Salima Gutieva, Vice President and Country Manager for UAE, Visa, stated, “We are thrilled to celebrate International Women’s Day by highlighting the significant strides women entrepreneurs have made in embracing AI and digital technologies. Our collaboration with Meta for the Marketplace for Good event exemplifies our commitment to supporting women-owned businesses and fostering a community of innovation and empowerment. We believe that by providing these platforms and resources, we can help women entrepreneurs continue to thrive and make a positive impact on their communities.”

Moon Baz, Director of Global Partnerships, Middle East, Africa and Turkey, Meta, said, “We are excited to partner with Visa for the Marketplace for Good event, which aligns perfectly with our mission to support small businesses and creators. This event not only provides a platform for women entrepreneurs to showcase their products but also reinforces our collective commitment to giving back to the community during the holy month of Ramadan. Together, we aim to create opportunities for women-owned businesses to grow and succeed in the digital economy.”

Key findings from the Women SMB Digitalization Index:

Raising Capital. Access to funding remains a critical challenge for women entrepreneurs as they navigate financial constraints and investment priorities.

• Over half (57%) of women-owned businesses in the UAE rely on personal finances, while (43%) turn to family and friends to set up their businesses.
• Similar to the previous year’s results, most surveyed women entrepreneurs in the UAE continue to rely on personal savings (41%) or reinvesting profits (37%) to fund their business.
• Nearly 4 in 10 women plan to allocate additional funds toward developing new products or services and expanding into new markets.

Technology Adoption. Women entrepreneurs in the UAE are actively embracing digital advancements to enhance their businesses’ efficiency, security, and customer experience.

• Over 7 in 10 women recognize the impact of AI in business and apply it to HR function (71%), sales and marketing (68%), and data analysis and decision-making (68%).
• More than half of survey respondents reported a better payment experience with AI, citing increased accuracy in transactions and reconciliations (57%) and faster approvals and authorizations (50%) in daily operations.
• Women-owned businesses in the UAE actively use business social media accounts (67%) and their company websites (43%) to sell products and services online.
• Women entrepreneurs in the UAE prioritize employee awareness and training (59%) as well as advanced security measure (51%) to safeguard their digital transactions.

Growth Priorities. Growth and skill development remain key priorities for women entrepreneurs in the UAE, with many looking to expand into new markets.

• More than half of respondents (51%) in the UAE aim to expand into new markets or industries to grow their businesses.
• Nearly half of surveyed women-owned businesses (46%) seek to broaden their range of products.
• Many women entrepreneurs are interested in learning more about payment security and eCommerce setup (38%), financial and budget management (30%), and business fundraising (28%).

As women entrepreneurs focus on digital growth and business expansion, Visa remains committed to supporting them with tools, resources, and platforms they need to thrive in the digital economy.

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During the four weeks of the program, startups and individual engineers received support from Meta to build prototypes using Meta’s open-source large language model Llama 3.2 engine to solve seven different challenges presented by corporate partners.

Each company presented key challenges to be addressed by the cohort’s solutions while highlighting the vast potential of AI to transform industries. Emirates Airline is presenting a challenge to remove travel anxiety for people with disabilities and senior travelers, Indigo Hive, a startup specializing in intelligent automation, presented “MyTravelGuide,” a conversational chatbot on WhatsApp developed by retraining Llama to provide expert guidance to travelers with accessibility needs.

Icom Innovation introduced “Ike,” an AI companion that ensures end-to-end accessibility support, combining real-time data verification and Llama multimodal capabilities to give personalized guidance for travelers with disabilities.

Chalhoub Group is looking to address the challenge of customer sentiment analysis, a Dubai-based AI company Transcend Technologies developed “Chalhoub Analytics,” a platform that harnesses Llama 3 deep learning to better analyze brand and store performance and provide actionable insights to luxury brands. Fitch Technologies addressed inventory management challenges by showcasing “FocastIQ,” a tool that leverages predictive analytics to optimize inventory, reducing overstock and stockouts.

Dubai Holding is aiming to enhance sustainability and improve emissions calculations, CarbonSifr introduced a multi-agent AI solution that automates GHG emissions tracking and reporting, leveraging localized supply chain data and integrating Llama AI for enhanced data processing and insights generation. This platform aids Dubai Holding’s sustainability goals with actionable insights based on localized carbon data.

