will also be working closely with Aldar to further develop the technology ecosystem in the Middle East.”

The partnership is Aldar’s fifth in a property technology fund and diversifies the developer's exposure to the sector, the statement said. Its investments in the funds are part of the company’s strategy to boost innovation and support start-ups.

It also offers incubation programmes for start-ups in complementary sectors such as the Aldar Scale Up programme, which focuses on enabling the development of the PropTech sector in the UAE, and the Manassah initiative, an entrepreneurship incubator that supports retail technology start-ups across the Middle East and North Africa.

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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Key facilities
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  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
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2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)

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2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)

2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)

2011 Maria Farah (Canada)

2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)

2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)              

2014 Lia Saad  (UAE)

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2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)

2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)

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Director: Alfonso Cuaron 

Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville 

Rating: 4/5

ENGLAND SQUAD

Team: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Ben Te'o, 12 Owen Farrell, 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 1 Mako Vunipola, 2 Dylan Hartley, 3 Dan Cole, 4 Joe Launchbury, 5 Maro Itoje, 6 Courtney Lawes, 7 Chris Robshaw, 8 Sam Simmonds

Replacements 16 Jamie George, 17 Alec Hepburn, 18 Harry Williams, 19 George Kruis, 20 Sam Underhill, 21 Danny Care, 22 Jonathan Joseph, 23 Jack Nowell

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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMascotte%20Health%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2023%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMiami%2C%20US%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Bora%20Hamamcioglu%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EOnline%20veterinary%20service%20provider%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%241.2%20million%20raised%20in%20seed%20funding%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Apple%20Mac%20through%20the%20years
%3Cp%3E1984%20-%20Apple%20unveiled%20the%20Macintosh%20on%20January%2024%3Cbr%3E1985%20-%20Steve%20Jobs%20departed%20from%20Apple%20and%20established%20NeXT%3Cbr%3E1986%20-%20Apple%20introduced%20the%20Macintosh%20Plus%2C%20featuring%20enhanced%20memory%3Cbr%3E1987%20-%20Apple%20launched%20the%20Macintosh%20II%2C%20equipped%20with%20colour%20capabilities%3Cbr%3E1989%20-%20The%20widely%20acclaimed%20Macintosh%20SE%2F30%20made%20its%20debut%3Cbr%3E1994%20-%20Apple%20presented%20the%20Power%20Macintosh%3Cbr%3E1996%20-%20The%20Macintosh%20System%20Software%20OS%20underwent%20a%20rebranding%20as%20Mac%20OS%3Cbr%3E2001%20-%20Apple%20introduced%20Mac%20OS%20X%2C%20marrying%20Unix%20stability%20with%20a%20user-friendly%20interface%3Cbr%3E2006%20-%20Apple%20adopted%20Intel%20processors%20in%20MacBook%20Pro%20laptops%3Cbr%3E2008%20-%20Apple%20introduced%20the%20MacBook%20Air%2C%20a%20lightweight%20laptop%3Cbr%3E2012%20-%20Apple%20launched%20the%20MacBook%20Pro%20with%20a%20retina%20display%3Cbr%3E2016%20-%20The%20Mac%20operating%20system%20underwent%20rebranding%20as%20macOS%3Cbr%3E2020%20-%20Apple%20introduced%20the%20M1%20chip%20for%20Macs%2C%20combining%20high%20performance%20and%20energy%20efficiency%3Cbr%3E2022%20-%20The%20M2%20chip%20was%20announced%3Cbr%3E2023%20-The%20M3%20line-up%20of%20chip%20was%20announced%20to%20improve%20performance%20and%20add%20new%20capabilities%20for%20Mac.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)

The Lost Letters of William Woolf
Helen Cullen, Graydon House 

All%20The%20Light%20We%20Cannot%20See%20
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The biog

Hobby: Playing piano and drawing patterns

Best book: Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins

Food of choice: Sushi  

Favourite colour: Orange

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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Specs

Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

Range: 400km

Power: 134bhp

Torque: 175Nm

Price: From Dh98,800

Available: Now

COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Klipit%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Venkat%20Reddy%2C%20Mohammed%20Al%20Bulooki%2C%20Bilal%20Merchant%2C%20Asif%20Ahmed%2C%20Ovais%20Merchant%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Digital%20receipts%2C%20finance%2C%20blockchain%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%244%20million%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Privately%2Fself-funded%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Guns N’ Roses’s last gig before Abu Dhabi was in Hong Kong on November 21. We were there – and here’s what they played, and in what order. You were warned.

  • It’s So Easy
  • Mr Brownstone
  • Chinese Democracy
  • Welcome to the Jungle
  • Double Talkin’ Jive
  • Better
  • Estranged
  • Live and Let Die (Wings cover)
  • Slither (Velvet Revolver cover)
  • Rocket Queen
  • You Could Be Mine
  • Shadow of Your Love
  • Attitude (Misfits cover)
  • Civil War
  • Coma
  • Love Theme from The Godfather (movie cover)
  • Sweet Child O’ Mine
  • Wichita Lineman (Jimmy Webb cover)
  • Wish You Were Here (instrumental Pink Floyd cover)
  • November Rain
  • Black Hole Sun (Soundgarden cover)
  • Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan cover)
  • Nightrain

Encore:

  • Patience
  • Don’t Cry
  • The Seeker (The Who cover)
  • Paradise City
The biog

Name: Marie Byrne

Nationality: Irish

Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption

Book: Seagull by Jonathan Livingston

Life lesson: A person is not old until regret takes the place of their dreams

Updated: June 21, 2022, 12:05 PM`