Dubai’s e-government has recently launched the Dubai Smart City initiative that aims to transform the UAE into a leading global smart city in the Middle East. With the amount of startups emerging into the scene, Dubai is for sure getting there.
Don’t believe us? Well, Dubainow, is one of their homegrown smart apps on the market. It offers around 50+ smart services from 42 government cities around the UAE. Careem as well, a hail riding service app, has first launched in Dubai and now operates in 53 cities in the MENA region and South Asia. Another great example is Souq.com, which is now acquired by Amazon. These examples pretty much show how the Middle East is capable of setting a solid ground for startups.
The main reasons why those homegrown apps are out there and kicking is probably because of the fields it covers: from travel, hotel management, travel, beauty salons and more. These apps do attract a lot of customers, therefore enabling startups to gain a good mount of revenues, in addition to attracting investors. Additionally, most users are willing to pay for an app if their services are that good, thus helping out with the growth.
In conclusion, in order for your startup’s app to gain that type of traction, you need to think smartly and clearly about it. Do a field research on what people mostly need or are interested in, and provide them with that service or product. Be creative and innovative, and think outside the box. That’s how entrepreneurs usually succeed.