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is looking to improve decision-making and optimize routes. Ahmad Joudi, a Business Intelligence Engineer at Amazon, created an AI chatbot that simplifies mobility data. The bot provides RTA analysts with direct insights, improves access to local transportation data, and aids in efficient decision-making.

Another startup, Byanat, developed a platform that leverages mobility data from multiple sources to enhance user interactions through an AI-driven chat. A data-analytics startup Oryx presented “TransfeX,” which uses Llama data processing capabilities to enhance public transportation efficiency by analyzing and optimizing route connections.

The Llama Design Drive Demo Day marked a milestone in UAE’s AI sector, underscoring the strategic importance of open-source AI in building solutions with commercial and social impact.

Abdulaziz AlJaziri, Deputy CEO of Dubai Future Foundation said, “Dubai Future Foundation partners with global technology giants under its efforts to enhance Dubai’s startup ecosystem. This latest partnership with Meta is bringing some of the UAE’s largest national enterprises together with innovative startups to solve challenges in line with the objectives of Dubai’s economic and social agendas. We are proud to champion efforts that inspire bold thinking and reinforce Dubai’s position as a platform for piloting and scaling ingenious ideas.”

Joulan Abdul Khalek, Policy Programs Manager, Africa Middle East and Turkiye at Meta added, “This initiative illustrates the power of open-source AI to bring people together to solve complex challenges with innovation. The use cases presented today are truly impressive, demonstrating creativity, technical skill, and a deep understanding of industry needs. We’re proud to support these pioneering teams, whose work will not only make a difference here in the UAE but will also inspire future AI innovations across the broader region and the world.”

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Transcripts are rendered on-device, so your personal voice messages remain end-to-end encrypted. That means no one else, not even WhatsApp, can see, listen to them or read them.

You can get started with the feature by going to Settings > Chats > Voice message transcripts. From there, you can choose which language you want to use. After you’re set up, you can have voice messages transcribed by long pressing on the message and tapping on ‘transcribe’.

The company said, ‘We will build on this experience to make it even better and more seamless. We’re starting with a few languages before adding more over the coming months.’

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The first cohort of the program includes 22 startups, and 8 AI development professionals focused on solving leading industry challenges related to AI.

This first of its kind initiative is designed to accelerate the development of innovative AI solutions using Meta’s open-source large language model Llama 3.1 by fostering collaboration between startups and leading corporations within the UAE. The program is set to significantly advance the AI ecosystem in the UAE, aligning with the nation’s strategic vision to be a global leader in AI technology.

The first cohort of the Llama Design Drive consists of a 4-week AI design sprint aiming to connect startups at the forefront of AI innovation with real-world business challenges presented by four of the UAE’s leading companies: Emirates airline, The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), Dubai Holding and Chalhoub Group. The program offers unparalleled access to real complex business problems that these companies are facing, enabling participants to conceptualize, develop, and pitch AI-driven solutions with significant commercial and social impact leveraging Meta’s open-source AI models.

Startups will be hosted for the duration of the cohort at Dubai Future Foundation’s state of the art innovation ecosystem, AREA 2071, and will attend workshops and mentorship sessions designed to facilitate their product development journey. This collaboration underscores the UAE’s dedication to fostering a vibrant AI ecosystem where cutting-edge solutions can contribute to the nation’s ambitious digital transformation goals.

The participation of Emirates, The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), Dubai Holding, and Chalhoub Group in the Llama Design Drive highlights the strategic importance of AI in driving business innovation across key sectors in the UAE. Each of these corporates brings forward unique challenges that will push the boundaries of AI development:

• Emirates seeks to revolutionize the global travel experience of people with accessibility requirements by simplifying access and making it easy to find reliable information that eliminates anxiety.
• The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) aims to improve the city’s public transport system by leveraging multi-source mobility data and integrating AI-driven travel alerts.
• Dubai Holding is exploring ways to improve the accuracy and reliability of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reporting in line with its commitment to achieving Net Zero by 2050.
• Chalhoub Group is focusing on enhancing customer satisfaction and optimizing predictive inventory management in the consumer retail sector through advanced sentiment analysis and predictive analytics across omnichannel experiences.

Startups selected for the Llama Design Drive will benefit from close collaboration with Meta’s engineering teams and may have the chance to be fast-tracked into a global program sponsored by Meta, with the opportunity to receive up to $500,000 in funding to support the development of their AI products. This initiative is not just about innovation; it’s about creating real impact and advancing the UAE’s position as a leader in the AI field.

