r/StartupsInDubai

so I have been building this thing called Layla

The original idea was pretty simple:

even dry cleaning/cafeteria businesses in UAE operate on WhatsApp

And then someone on the payroll sits there all day wasting his own time on:

“Price?”

“Are you open?”

“Do you have this?”

“Can I book tomorrow?”

“Do you accept insurance?”

“Send location”

“Hello???”

Then the lead get lost because nobody replied in that 2 min usual bracket

So I thought:

let me try to build this basic chatbot .... 6 months later

Layla.

Its NOT one of those ""hello 👋 I am🤖 your 🤖 AI 🤖 assistant 🤖"" bots the kind that gives you a cookie recipe when you ask if they're open after Friday prayer

i know you think it is but genuinely Layla can actually hold a conversation, understand what the person wants and his intentions from the chat pattern, pull information from the business knowledge base, handle voice notes, collect customer details, send short/long term reminders, follow up with people who ghosted or stopped replying and flag hot leads for the owner so he can contact them later by phone or give them a nudge to take action and it also quietly ranks who's worth calling back so he is not just spamming calls or guessing

NOTE: (BTW IT WORKS IN 5 LANGUAGES AS WELL, Arabic, English, Russian, Hindi, Urdu)

I originally built it for a dental clinic in jumeirah my friend knew a dude who worked there, where it can handle stuff like treatment questions, prices, insurance, appointment requests, reminders, and lead recovery

But I Knew the same concept works for basically any UAE business that makes its money on WhatsApp

Clinics, salons, real estate(i have HOT systems for this if anyone is interested), car dealerships, gyms, agencies, home services, whatever

The idea is basically:

A WhatsApp stops being an inbox and starts being a 24/7 5-lingual employee

And YES, I am currently in the slightly unhinged phase where I am trying to get actual businesses to let me try around with this in production without them paying for the service anything during the 1st week

So I am posting this here instead of doing the usual LinkedIn corporate NPC BS

If you run a business in the UAE where WhatsApp is a major part of sales/customer service, I’m genuinely interested in seeing whether Layla can handle your use case

Worst case: it breaks and I fix it instantly with nothing for you to lose

Best case: we accidentally replace half your front desk repetitive work and capture/score any lead in matter of seconds

thanks for reading and i am looking out for your thoughts here, anything can help 🙏

https://preview.redd.it/jljje6kk72kh1.png?width=1805&format=png&auto=webp&s=c874be771ec55865a4e26f1a01d4644019c78091

https://preview.redd.it/gbbnmskk72kh1.png?width=1835&format=png&auto=webp&s=57bee8acc87f16234f70a314314b185fdc03a1fc

Hi everyone, I am a lady currently residing in Ajman,

Am looking for a business partner, capital can be only 5000 AED, I already have the idea, but I need someone serious of any gender, that is ready and serious to cooperate with me.

Thanks

Hi UAE founders and business owners!

I'm Haris, based in Sharjah. I've spent the last 6 years in marketing and 3 years in web development, and I recently started helping local businesses get online with clean, functional websites. The ones that actually bring in customers, not just exist.

A bit about what I do:

• Build simple, professional websites for local businesses (399 AED to start)
• Include a WhatsApp button and Google Maps pin so customers can reach you fast
• Handle hosting and maintenance so you don't have to think about it
• Already built one for a landscaping business, and genuinely enjoy this work: the problem-solving, the back and forth with an owner figuring out exactly what they need, watching something go from nothing to live

If you're building something and don't have a website yet, or your current one needs a refresh, I'd love to help. And if you're not the right person but know someone who is, small business, startup, anyone- I'd really appreciate the connection.

Happy to share examples of my work or just chat about what you're building. No pressure, just putting myself out there.

Good luck to everyone building something from scratch here, it's not easy, and I respect anyone doing it. 🇦🇪

A random LinkedIn message to someone I’d never met ended up changing my life. That person is now my co-founder.

Together, we’ve built a profitable business, expanded to clients across five countries (including the UAE), and were recently featured in the news.
We’re now exploring our next venture with a strong focus on the UAE.

If you’re someone who’s serious about building—not just brainstorming—and you’re looking for a co-founder or collaborator, I’d love to connect. Whether you already have an idea or are exploring opportunities, I’m always happy to exchange thoughts and see if there’s genuine alignment.
We’re based in India but have been working with international clients for several years, so geography isn’t a limitation if the vision is compelling. We are open to relocate to UAE as well

If this resonates with you, feel free to send me a DM. You never know where one conversation might lead.

I'd like to connect with self employed people or entrepreneurs like me. I'd like to chat, learn from each other and grow together.

Am not going to use LinkedIn since I don't think sending my passport to use their platform is worth it; I'm seeking genuine real connections.

Quick glimpse about me, I started my own solo cloud consulting company few months ago in Europe. I live in Europe, but I do travel from time to time. I come from a Backend big tech background (before I was laid off last year).

If you'd like to connect together, feel free to DM me!

I’m a partner in a major audit, tax, and finance firm in the UAE, and I’m currently building an AI venture within this space.

I have the industry knowledge, business network, access to potential clients, and a clear understanding of the problems the product needs to solve. I’m now looking for the right technical partner to build and scale the venture alongside me - not simply someone to hire for development work.

