Why startups from Italy, Tunisia and Sri Lanka are moving to the UAE: Smart shoes, AI prosthetics and a pet clinic

Dubai: Entrepreneurs and startup founders said that the UAE has become a destination for attracting innovative technological ideas and projects, benefiting from a business climate that allows startups to develop their products, accelerate their growth, and expand into global markets. They explained that the country is no longer just a market for establishing new projects, but has become a centre for developing innovative ideas and turning them into business models that can grow and expand internationally, supported by the ease of doing business, the availability of competencies and talents, and progress in the fields of digital transformation and technology. The entrepreneurs showcased their projects at a startup exhibition recently organised by the Thara Foundation, noting that they transferred their experiences and projects to the UAE from other countries, such as Italy, Tunisia and Sri Lanka, to launch towards global markets. The innovations include smart shoes, equipped with technologies to measure health indicators related to the feet and stress, AI-powered prosthetic limbs that help predict movement, along with a virtual clinic for pets, digital platforms for education and book exchange, and a digital wallet targeting students and micro-entrepreneurs. The Ajman Chamber recently organised the first Thara Connect forum, coinciding with the launch of the Thara investment and entrepreneurship system. The forum’s activities included a startup competition that allowed founders to showcase their projects to investors and experts. A project that originated in Italy Pietro Allegherti, the founding director of the startup Yoshi, said: “The company is developing smart products and technologies integrated into shoes and linked to phones via applications that allow measuring individuals’ health indicators through their feet, monitoring stress and fatigue levels, as well as releasing pulses and vibrations through the shoes, with the aim of activating the feet and body.” He added that the idea for the project originated in Italy, before he moved to establish the company in Dubai with the aim of developing products and launching them into global markets, noting that ‘smart shoes’ allow for the addition of multiple functions, including measuring the number of steps and foot health indicators, serving different categories, from the elderly and patients to ordinary users. From Tunisia to Dubai For her part, the CEO and founder of Bionic, Omaima Al-Juwaini, said: “The company offers artificial intelligence-supported prosthetic limbs that help amputees predict and execute movements with less effort, while improving response speed and smoothness of movement compared to traditional limbs, and reducing pressure on the muscles used to move the prosthetic limb.” She added that the company provides prosthetic limbs manufactured using 3D printing technology, which allow children to be modified as they grow without the need to change their design completely, in addition to limbs made of carbon fibre, which are characterised by lightness and rigidity, which helps to improve movement. She explained that the company was founded in Tunisia, before heading to the Emirates to explore opportunities to develop the project and launch from there to global markets. A launch from Sri Lanka In the same context, Lakshan Kultic, the founding director of Taklus Solutions, said: “The company is developing a smart virtual clinic for pets, providing remote treatment and consultation services, enabling pet owners to access services from different regions, saving time, effort and cost, and reducing the need to transport animals to clinics in cases that can be handled remotely.” He added that the company was founded in Sri Lanka, before moving to the UAE in search of opportunities for growth and international expansion, noting that the openness of the economic environment in the country, and its location that connects global markets, encourages startups of different nationalities to establish their businesses there, especially in the artificial intelligence sectors. Used textbooks Alfredo founder and CEO, engineer Ahmed Al-Saif, said: “The company provides a platform to buy used textbooks and resell them to students at low prices, in addition to providing remote educational consultations,” noting that “the business environment in the UAE provides startups with opportunities to grow and expand into other markets.” Digital wallet for students Fahad Al-Habsi, founder of the company Viz, said: “The company offers a digital wallet targeting students and micro-enterprise owners, and allows buying and selling operations without the requirement of having bank accounts, which facilitates financial transactions for these groups.” He added that the wallet operates in accordance with the standards and regulatory controls of the Central Bank, and provides a simplified user experience, noting that the business climate in the country and the government initiatives