Abdulaziz Al Jaziri, Deputy CEO and Chief Operating Officer of the Dubai Future Foundation said: “We are proud to partner with Meta on this dynamic initiative. This collaboration reflects Dubai’s position as an emerging global hub for AI, but also a critical platform for partnerships and an attractive environment for startups and major international technology groups. Through our partnerships with global tech giants, we continue to foster a nurturing, supportive environment for startups operating on the frontiers of technological advancement with ambitions to scale across borders, as well as connect with both governments and industry leaders.”

Joulan Abdul Khalek, Policy Programs Manager, Africa Middle East and Turkey at Meta said: “We’re very excited to partner with Dubai Future Foundation on this unique initiative that demonstrates the remarkable role of open-source AI in bringing together different stakeholders to solve complex strategic challenges across a wide variety of sectors. We look forward to working closely with the community of startups, developers and university research labs that will be a part of this program along with our corporate partners to develop meaningful AI use-cases that can help unlock real impact in the UAE and serve as an inspiration for the broader region and world.”

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The program will consist of three four-week sprints conducted across the region in the United Arab Emirates, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. These cohorts will feature intensive capacity-building workshops and mentorship sessions to empower participating startups. Strategic partnerships with industry leaders, including RTA (The Roads and Transport Authority), Chalhoub Group, and Dubai Holding, have been forged to guide the definition of design challenges and explore cutting-edge solutions that leverage AI.

The program by Meta and Startupbootcamp addresses a critical need: bridging the gap between established companies and the dynamic world of AI startups to foster home-grown innovation using AI. Llama Design Drive allows MENA startups to use Meta’s open-source large language model, Llama 3.1, to develop products that tackle real-world challenges in mobility, aviation, energy distribution, retail, and real estate.

Llama Design Drive offers a win-win situation for startups and corporations. Startups gain invaluable experience collaborating with leading companies on real-world challenges while leveraging Llama 3.1 to develop cutting-edge solutions. Corporations, in turn, benefit from the opportunity to explore and co-create solutions to some of their most pressing problems using this AI technology. Thus, the initiative aims to demonstrate the power of open-source collaboration between ecosystem players to create meaningful impact and unlock business value.

Startups recruited into the program will have the opportunity to be fast-tracked into a global program sponsored by Meta with the chance of receiving up to US$500,000 to support further development of their products.

“Our program not only promotes the adoption of AI technologies to develop solutions for corporate challenges but also facilitates connections between startups, corporates, and industry experts to expand networks and gain valuable knowledge and technical skills,” explains Ibrahim “Abe” Seksek, CEO MENA at Startupbootcamp.

“The whole world is excited to see how AI can add value to people’s lives,” said Joulan Abdul Khalek, Policy Programs Manager, Africa Middle East and Turkiye at Meta. “Llama Design Drive is a great example of how open source can bring people together to co-create meaningful AI solutions. By doing so, we hope to cultivate a thriving community of tech talent across the region, working with them to unlock the potential of these exponential technologies to address real-world challenges.”

MENA is well-positioned for AI adoption, with governments and businesses across the region beginning to realise the shift globally towards AI and advanced technologies. In absolute terms, the Middle East is expected to accrue 2% of the total global benefits of AI in 2030, with expected annual growth of 20-34% in the contribution of AI to GDP across the region.

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The program adopts Meta’s AI model “LLAMA 3”, targets creative thinkers, future technology entrepreneurs, and founders of startups and established companies specialising in AI applications and uses.

The program aligns with the goals of the Dubai Universal Blueprint for Artificial Intelligence (DUB.AI), that aims to support Dubai’s economic agenda (D33) by adding AED 100 billion through digital transformation and increasing economic productivity by 50% through innovation and digital solutions.

The program seeks to accelerate the achievement of these goals by positioning Dubai as a nurturing environment for AI companies and global talents, since the city is home for eight global tech unicorns.

The business incubator program will foster collaboration and help exchange knowledge and expertise in AI product development. It will enhance innovation, improve the competitiveness of entrepreneurial projects, and develop opportunities and talents. Additionally, it will support the creative initiatives that open new horizons in the digital economy, expected to reach USD 780 billion by 2030.

