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Meta & Startupbootcamp Program Will Promote MENA Startups
The initiative will encourage AI adoption through a series of workshops and bootcamps and offer $500,000 to support product development.
Facebook and Instagram owner Meta has begun a collaboration with Startupbootcamp, a startup accelerator responsible for over 1,600 successful launches.
The strategic partnership aims to boost the MENA region’s startup scene using cutting-edge AI technologies through its Llama Design Drive initiative.
The program consists of three four-week sprints that will take place across the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. Llama Design Drive highlights include workshops and mentorship sessions and strategic partnerships with industry thought leaders.
The program by Meta and Startupbootcamp hopes to bridge the gap between established companies and the dynamic AI startup sector. To that end, Llama Design Drive will promote the use of Meta’s open-source large language model, Llama 3.1, helping companies develop products that tackle “real-world challenges in mobility, aviation, energy distribution, retail, and real estate”.
Startups recruited into the Llama Design Drive program will get the opportunity to be fast-tracked into a global initiative sponsored by Meta and have the chance to win up to $500,000 to support future product development.
“Our program not only promotes the adoption of AI technologies to develop solutions for corporate challenges but also facilitates connections between startups, corporates, and industry experts to expand networks and gain valuable knowledge and technical skills,” explained Ibrahim “Abe” Seksek, CEO MENA at Startupbootcamp.
Also Read: The Most AI-Proof Career Opportunities In The Middle East
“The whole world is excited to see how AI can add value to people’s lives,” added Joulan Abdul Khalek, Policy Programs Manager, Africa Middle East and Turkey at Meta. “Llama Design Drive is a great example of how open source can bring people together to co-create meaningful AI solutions. By doing so, we hope to cultivate a thriving community of tech talent across the region, working with them to unlock the potential of these exponential technologies to address real-world challenges”.
The MENA region — and the Middle East in particular — is ideally positioned for AI sector dominance, with both governments and businesses scrambling to adopt advanced technologies. In real terms, the Middle East as a whole is expected to reap 2% of the total worldwide benefits of AI by 2030, with annual growth surging to 20-34% across the region.
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Abu Dhabi’s Robot Kitchen Is Serving Up Biryani, Not Burgers
Circus SE wants to put a tiny automated factory inside the buildings where Gulf residents live and work, bypassing part of last-mile delivery.
The most telling thing about a new autonomous kitchen now running in Abu Dhabi’s Marina Square is what it won’t cook:
“We don’t do fast food,” says Nikolas Bullwinkel, Founder and CEO of Circus SE. “We’ve actively decided not to build a machine that can only do burgers”.
Instead, the CA-1 system is built around pot-based cooking: curries, pastas, soups and rice dishes. After experimenting with highly personalized recipes, Circus deliberately leaned back toward recognizable food. “We’re going with a chicken biryani because you know it,” Bullwinkel says of the AED 40 dish.
The Germany-based robotics and food technology company operates across eight countries, and Abu Dhabi is its first deployment outside Europe. More locations are expected there and in Dubai.
In Germany, its units can be placed in supermarkets, gas stations, airports and hospitals. In the Gulf, Bullwinkel wants them inside residential and office buildings, replacing some of the complexity of last-mile delivery. “We’re basically bringing a very tiny factory a few square meters into your building,” he says. Catering company Royal Prestige supplies the ingredients and knowledge of local tastes.
The CA-1 manages up to 36 refrigerated ingredient silos alongside automated induction cooking, robotic plating and a self-cleaning dishwasher. Two robotic arms move ingredients through the system with minimal human intervention. It can produce up to 120 hot meals an hour, and a meal such as rice and curry can take around three to four minutes.
Also Read: Ooredoo Qatar’s 5G+ Network Is Built For Machines As Much As People
Five cameras and multiple sensors monitor heat, temperature and consistency, an attempt to approximate what a chef perceives. “You can hear something gets burned, you can smell it, you can see it at some point,” Bullwinkel says. CircusOS, the company’s operating system, adjusts recipes in real time.
You might think of the platform as a threat to kitchen staff, but Bullwinkel frames Circus as a way for chefs to develop recipes and distribute them at scale. With that being said, rising labor costs and shortages are also part of his case for automation.
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