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WheelsOn Raises $12.5M To Transform UAE Car Rentals
With 87% of UAE car rentals set to come from online bookings by 2030, the company aims to capture demand with a deposit-free, digital-first service.
WheelsOn, a mobile-first car rental startup based in the UAE, has secured $12.5 million in funding to scale its platform and challenge traditional rental agencies. The round includes $2.2 million in equity from MENA-focused investors, including partners of Xploration Capital, $6.5 million for fleet expansion, and $4 million in bank financing. The new capital brings WheelsOn’s valuation close to $30 million.
The funds will accelerate fleet growth, product development, and market expansion. Key initiatives and new features include AI-powered dynamic pricing, personalization tools that recommend vehicles and insurance based on user profiles, and digital car keys for contactless rentals via smartphone.
WheelsOn was founded in 2023 by Nikolay Melnichuk (Partner, Xploration Capital) and Adlet Shagirov (Co-Founder & COO), later joined by Maxim Olivson (CPO). The company was built to address pain points still common in the UAE: high deposits, hidden fees, and lengthy paperwork.
“Our mission is to rethink car rentals by offering full transparency, digital convenience, and a product that puts users in control. We remove deposits completely, eliminate paperwork and counter queues, and give customers a seamless experience all through our intuitive mobile app and website,” explained Olivson.
Unlike aggregator-style platforms, WheelsOn operates its own fleet, giving it full control over quality, pricing, and customer service. A proprietary fleet management and tracking system monitors vehicles in real time, ensuring proactive maintenance and transparent operations. This infrastructure also enables the company to eliminate deposits and reduce hidden costs, translating into greater trust with users.
Also Read: Riyadh’s KAFD To Launch Driverless Monorail By 2027
The platform supports multiple languages, including English, Arabic, Chinese, French, Italian, Spanish, and German. It serves a wide audience, from locals seeking flexible monthly rentals, to businesses requiring premium cars or vans, to tourists wanting delivery at airports or hotels.
Looking ahead, WheelsOn plans to deepen its UAE presence while preparing to expand across the Gulf. With online bookings projected to account for 87% of car rental revenue in the UAE by 2030, the startup is positioning itself to capture demand with a transparent, flexible, and fully digital model.
News
OpenAI’s ChatGPT Health Is A Private Space For Health Data
A new health mode lets the popular AI platform tap medical records and fitness apps while walling off sensitive information.
OpenAI has created ChatGPT Health, a separate space inside its chatbot platform for handling medical and wellness data. The opt-in feature starts with a small US cohort before widening out.
Health-related questions have long driven traffic to AI tools. OpenAI says over 230 million people ask ChatGPT about health or insurance each week. The new mode adds personal context to that behavior but stops short of diagnosis or treatment advice.
Users can connect records from participating US providers through b.well and link apps such as Apple Health, MyFitnessPal, Function and Weight Watchers. Some links are US-only, while Apple Health needs iOS. Once connected, ChatGPT can surface patterns in labs, summarize information ahead of a clinic visit or help map diet and exercise choices against past data.
The data sits apart from other chat information. Health has its own memories and does not spill into other conversations. Users can view or delete health memories at any time. OpenAI says this material is not used to train its models.
Security is much heavier in this section too. Health adds isolation and purpose-built encryption on top of the platform’s baseline protections. App connections require explicit permission, and disconnecting cuts the feed immediately.
“ChatGPT Health is another step toward turning ChatGPT into a personal super-assistant that can support you with information and tools to achieve your goals across any part of your life,” wrote Fidji Simo, OpenAI’s applications chief.
Also Read: Deliverect Rolls Out Self-Order Kiosks Across MENA
Physicians had input during development, though OpenAI has not detailed how that shaped the end product. The launch follows Health Bench, a dataset released in May to test models on realistic medical cases.
While currently rooted in the US healthcare ecosystem, the approach may draw interest in the Gulf and wider MENA markets as governments push digital health records and patient portals under modernization programs. Adoption will depend on whether users trust an AI assistant with such personal material and whether it fits clinical routines.
For OpenAI, the move marks a cautious step into regulated terrain and signals a shift toward sector-specific uses of generative AI.
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