Abdulaziz AlJaziri, Deputy CEO of Dubai Future Foundation, emphasised the impact of global partnerships in driving AI entrepreneurship ecosystem. “Through such programs, we aim to create new opportunities and provide fertile soil for startups’ rapid growth. This will support the overall innovation system and bring innovative AI solutions and applications to life for the betterment of humanity. It also establishes Dubai’s position as a global testbed and a vibrant environment for AI-based innovation and service development across vital future sectors,” AlJaziri added.

Joelle Awwad, Head of Policy Programs, Africa Middle East and Turkiye, at Meta, stated: “At Meta, we believe that the future of AI development lies in openness and collaboration. Our commitment to working closely with regional partners like Dubai Future Foundation reflects our dedication to building awareness, enhancing capacities, and fostering practical innovation within the ecosystem. Together, we can unlock the true value of AI for both businesses and society.”

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This marks the continuation of the Group’s partnership with Instagram to empower and support local startups, after the successful Fashion Lab programme last year. The collaboration includes hands-on mentorship to support up-and-coming innovators in beauty and skincare throughout the early stages of their entrepreneurship journey.

The five selected brands are already making waves in the UAE beauty business – Rena Roots, Palma De Salus, Alam Health & Beauty, Nood, and Salma. The startups had the chance to test and market their brands in-store and online through FACES, Chalhoub Group’s leading beauty retailer in the Middle East, and Beauty Nation, the Group’s online beauty platform.

The Beauty Lab incubator is designed to unearth emerging and unique beauty & wellness startups that aims at accelerating the growth of the indie beauty category in the MENA region. Building on the success of the inaugural Beauty Lab Program, launched in 2019, the ’22 edition is going bolder by expanding into the wellness, clean beauty & new innovative categories’.

“At Chalhoub Group, we are always looking for ways to stay ahead of the curve – curating and cultivating brands with the potential to innovate and excite. With The Greenhouse, and through this partnership with Instagram, we are committed to empowering regional startups in the beauty and skincare space, supporting those entrepreneurs building sustainable brands that we believe can deliver the products and solutions that regional customers want.” said Rafi Dikranian, Senior Innovation & New Ventures Manager at the Greenhouse.

“People have always come to Instagram to connect with brands and people they love. With a vibrant community of more than one billion people, a business presence on Instagram is like being on one of the busiest street corners in the world – in fact, 90% of people follow a business on the platform today. We are excited to announce our second partnership with Chalhoub Group to celebrate and support female entrepreneurs in an emerging sector such as clean beauty and help them take their brands to the next level. At Instagram, we will continue to constantly evolve our tools, introduce new features, and embark on new initiatives to support small businesses and help people discover them to further drive their growth,” said Mansour Salameh, Head of Retail & Ecommerce, for MENA, at Meta.

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HealthTech startup AlRazi, based in Gaza, won the first prize in the pitch competition, taking home a cash prize of $20,000. The startup, founded by Ahmed Alron, offers a medical system to simplify and manage work in medical facilities, reducing paperwork and saving time in order to focus on the quality of medical services, including tele-medicine.

The event, the first of its kind in the Gaza strip, marked the conclusion of the Boost Without Borders Program, an initiative launched in partnership with Meta to support Palestinian entrepreneurs and small businesses, through digital marketing training and an Investment Readiness Program aimed at developing their skills and strengthening their businesses.

Joelle Awwad, Head of Policy Programs for the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey at Meta, commented: “Small businesses are at the heart of our communities as well as the economic health of our region. Helping them thrive and grow is our top priority. We’re excited to announce the winners of the Boost Without Borders competition in Palestine, and provide entrepreneurs and small businesses with financial support and capacity building programs aimed at developing their digital skills to lead a stronger business ecosystem in Palestine, as well as give them the opportunity to grow outside Palestine.”

Valentina Primo, Founder and CEO of Startups Without Borders, said: “We are thrilled to partner with Meta to support entrepreneurs in Palestine. It was an event that overcame barriers and connected Palestinian startups with investors, mentors and industry leaders from Europe and the Middle East; and that is at the core of our mission. In the past months, we have seen the talent, passion and grit of Palestinian founders thrive through the training sessions, pitch sessions, and the final competition.”

The event took place on September 6th at Heaven’s in Gaza, featuring a panel discussion, followed by 10 startup founders, who pitched their idea to a jury panel composed of international investors and experts, and a networking session.

