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.

Published

10 months ago

May 16, 2025

Nour Nasir

top dubai investors join the final pitch in reality show's middle east debut

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.

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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

Nano Banana 2 Arrives In MENA For Google Gemini Users

Google brings its latest image model to Gemini and Search, adding 4K output and tighter text control for regional users.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 27, 2026

Nour Nasir

Google

Google has opened access to Nano Banana 2 across the Middle East and North Africa, pushing its newest image model into everyday tools rather than keeping it inside the exclusive (and expensive) Pro tier.

The rollout spans the Google Gemini desktop and mobile apps, and extends to Google Search through Lens and AI Mode. Developers can also test it in preview via AI Studio and the Gemini API.

Nano Banana 2 runs on Gemini Flash, Google’s fast inference layer. The focus is speed, but also control. Users can export visuals from 512px up to 4K, adjusting aspect ratios for everything from vertical social posts to widescreen displays.

The model maintains character likeness across up to five figures and preserves fidelity for as many as 14 objects within a single workflow. This enables visual continuity across scenes, iterations, or edits — supporting projects like short films, storyboards, and multi-scene narratives. Text rendering has also been improved, delivering legible typography in mockups and greeting cards, with built-in translation and localization directly within images.

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Under the hood, the system taps Gemini’s broader knowledge base and pulls in real-time information and imagery from web search to render specific subjects more accurately. Lighting and fine detail have been upgraded, without slowing output.

By embedding the model inside Gemini and Search, Google is normalizing advanced image generation for a mass audience. In MENA, where startups and marketing teams are leaning heavily on AI to scale content across languages and borders, that shift lands at a practical moment.

The move also folds creative tooling deeper into search itself, so that image generation is no longer a separate workflow. It now sits right next to the query box.