What I’m looking for:

• A strong technical background in software engineering and AI.
• Hands-on experience building AI-powered products, platforms, or SaaS solutions.
• The ability to develop an MVP and make sound decisions regarding the product’s architecture and technology stack.
• Someone comfortable working through uncertainty, testing ideas, and improving the product based on real customer feedback.
• A genuine co-founder mentality with an understanding of equity, risk, commitment, and long-term execution.
• Based in the UAE.

This person must be genuinely technical and capable of taking ownership of the product’s development not someone focused only on strategy, consulting, or outsourcing the work.

I will lead the business side, including industry expertise, client access, partnerships, sales, and overall direction. I’m looking for someone who can complement that by leading the technology and product development.

If you have the right technical background and are interested in building an AI company with strong industry access and real commercial potential, send me a DM with a brief introduction and examples of anything you have previously built.

​

I'm currently building Diseno Arabia, a Saudi-focused B2B business ecosystem based on a problem I've experienced through 20+ years of working across procurement, production, events, logistics, marketing and supplier management.

The vision is to create a trusted platform that connects businesses with verified suppliers, products, services, talent and project execution, while Diseno acts as the commercial and management layer rather than simply being another marketplace.

The platform is already being developed and tested, and I'm progressively onboarding suppliers and building additional components, including a talent ecosystem for local skills, internships and project-based opportunities.

I'm now at the stage where I need direction more than money.

I'm looking to connect with people who have experience with:

Saudi startup/incubation programs

Venture building and accelerators

B2B marketplaces or SaaS

Procurement technology

Strategic investors/angels

Government innovation programs

Business ecosystem development

Founders who have successfully scaled in Saudi/GCC

I'm particularly interested in recommendations for the right programs, organizations or individuals I should approach.

I'm building this gradually and would prefer to find the right strategic environment and guidance before discussing significant investment or equity.

If anyone has relevant experience or can point me toward the right person, I'd genuinely appreciate the direction.

Thank you.

I’ve been researching for past few days about free zones and mainland in UAE and I’m still not sure which one to go for. Apparently there are 40+ of these in total across the Emirates.

Is it just me or the decision is actually complex? On top of that the cost differences by years of license and number of visas. Hundreds of agencies trying to sell their licenses.

Would it be a bad idea to build a platform that streamlines the decision making process and lists all free zones with the correct cost estimate?

Guide,

I work in IT/tech in Dubai and have a decent full-time salary, but I’ve been thinking about building something on the side rather than relying only on my salary long term.

I’m currently considering starting a small perfume brand. The idea is to begin with 4–5 private-label/inspired fragrances, manufacture them locally in the UAE, and sell through Amazon UAE and Noon.

I’m still at the research stage and haven’t invested yet.
If anyone here has experience with perfume/cosmetics businesses in the UAE, I’d really appreciate some honest advice especially regarding manufacturers, licensing, initial investment, Amazon FBA/Noon, and realistic margins.

Would love to hear from people who have actually done it.

Thanks!

Lovable is great for landing pages and apps. But I have not come across app builders specifically for useful working software like CRM, booking forms, client portals, excel work automation, etc. especially by speaking in native language

Most people are too busy to learn Claude code/ codex, and hiring a developer in UAE is still expensive.

What do you think? Would I be wasting my time in building an app builder like this?

Hi all — I’m building an AI-powered beauty tech startup based in Dubai currently mid-way through raising a seed round.

I’d love to connect with other female founders here who’ve been through pre-seed or seed fundraising in the UAE — especially anyone who can share:

**•**	How you found and approached investors locally (vs. going the US/international route)  
**•**	What surprised you about the UAE funding landscape once you were actually in it  
**•**	Any founder communities or groups here worth joining

Hey everyone,

I’m building Lahjty, an AI marketing platform focused on Arabic markets

I’ve reached the fun stage of startup life where the product exists, users can actually use it, and now I’m realizing I have no idea how founders are supposed to meet investors without randomly DMing people on LinkedIn 😭

For anyone who has raised in Dubai/UAE:

What actually worked for you?

Angel networks?

Startup events?

Warm introductions?

Accelerators?

Standing outside DIFC with a pitch deck?

I’m especially interested in meeting investors who understand AI/SaaS or the MENA market.

Would love to hear from founders who have gone through this already, including things you tried that were a complete waste of time.

Happy to share what I’m building in the comments if anyone is curious.

A business partner of mine has built and launched a very impressive app that provides many tools and services for small businesses all in the one place and built with AI at the core..

It combines finance, accounting, payroll, cash-flow forecasting, expenses, quotes and invoicing, VAT and PAYE submissions, CRM, project management, reporting, market intelligence, SEO, website building, social media management, workflow automation and day-to-day business operations in a single EU-compliant system.

It is built for SMEs with less than 20 employees that may currently rely on multiple disconnected systems, bringing everything into one app that acts as an AI-powered digital brain for the entire business.

This isn't just an idea - it was built by someone as their PHD project, has launched and has customers and got awards and grants - but it's currently aimed solely at the European market.

I have the ability to launch this in UAE - it would need some further development to change to the UAE accounting rules etc etc

I'm trying to get a hold of whether this would be something that UAE small businesses would like. And from your perspective, would it be handy to have one app that manages all of this, with an AI brain at the centre?

We're also working on some additional AI features, enabling you to simply ask questions and get the answers without having to navigate and run complex reporting for finance.

I'm also considering bundling it with another platform that provides a multi-currency bank account for sending and receiving from 5 major currencies - almost like a business in a box.

Any thoughts or comments appreciated.