The startups pitched in a hybrid online-offline format to an international jury panel composed by Joelle Awad, Head of Policy Programs for the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey at Meta; Corine Kiame, Chief Investment Officer at IM Funding, Mariam Kamel, Manager of AUC Angels; Diederick van der Wijk, Co-Founder of Forward Incubator; Karima el Hakim, Country Director at Plug and Play; and Diego Arias, Associate at Plug and Play.

The judging criteria included growth, impact, and business models of the companies participating.

Prior to the pitch competition, there was a hybrid discussion panel, titled: “Navigating the investment landscape in turbulent economies. What are the opportunities?” featuring leading actors in the Palestinian investment scene, including Ambar Amleh, Managing Partner at Ibtikar Fund; Yousef ElHallaq, Investment Readiness Officer at Gaza Sky Geeks; Laith Kassis, Managing Director at Fikra Innovation Hub; Khaled Abu ALkheir, Early Stage Financing Programs Manager at IPSD; andHassan Mansi, Head of Ecosystem Development Programs at Flat6Labs from Egypt.

The competition marks the conclusion of the ‘Boost Without Borders – Palestine,’ program, which aims to build the capacities of small business owners and entrepreneurs as well as enabling organizations to lead a stronger business ecosystem in Palestine. The program included an investment readiness program for 50 local businesses, and a TOT training program for accelerators, incubators and entrepreneurship support programs in Palestine.

This program also featured a series of Meta Boost training sessions for 500 entrepreneurs, in addition to masterclasses by external expert speakers from Meta and partner companies.

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In the MENA region, 12 content creators were selected for displaying innovative approaches to video content and being recognized amongst their communities for championing key creator territories. This includes technology gurus Faisal Al Saif and Ahmad Boarki;  lifestyle and fashion creators Hadia Ghaleb, Yara bou Monsef, and Hadban twins; graphic illustrator and artist Nourane Oweis; Augmented Reality (AR) pioneer Mohammed Al Habtour; comic creators Amr Maskoun and Mai Abdelal; and avid gamers Ahmad AlNasheet, Bashar Kayal, and Ahmed Al-Maimani. The full list of creators can be found on Meta’s dedicated site here.

“Creators are at the heart of culture on Instagram. The ‘Creators of Tomorrow’ campaign builds on our commitment to making Instagram the place for creators to grow their personal brand, unlock new avenues of making a living and have access to cutting-edge tools, education and resources so they are at the forefront of new opportunities and innovation. From experimenting with video content today, to building immersive worlds tomorrow that deepen the interaction with their fans and communities, our creators represent a generation of voices that have the potential to make the metaverse vision a reality,” said Moon Baz, Creator Partnerships Lead, Middle East, Africa and Turkey, Meta.

Meta will work closely with selected creators over the next year to help them grow their audiences and turn their passions into professions across its technologies. This will include hosting dedicated in-person sessions and workshops that span monetization, branded content tips, and more; exclusive experiences and events that empower them to create content around cultural moments; and the Meta Creator Week taking place in London this November, which will bring together all of the ‘Creators of Tomorrow’ to collaborate, learn from each other, and continue to find inspiration in the future of content creation on Meta’s platforms.

Read more about the ‘Creators of Tomorrow global campaign’ here.

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Under the theme of ‘Tomorrow Today – What will the next decade bring?’, the ‘hackathon’ is calling upon the global community of creators and developers to showcase their creativity and innovation. Participants will be challenged to use augmented reality to identify how modern technologies can improve various sectors, such as transportation.

The Spark AR challenge aims to empower programmers with a variety of digital skills and train them to use programming languages in line with national efforts to empower them and support their participation in the digital transformation of the UAE.

Two key challenge tracks by Emirates Airline and Accenture will shape the hackathon. Participants will be tasked to create AR effects around the theme of ‘Mobility of Tomorrow’ for Emirates Airline and ‘Opportunities of the Future’ for Accenture.

The winners’ creations will appear on the official social media accounts of Emirates Airline and Accenture. The participants will also get a chance to win cash prizes totaling more than $50,000, in addition to attending workshops hosted by Meta that will refine participants’ skills in cooperation with the best augmented reality developers in the world.

For more information or to register for the global Spark AR Hackathon, visit https://sparkar.lenslist.com

The ‘hackathon’ runs from 17 June to 1 July. Winners will be announced on 7 July.

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