When the Emirati siblings Murshed and Mareyah Mohammed Ahmed left their jobs to concentrate on their start-up, Yebab, they didn't tell their family for months.
Mareyah was working as an auditor for the Dubai government and Murshed as an engineer for Dubai Petroleum when he came up with the idea of a directory for brides and wedding planners and ran it by his sister.
The entrepreneurs were also already dabbling in other ventures – Murshed in an online courier taxi service and Mareyah a business making customised jalabiyas. They are also both partners in their other brother's drone business.
However, they started Yebab (which is the sound Arab women make at weddings as a sign of happiness) in 2008 with just Dh2,500 before securing investment from the internet holding group N2V in 2010. As part of the deal they agreed to make Yebab their full-time venture within six months.
"We couldn't sleep at night for those months," says Mareyah. Emiratis often have side businesses but "the culture is not to just quit your job", adds Murshed. "Because why would you leave if something is working?"
However, they accepted their part of the deal, setting up an office in Jumeirah, in Dubai, immediately.
"You need to come in every morning to get in the mood of working in a company," acknowledges Mareyah of the need to commit fully to the venture.
Four years on and the duo have a permanent technical team in Jordan as well as their UAE base.
While Yebab started to make money straight away from advertising businesses, they decided to "pivot" the business last year into a photo-sharing app – "somewhere between Instagram and WhatsApp".
"The site was already about sharing wedding photos – now it does the same, but with a twist," says Murshed. "Visual communication is the big trend."
Where Instagram is about "broadcasting beautiful pictures, one to many", the siblings say most of their friends tend to take a screenshot from the app, then start their own private conversations about it in WhatsApp instead of joining a public conversation on Instagram.
What Yebab offers is a hybrid mix of communications – between large groups, small groups or one-to-one – with real-time feedback. Unlike most social media, a Yebab user can see who has viewed their pictures or albums, not just liked or commented, and even who is viewing them right now. But they can also quickly move pictures or whole albums from public to private to continue a conversation.
Popular albums include quotes, travel, people, sports, cars and men's fashion, as Yebab diversifies and grows its user base from its female-focused wedding origins.
The free app is currently available only on iPhone (as was Instagram originally), although an Android version is planned later this year. "Since we started Yebab seven years ago, we have seen so many trends – forums, the BlackBerry, YouTube and now Instagram," says Mareyah.
Social chat is certainly all the rage online right now. Facebook bought Instagram for US$1 billion in 2012 and WhatsApp for $19bn last year.
As tech companies try to capture the millennial market, teens have moved swiftly from Facebook to Instagram to Snapchat. With some 30 million users worldwide on Instagram, 100 million on Snapchat and a staggering 420 million on WhatsApp, the closed nature of messaging apps appeals to users keen on privacy.
The daily average time spent on Instagram is 21 minutes and, on Yebab, a similar 15 to 20 minutes. According to Global Web Index, more than two-thirds of teen users in the Middle East region use WhatsApp each month, compared to 4 per cent in North America.
The brother and sister are now in talks to create closed enterprise or network versions of the app, to allow big companies to work collaboratively in private groups, and think this could be where the money is.
Yebab boasts Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa, chairman of the Dubai Land Department, and the Emirati singer Shamma Hamdan among its users, according to the company's promotional pack. Ultimately Murshed and Mareyah want Yebab to go global, and dream of enticing huge social users like Beyoncé, Justin Bieber and Kim Kardashian. "They could use it with their teams, PR people and so on," says Murshed.
With the new release of Yebab about to go live, do the pair think they made the right choice leaving their jobs five years ago?
"We've disrupted our careers, but you can always go back," says Murshed confidently. "There is always risk and the shoes of an entrepreneur require persistence," Mareyah adds. "When we launched the app, our family was very happy."
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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if you go
Getting there
Etihad (Etihad.com), Emirates (emirates.com) and Air France (www.airfrance.com) fly to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, from Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. Return flights cost from around Dh3,785. It takes about 40 minutes to get from Paris to Compiègne by train, with return tickets costing €19. The Glade of the Armistice is 6.6km east of the railway station.
Staying there
On a handsome, tree-lined street near the Chateau’s park, La Parenthèse du Rond Royal (laparenthesedurondroyal.com) offers spacious b&b accommodation with thoughtful design touches. Lots of natural woods, old fashioned travelling trunks as decoration and multi-nozzle showers are part of the look, while there are free bikes for those who want to cycle to the glade. Prices start at €120 a night.
