News

Flat6Labs Is Seeking The Next Big Levant Region Startups

The program will focus on women, minorities, and internally-displaced entrepreneurs.

Published

1 year ago

March 9, 2023

Nour Nasir

Flat6Labs

Flat6Labs, the MENA venture capital and accelerator, hopes to boost underserved demographics based in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, and the Levant region. Announced this week, Flat6Labs’ program will focus on women, minorities, and internally-displaced entrepreneurs.

Open to people aged 18-45, Flat6Labs is searching for entrepreneurs in “education, fintech, financial inclusion, healthcare technology, agriculture, environment, and information and communication technology”.

The program will comprise three main tracks: StartMashreq Academy, the Growth Support Program, and the Incubation program, with the latter featuring interactive sessions, seminars, training courses on specialized topics, and articles from leading regional experts.

Also Read: Nearly All Saudi Gen Z & Millennials Will Be AR Users By 2025

“The Arab world, and the Levant region in particular, has always been full of promising young people with big ambitions. Unfortunately, many of the youth in our region lack access to the tools, resources, and opportunities they need to succeed. Through this initiative, we hope to inspire an entrepreneurial movement and provide the tools and resources necessary to nurture that movement,” says Yehia Houry, Flat6Labs Chief Programs Officer.

For the startup incubation part of the program, four cycles will take place, helping participants to build business plans and growth strategies, along with various mentorship sessions.

News

Joby To Establish All-Electric Air Taxi Ecosystem Across The UAE

The comprehensive agreement with Abu Dhabi’s government includes a training program, infrastructure development, and a manufacturing presence.

Published

5 days ago

May 1, 2024

Nour Nasir

joby to establish all-electric air taxi ecosystem across the uae

Joby Aviation

All-electric aircraft company Joby Aviation has secured three separate agreements with departments of Abu Dhabi’s government that lay the groundwork to develop and scale air taxi services in the Emirate and beyond.

The deal was signed at the recent DRIFTx thought-leadership and exhibition platform and gave Joby exclusive rights to not only operate air taxi services in Dubai but also unlock inter-emirate services between Abu Dhabi.

joby air taxi partnership abu dhabi

Joe Ben Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby Aviation, said: “Today’s agreement demonstrates the incredible momentum behind the adoption of clean flight across the UAE. We’re looking forward to delivering a fantastic experience for our future customers in Abu Dhabi and we’re excited to be unlocking the potential for zero-emissions flight between Abu Dhabi and Dubai. We’re grateful for the support and collaboration of our governmental partners and the entire ecosystem in Abu Dhabi and we remain deeply impressed by their commitment to building out a world-class aviation ecosystem in the Emirate”.

Joby’s all-electric aircraft went on display for the first time in Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina at the DRIFTx event. The air taxi is designed to carry a pilot and four passengers and can reach speeds of 200 miles per hour (321 km/h). The zero-emission craft is said to have an extremely low acoustic footprint and can travel a maximum of 100 miles (161 km) on a single charge.

Also Read: Lebanese Newspaper Builds AI President To Beat Political Crisis

Once operational, Joby’s air taxi fleet would enable fast, clean travel across the UAE, with journeys between Abu Dhabi to Dubai taking just 30 minutes compared with two hours by car during peak times.

Joby continues to work closely with the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) to help the Emirates become a world leader in the introduction of air taxis. Additional testing and analysis will be required before inter-emirate travel becomes a reality, but the cutting-edge technology already appears to have great potential.