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NEOM Launches Accelerator To Support Saudi Entrepreneurs
The program will support small to medium enterprises and innovative businesses.
A new accelerator program called Seven Senses has been launched by the social responsibility department of NEOM, Saudi Arabia’s hyper-futuristic city development.
The program will support SMEs, as well as craftsmen and other professionals, with the aim of driving innovation and change in the NEOM and Tabuk regions.
نسعى لنترك أثرًا ونغيّر واقعًا ونبني مستقبلًا بجهودٍ مشتركة ومواهب شابة وأفكارٍ لا حدود لها، لنلهم بها غيرنا ونضع بصمتنا في يوم #المسؤولية_الاجتماعية #نلتزم_بمسؤوليتنا_الاجتماعية #نغير_الحاضر pic.twitter.com/EoOXPIDy9m
— المسؤولية الاجتماعية في نيوم (@NEOM_CSR) March 23, 2023
The accelerator program is welcoming applications until May 14. Although the Seven Senses program is open to anyone, officials are keen to encourage media, arts and culture, food, clothing, and new media projects.
The program will begin with a two-day entrepreneurial boot camp on May 28, where 150 entrepreneurs will receive training in business building, marketing, and attracting investors. After that, participants will present their ideas to an expert panel to compete for a place in the accelerator, held between late May and August.
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“The idea of the NEOM accelerator program Seven Senses, which was designed after extensive studies of the market reality, came to support entrepreneurs and owners of emerging companies in the regions of NEOM and Tabuk through scientific and practical paths that contribute to developing their capabilities,” says Meshari Al Mutairi, Executive Director of Government Affairs at NEOM.
After completing the program, participants will enjoy priority access to entrepreneurial opportunities in the NEOM area, as well as lucrative investment opportunities.
News
LUVED Is A New Curated Preloved Marketplace For The UAE
Sellers keep 100 percent of every sale and AI can build a listing in five seconds — though the app’s smartest tools are still coming.
Secondhand shopping has become mainstream in the UAE, but the experience is still scattered across resale sites, social media and informal group chats. LUVED, a mobile-first marketplace that launched in Dubai this month, is betting it can pull that activity into one place — and that the thing buyers and sellers actually want is not more inventory, but trust.
The app trades in what it calls circular luxury: preloved fashion and lifestyle pieces across men’s, women’s and children’s categories, bought, sold or given away peer to peer. Its main pitch is economics, with sellers keeping 100 percent of every sale under a zero-commission, fast payout model, while buyers are promised vetted pieces at lower prices.
Where LUVED is staking its reputation is verification. Sellers pass a KYC check, and items run through a two-layer authentication system powered by Entrupy that pairs instant AI screening with human expert review for high-value pieces. Authenticity certificates travel with each item, payments sit in escrow, and a buyer-protection package the company calls The Safety Net adds a 48-hour return window and dispute resolution. Door-to-door logistics removes the in-person meetups that make most resale deals awkward.
An in-app assistant called Luvbot — offering selling insights and demand-based recommendations — is soon to be introduced to the platform. Other features include autofill and dynamic pricing that lets users build a listing in as little as five seconds from three photos, plus a swipe-based feed, story-style drops and in-app chat in English and Arabic. Finally, a gifting layer, Luved & Gifted, lets users pass items to others inside the app rather than sell them.
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“After moving to Dubai, I saw how difficult it was to sell or even give things away,” says founder and CEO Shaima Sibtain. The friction is real, and so is the competition. In resale, trust is won transaction by transaction — and that is the test LUVED has set itself.
The app is live on the App Store now, with Google Play to follow. The company also plans to expand across the region, which will be the real test for a marketplace staking everything on trust.
