#Digital transformation
14 posts
Majid Al Futtaim Launchpad Program Success Stories – Stake: Partnerships, Real Estate and Dynamic Ecosystems
In 2022, we launched the Majid Al Futtaim Launchpad Program, in partnership with Majid Al Futtaim and Microsoft, to scale the growth of select SMEs and startups as members of the Majid Al Futtaim ecosystem. As we prepare to front-run the program’s second edition, we are looking back at the tangible impact and great value of the inaugural edition, with one of its 14 winners, Stake. We are looking back at the tangible impact and great value of the program, […]
Saudi Arabia Champions E-commerce: SMEs take the digital challenge with PepsiCo Scale Up Accelerator
The digital space of today has grown to innovate for all types of businesses. Thanks to the accessibility of tech and digital solutions, more and more SMEs are making the shift towards a data-driven and digitally-savvy mode of operation. A prominent aspect of this transition is the uptick in e-commerce in Saudi Arabia that the world has seen in the past few years, during which the pandemic has accelerated at an unexpected rate. Saudi Arabia remains a prime environment for […]
Growth Never Sleeps: MENA’s Ecosystem lunge to new avenues
For over a decade, major players in the UAE have been laying the groundwork for a dynamic tech and business ecosystem. With new frameworks, a skilled talent pool, and abundant funding, MENA’s ecosystem is ready to take the leap into a new decade of innovation. It is hard to imagine a time where the digital solutions we have grown accustomed to did not exist. E-commerce, fintech service, and e-logistics, just to name a few, have become an integral aspect of […]
From the Ecosystem: Saudi Arabia sets a blueprint for global entrepreneurship
Ten years of shifting culture, upskilling talents, pursuing opportunities, and funding big ideas have transformed Saudi Arabia’s entrepreneurship into a unique ecosystem with global appeal. We gathered Saudi’s top entrepreneurs and ecosystem builders to share their stories at our 10th Anniversary earlier this month. The Saudi Arabian ecosystem has undergone a significant transformation over the past decade. Ten years ago, it was challenging to find partners willing to take a risk on a startup idea, but today, the Saudi entrepreneurial […]
The 2022 Wrap-Up: MENA Trials and Prospects
We sum up some of our major themes and stories of last year, as opportunities for reflection heading into the new one: The year 2022 was filled with unequivocal lessons and unexplored potential around MENA’s innovation and entrepreneurial worlds. Naturally, emerging markets are positioned to bear the ripple effects of changes happening on a global front and strenuous economic conditions. However, certain intricacies in the makings of MENA allowed many sectors and businesses to take leading and rather pioneering roles […]
More than Fast Cash: The real potential of SME digitization in MENA
From revenue generation and market entry to accelerating the growth of AI and hyper-scale cloud computing. How is the journey of SME digitization driving the next major technological leap in MENA? To lay the foundation of SME growth and generate the required policy reforms, Dubai SME introduced its clear-cut framework for identifying and defining an MSME. This definition, while in congruence with global trajectories, identifies MSMEs based on the size of the team and the value of its turnover, with […]
Saudi Global Competitiveness: Leveling the field, building new stadiums
If visions set the pathway for the future, the attributes should have innovation at the core. That’s one thing we can learn from global tech giants like Microsoft. In an outtake on Microsoft’s digital transformation in the upcoming global shift, Microsoft explains, “Disruptions have always been a catalyst for business transformation. To lead on the forefront, we’re becoming more agile, efficient, and innovative. This means changing our systems and processes to support and quickly adapt to new products, services, business models, […]
Majid Al Futtaim Launches Accelerator Programme Targeting regional SME and startup companies
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 8 June 2022: Majid Al Futtaim, the leading shopping mall, communities, retail and leisure pioneer across the Middle East, Africa and Asia, has announced Majid Al Futtaim Launchpad, an accelerator programme aimed to attract startups and SMEs in strategic sectors to turbo-charge growth plans and support economic development. Accentuating Majid Al Futtaim’s role as a collaborative partner in supporting entrepreneurs and startup businesses in the UAE and MENA region, the Launchpad reaffirms the Company’s role in the private sector in supporting the growth […]
Banque Saudi Fransi and AstroLabs – bridge the gap between technology and banking through a ‘Digital Apprenticeship Program’
Saudi Arabia – June 22, 2022: The financial ecosystem in Saudi Arabia has come to terms with its unique challenges – and financial institutions are embracing change in an attempt to recruit digital talent in the country. According to Fintech Saudi’s report for 2021, 38-40 percent of financial technology companies consider talent to be their biggest hurdle, and 88 percent have identified ‘finding the right skillset’ as _one of the core challenges. The sector requires a collaborative, self-sustaining, and curated approach […]
Majid Al Futtaim Launchpad Accelerator Programme announces SME and start-up winners to join ecosystem
• In partnership with Microsoft and AstroLabs, Majid Al Futtaim’s Launchpad programme enters an exciting new phase, having successfully identified ambitious brands for a unique strategic partnership opportunity• The Launchpad accelerator programme targets start-ups and SMEs in the MENAP region and globally, in strategic sectors to turbo-charge growth plans and support economic development• As part of the programme, 14 winners were announced, 50% included female entrepreneurs Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 22 September 2022: Majid Al Futtaim, the leading shopping mall, communities, retail and leisure […]
Huawei enriches digital life experiences in collaboration with local incubators and accelerators
Huawei, a leading tech giant, reinforces its commitment to excellence and innovation through workshops, competitions, and mentorship programmes in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region. In collaboration with AstroLabs and The GrEEK Campus, Huawei organised three in-person interactive sessions in Riyadh, Cairo, and Dubai for mobile application developers to learn about the Apps UP 2022 registration process, the HMS Ecosystem, and it’s open capabilities. In close alignment with the Huawei Global App Innovation Contest (Apps UP) 2022, the sessions […]
Corporate Entrepreneurship in MENA: From CSR to Open Innovation
Contributed by: Roland Daher, AstroLabs CEO I vividly remember when Wamda coined the term Corporate Entrepreneurship Responsibility in 2013 and launched the CER movement in MENA ( Corporate Entre- a fairly visionary and advanced proposition for the emerging entrepreneurial ecosystem back then. Although some early adopters (Aramex, GE, etc…) ran promising innovation programs, a decade ago working with startups or supporting the ecosystem was a show of “goodwill” rather than a business imperative for large enterprises. In its nascent stages, innovation programs […]