u/Commercial_Slip264

I’m looking for a hands-on technical co-founder who is currently based in the UAE to join SKAI (Safe Kitchen AI), an Abu Dhabi-based food-safety technology startup.
Please only contact me if you are currently living in the UAE.
Abu Dhabi is preferred, but Dubai / other Emirates are acceptable if regular in-person collaboration in Abu Dhabi is realistic.
SKAI has already completed its first live hotel-kitchen pilot and is now preparing Platform V2 and Pilot 2.
I’m looking for someone who can actually build and ship — not only advise.
Ideal experience:
Android / mobile engineering
BLE / GATT and connected devices
Offline-first systems and reliable sync
Backend / cloud
Multi-tenant SaaS
Security and auditability
Production engineering
Direct BLE / IoT production experience is highly valuable.
Before discussing a long-term co-founder arrangement or equity, we will work together on a short practical technical trial using real SKAI engineering challenges.
If interested, please DM me with:
Your current UAE location
Your current role / availability
Products or systems you personally built
Any direct BLE / IoT experience
LinkedIn / GitHub / portfolio
Applications from outside the UAE will not be considered at this stage.
Referrals within the UAE are welcome.

For founders who launched a startup in the UAE and raised their first external round:
How much monthly salary did you pay yourself when you became full-time?
What would you consider a reasonable founder salary at the pre-seed or early stage, and how should it relate to the size of the funding round and the company’s runway?
I’d especially appreciate answers based on real experience in the UAE.

I have a 2,000 AED Apple Gift Card that I won’t be using. Does anyone know the safest way to sell it in Abu Dhabi? If you’re interested yourself, feel free to send me a DM.

Hi everyone,
My name is Abdullah, and I’m a hospitality professional based in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
After years of working in luxury hotel kitchens, I experienced firsthand how stressful and inefficient food safety compliance (HACCP documentation) can be.
This inspired me to create SKAI (Safe Kitchen AI) — an AI-powered platform that combines Voice AI, automation, and smart sensors to simplify compliance and reduce manual paperwork in commercial kitchens.
The concept is validated, the vision is clear, and I’m currently looking for a Technical Co-Founder to build the MVP together.
I’m not looking for an employee.
I’m looking for someone who believes in building a meaningful startup with long-term potential and is interested in joining as a founding partner with equity.
If you have experience in:
AI / LLMs
Full Stack Development
Flutter / React
Cloud Architecture
IoT (bonus)
I’d love to connect and discuss the opportunity.
Even if you’re not interested, I’d appreciate any advice or introductions.
Thank you!
Location: UAE preferred, but remote collaboration is absolutely possible.

Has anyone here been accepted or rejected by startup incubators/accelerators such as Hub71, in5, Dtec, startAD, or similar programs?
I’m currently building an early-stage startup and recently started applying to startup ecosystems and incubators.
I’m curious about:
How long did it take before you received a response?
Were you accepted or rejected?
What stage was your startup at when you applied?
Did you already have an MVP, pilot, customers, or just a concept?
If accepted, how much value did you actually get from the program?
Did it help with funding, mentorship, networking, pilots, or business growth?
Looking back, would you apply again?
I would love to hear honest experiences, especially from founders in the UAE or MENA region.
Thanks

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for advice regarding a personal loan of AED 25k–30k in the UAE.

I work at Mandarin Oriental Emirates Palace (listed employer with most banks).

My basic salary is AED 4,000 but my total monthly income usually exceeds AED 5,000 including service charge.

I’ve been told that online applications are automatically rejected due to the 5k minimum salary requirement, but some people mentioned it might still be possible through bank agents if the employer is listed.

Does anyone know a bank or agent who can process such cases?

Thanks in advanc