More information: musee-armistice-14-18.fr ; compiegne-tourisme.fr; uk.france.fr
WORLD CUP FINAL
England v South Africa
Yokohama International Stadium, Tokyo
Saturday, kick-off 1pm (UAE)
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Match info
Costa Rica 0
Serbia 1
Kolarov (56')
MATCH STATS
Wolves 0
Aston Villa 1 (El Ghazi 90 4' pen)
Red cards: Joao Moutinho (Wolves); Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa)
Man of the match: Emi Martinez (Aston Villa)
J%20Street%20Polling%20Results
%3Cp%3E97%25%20of%20Jewish-Americans%20are%20concerned%20about%20the%20rise%20in%20anti-Semitism%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E76%25%20of%20US%20Jewish%20voters%20believe%20Donald%20Trump%20and%20his%20allies%20in%20the%20Republican%20Party%20are%20responsible%20for%20a%20rise%20in%20anti-Semitism%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E74%25%20of%20American%20Jews%20agreed%20that%20%E2%80%9CTrump%20and%20the%20Maga%20movement%20are%20a%20threat%20to%20Jews%20in%20America%22%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Voy!%20Voy!%20Voy!
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Omar%20Hilal%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Muhammad%20Farrag%2C%20Bayoumi%20Fouad%2C%20Nelly%20Karim%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
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
ENGLAND SQUAD
Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
SOUTH%20KOREA%20SQUAD
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Suggested picnic spots
Abu Dhabi
Umm Al Emarat Park
Yas Gateway Park
Delma Park
Al Bateen beach
Saadiyaat beach
The Corniche
Zayed Sports City
Dubai
Kite Beach
Zabeel Park
Al Nahda Pond Park
Mushrif Park
Safa Park
Al Mamzar Beach Park
Al Qudrah Lakes
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
Overall head-to-head
Federer 6-1 Cilic
Head-to-head at Wimbledon
Federer 1-0 Cilic
Grand Slams titles
Federer 18-1 Cilic
Best Wimbledon performance
Federer: Winner (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012)
Cilic: Final (2017*)
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre, six-cylinder
Transmission: six-speed manual
Power: 395bhp
Torque: 420Nm
Price: from Dh321,200
On sale: now
Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
No more lice
Defining head lice
Pediculus humanus capitis are tiny wingless insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. The adult head louse is up to 3mm long, has six legs, and is tan to greyish-white in colour. The female lives up to four weeks and, once mature, can lay up to 10 eggs per day. These tiny nits firmly attach to the base of the hair shaft, get incubated by body heat and hatch in eight days or so.
Identifying lice
Lice can be identified by itching or a tickling sensation of something moving within the hair. One can confirm that a person has lice by looking closely through the hair and scalp for nits, nymphs or lice. Head lice are most frequently located behind the ears and near the neckline.
Treating lice at home
Head lice must be treated as soon as they are spotted. Start by checking everyone in the family for them, then follow these steps. Remove and wash all clothing and bedding with hot water. Apply medicine according to the label instructions. If some live lice are still found eight to 12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly than before, do not re-treat. Comb dead and remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine-toothed comb.
After the initial treatment, check for, comb and remove nits and lice from hair every two to three days. Soak combs and brushes in hot water for 10 minutes.Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay.
Courtesy Dr Vishal Rajmal Mehta, specialist paediatrics, RAK Hospital
DMZ facts
- The DMZ was created as a buffer after the 1950-53 Korean War.
- It runs 248 kilometers across the Korean Peninsula and is 4km wide.
- The zone is jointly overseen by the US-led United Nations Command and North Korea.
- It is littered with an estimated 2 million mines, tank traps, razor wire fences and guard posts.
- Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un met at a building in Panmunjom, where an armistice was signed to stop the Korean War.
- Panmunjom is 52km north of the Korean capital Seoul and 147km south of Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital.
- Former US president Bill Clinton visited Panmunjom in 1993, while Ronald Reagan visited the DMZ in 1983, George W. Bush in 2002 and Barack Obama visited a nearby military camp in 2012.
- Mr Trump planned to visit in November 2017, but heavy fog that prevented his helicopter from landing.
The%20specs
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