News

Dubai Startup Belong Is A Social Platform With A Twist

The company has ambitious plans for growth and has already begun scaling operations in US cities.

Published

3 years ago

November 28, 2023

Nour Nasir

Belong

Startup Belong is an online social platform catering to the needs of fitness, food, travel, arts, sports, and wellness enthusiasts. The app also allows users to connect in person to attend events together.

Founders Michael Askew and Matthew Gaziano have first-hand experience of struggling to connect with the right people after living in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, for seven years and later moving to Dubai.

“When we moved to Dubai, we were excited because the place is amazing. We expected to have a packed, endless social calendar, but when we got here, we realized we’d got to make friends first,” says Gaziano. “How do you get out, find like-minded people, and do all these fantastic things? How do you approach people? It’s not easy to go over and speak to someone in public and start talking about yourself,” he added.

The pair were inspired to design an app where “online meets offline”, helping people to break the ice and form lasting relationships out in the real world.

After launching the app in 2019, the social platform now has a user base of 350,000 and a presence in Dubai, New York, and San Francisco.

Also Read: Top 10 Best Freelance Platforms In The Middle East

Belong works by allowing users to select their interests. After that, they start posting and discussing what they have in common. The company has already secured $3.5 million in crowdfunded investments and plans to raise more funds in 2024 to crack the wider US and MENA markets.

“The UAE is a fantastic place to launch your business,” explains Gaziano. “It’s such a melting pot of cultures and nationalities, and you can really put your startup to the test here”.

The United Arab Emirates aims to become home to 20 startups valued at over $1 billion by 2031 in a bid to become a regional center for innovation and entrepreneurship. Last year, the country launched its Entrepreneurial Nation initiative to help entrepreneurs set up operations in the Emirates and support them when expanding their businesses, exporting products, and tapping into online sales.

The UAE’s digital economy is expected to reach a value of $140 billion by 2031, rising dramatically from its current $38 billion, according to a report by the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy.

News

For etisalat, More Bandwidth Is A Matter Of Digital Sovereignty

The etisalat group plans to expand its international capacity from 20 Tbps to more than 500 Tbps by 2030, with new routes designed for speed and resilience.

Published

2 days ago

October 6, 2026

Nour Nasir

for etisalat, more bandwidth is a matter of digital sovereignty

Emirates News Agency

By 2030, etisalat group plans to lift its international connectivity capacity to more than 500 terabits per second (Tbps), more than 25 times the 20 Tbps it has today. The group presented the expansion as preparation for rising AI demand and an important move for the UAE’s digital sovereignty.

His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, witnessed the launch of the project, which covers the UAE and international markets. Sheikh Mansour is also Chairman of the Emirates Investment Authority, etisalat group’s main shareholder.

He emphasized the role of coordinated national efforts in advancing the UAE’s AI and digital economy ambitions. “AI is a central pillar in our development journey moving forward,” he said, adding that developing the country’s digital capabilities would empower every institution, public and private, to build and innovate with AI “at the scale the coming decade will demand”.

“This project reflects our conviction that the UAE should not simply adopt AI, but govern it and build with it,” said H.E Jassem Mohamed Bu Ataba Alzaabi, Chairman of etisalat group. “That requires digital infrastructure at a scale that would prepare us for the future”. He cast greater international connectivity as a strategic answer to the challenges of processing and moving data globally.

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Beyond raw bandwidth, the expansion will introduce new connectivity routes intended to improve reliability and efficiency, and Alzaabi tied them directly to the sovereignty goal. “Delivered through diversified routes and low-latency design, the project is set to keep the country’s connection to the global digital economy fast, direct and resilient, while ensuring the UAE’s digital sovereignty,” he said.

He also linked the plan to the group’s 50-year commitment to building infrastructure for the nation. The announcement didn’t mention what the expansion will cost. Nor did it name the new routes or say who will build them, the details that would show what digital sovereignty means in practice.