News
Dubai Investors Join “The Final Pitch” In Reality Show’s Middle East Debut
Asia’s longest-running business reality show will air in Dubai with a powerhouse panel of judges to fund and mentor local entrepreneurs.
Dubai will become the new stage for entrepreneurial ambition as four of its top business leaders are confirmed as investor-judges for the Middle East debut of The Final Pitch, Asia’s longest-running business reality series.
With a background in industries including digital transformation, real estate, clean tech, fintech, and venture capital, the newly named investor panel includes Cypher Capital Founding Partner and Phoenix Group Co-Founder Bijan Alizadeh; renowned real estate figure Dr. Mohanad Alwadiya, also known as “The Wolf of Real Estate”; Incubayt Investments Founding Partner Sami Khoreibi, and Jigar Sagar, Founder of Triliv Holdings and a strategic advisor to regional governments.
The Final Pitch will keep its established format, giving selected entrepreneurs the chance to pitch their businesses directly to the experienced judges. As well as access to capital, the show promises mentorship, exposure to new networks, and insight into real-world business operations. Founders will receive strategic guidance from the judges, who will open the doors of their companies to support startup development.
John Aguilar, creator and host of The Final Pitch and founder of Dragon’s Nest, called Dubai “one of the most exciting places in the world to build and grow a business right now,” adding that the UAE edition is about connecting founders with meaningful investment, mentorship, and opportunities that support the country’s vision for a knowledge-based economy.
Also Read: iFLYTEK Smart Translator 4.0 Review: A Traveler’s Companion
The series, produced by Dragon’s Nest in collaboration with Ti22 Films, will begin filming in June 2025 across well-known Dubai locations. Applications are now open to startup founders both within the UAE and internationally, offering them the chance to appear on the show and accelerate their growth.
Entrepreneurs interested in applying can submit their pitches through the show’s official website. The application window closes on May 27, 2025.
News
Noon And Yango Switch On Robot Deliveries In Dubai
The rollout folds autonomous couriers into noon’s rapid-delivery network as the UAE tests everyday autonomy.
Noon and Yango Group have signed an agreement to put autonomous robot deliveries into commercial use in Dubai, turning Yango’s earlier pilots into a daily service for noon Minutes orders. The launch in Sobha Hartland is the first full integration of Yango Autonomy’s electric robots with a major e-commerce network in the region, with wider deployment planned across Dubai and, later, other GCC markets.
Residents can choose a robot at checkout, track it in the app and unlock its compartment once it arrives. The hardware runs on Yango’s AI navigation and routing stack, which plans paths, avoids obstacles and yields to pedestrians. The units had already covered more than 1,500 kilometers during previous Dubai pilots, a test bed that demonstrated their ability to operate in mixed pedestrian environments and dense residential streets.
The rollout adds a contactless option to noon’s last-mile network and is positioned as extra capacity during peak periods. “Partnering with Yango Group lets us bring a future-ready delivery option straight to our customers,” said Ali Kafil-Hussain, noon’s Chief Business Officer. Noon has used Minutes to set rapid-delivery expectations in UAE cities; autonomous units now slot into that same high-frequency model.
Regulatory clearance from Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority underpins the move. The RTA authorized Yango’s robots to operate on public walkways and in neighborhoods, smoothing the shift from controlled trials to commercial work. Dubai has framed autonomous mobility as part of its smart-city buildout, and the partners lean on that agenda to accelerate integration.
Also Read: Uber And WeRide Roll Out Driverless Robotaxis In Abu Dhabi
For Yango, the partnership is an anchor for its autonomy platform in the Gulf. Islam Abdul Karim, Yango’s Middle East regional head, said the aim is to make autonomous delivery an “everyday, reliable service” for UAE communities. The company views operational data from early districts as the basis for scaling into more communities and, eventually, cross-border rollouts.
The move lands as Gulf retailers search for faster fulfilment and lower-emission logistics. Autonomous couriers remain a small share of last-mile delivery, but Dubai’s approvals and early usage data give the partners a clearer path to turn pilots into durable infrastructure.
