It was reported in January that Oppo was restructuring its internal brand hierarchy, positioning Realme and OnePlus as sub-brands under a unified ecosystem. Now, a new report by 91mobiles Hindi claims that this transition is beginning to show real-world impact in India, with layoffs reportedly starting across parts of Realme’s sales network.

Layoffs reported as Oppo integration progresses

According to information sourced through retail channels and employees, Realme has reportedly started layoffs within its Indian sales operations. Area sales managers, ground staff, and retail-focused employees are said to be among those impacted as the company looks to reduce operational costs and streamline internal functions.

Sources from Gujarat first highlighted the issue, after which confirmations reportedly came from Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, and other regions. Some employees claim they have been asked to submit resignations, with timelines suggesting their roles could end by April 30 as part of cost-cutting efforts. The restructuring appears to follow earlier reports that Realme will move back under Oppo’s organizational structure as a sub-brand.

This shift means that several operational functions such as marketing, service networks, and distribution could increasingly align with Oppo’s existing infrastructure. As a result, overlapping roles within Realme may no longer be required, which could explain the reported workforce reductions.

What the new brand structure means for Realme

Last month’s report revealed that Oppo will function as the main brand in China, while Realme and OnePlus operate as supporting sub-brands within a unified ecosystem. Despite organizational changes, Realme’s product launches are expected to continue without disruption. Under the new change, Oppo’s online store is now selling Realme devices apart from the usual Oppo and OnePlus phones.

Realme hasn’t commented yet on the new development, similar to how OnePlus released an official statement when shutdown rumors about it emerged.

For more daily updates, please visit our News Section.

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The Washington Commanders added some veteran pieces last offseason. There figure to be plenty more roster changes in the coming months, as the Commanders try to rebound from a 5-12 campaign and continue building around franchise quarterback Jayden Daniels.

So who would Daniels add, if his bosses were listening?

“There's a couple individuals that are out there. Maybe somebody from Arizona State in my past,” Daniels told Yahoo Sports’ Nate Tice on on radio row in San Francisco ahead of Super Bowl LX this week.

“Lives on the west coast?” Tice followed up.

“Yeah, most definitely,” said Daniels, who was appearing on behalf of Xfinity.

It’s pretty easy to connect those dots to Brandon Aiyuk, the disgruntled San Francisco wide receiver who, by general manager John Lynch’s own admission in January, “has played his last snap with the 49ers.”

[Get more Commanders news: Washington team feed]

Aiyuk, who spent a season as Daniels’ teammate at Arizona State in 2019 and has been friends with him for years, was placed on the 49ers’ reserve/left squad list in December and didn’t play a snap for the 49ers in 2025. He signed a reported four-year, $120 million contract extension just before kickoff of the 2024 season, but hasn’t played for San Francisco since tearing his ACL and MCL in Week 7 of that year.

The 49ers placed Aiyuk on the active but physically unable to perform (PUP) list ahead of training camp last summer. Questions hovered over when he’d be ready to play again, but and reports began to surface the 49ers were getting frustrated with Aiyuk’s behavior behind the scenes.

It certainly feels like Aiyuk will be playing elsewhere next season despite being under contract with the 49ers.

Daniels seems to want it to be Washington.

“There’s people like that out there. I don't wanna give too much,” Daniels said. “But when that time comes, hopefully we can sign those types of players.”

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Hydrovest Technology, a Doha-based company that develops climate-smart agricultural solutions, crops, and value-added products, today announced the successful close of an investment round totaling QAR 1,000,000.

The funding will be deployed to accelerate commercial production, complete a factory fit-out in Birkat Al Awamar, Logistic Park A, Al Wakrah, scale R&D collaborations, and support market expansion into the UAE in Q4 2026.

“Today’s investment is a critical inflection point for Hydrovest,” said Jeacim Francis Adaya, Chief Executive Officer of Hydrovest Technology. “With this capital, we will transition into commercial-scale operations. We are excited about delivering premium, nutritious options produced with data-driven farming.”

Hydrovest Technology, known as the maker of Lettuce Chips in Qatar, is poised to expand its product line. Freeze-Dried Fruits are already in the works, leveraging state-of-the-art freeze-dry technology to lock in the flavor and nutrients of fresh fruits without the need for preservatives or artificial ingredients. It is also set to launch Lettuce Tea, infused with moringa, lemon, and other healthy elements.

Bringing these products to market fosters Hydrovest’s mission to revolutionize food security and environmental sustainability. It also helps build the foundation to serve GCC retail partners from the company’s new facility, as well as contribute to the Qatar National Vision 2030.

Where Hydrovest stands now

• Products & market traction: Lettuce Chips, positioned as a premium, healthy snack alternative, is manufactured with lettuce leaves grown and harvested from a hydroponic farm in Doha, then supplied to an expanding network of retail partners across the country. Retail partner growth and sales momentum over the past 12 months have validated demand for locally produced, nutrient-forward snacks.
• Strategic partnerships and projects: Hydrovest has established a strategic relationship with the global Fortune 500 company DENSO for technology collaboration and data-driven agriculture solutions. This partnership allows Hydrovest to bring and cultivate high-value Japanese melons in Qatar.
• Status: Hydrovest Technology has received official approval to be published in the Qatar Development Bank (QDB) Exporter Directory, recognizing the company as an export-ready business.

Planned investments and immediate priorities

• New factory: Commission and fit-out of a new production facility in Birkat Al Awamar, Logistic Park A, Al Wakrah, to support scaled manufacturing of value-added product lines.
• Expanded product pipeline: Launch of improved Lettuce Chips with added selling points: cholesterol-free, zero MSG, and no preservatives, among others. Launch of Lettuce Tea with Moringa and additional flavor variants, plus a freeze-dried fruit product range designed for retail and e-commerce channels.
• Artificial intelligence-powered farming: Offer AI-driven hydroponics cultivation through do-it-yourself and do-it-for-you kits, enabling customers to start and sustain smart hydroponic gardens.
• Regional expansion: Operational entry into Dubai planned for Q4 2026 to establish distribution partnerships, target premium retail channels, and test export logistics across the UAE market.

Investor and partner impact
The QAR 1M infusion strengthens working capital, accelerates factory readiness, and de-risks product launches for Hydrovest Technology to meet increasing demand from retail partners. The company expects this investment to enable follow-on partnerships and prepare the business for a broader consumer base, as its R&D team continually explores ways to transform hydroponic produce into various food product lines.

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Qureos, an AI driven hiring platform founded in the Middle East, has closed a US$5 million Seed round led by Prosus Ventures and Salica Oryx Fund, with participation from Oraseya Capital, Plus VC, F6 Ventures, BDev Ventures, Sunny Side Venture Partners and Daniel Tyre, an early HubSpot executive who helped scale the company from inception to its IPO, and follow-on investment from COTU Ventures and Globivest.

Founded by Alexander Epure and Usama Nini, Qureos was built around a simple insight. Hiring is not slow because of volume alone. It is slow because it is fragmented. Recruiters juggle disconnected tools across sourcing, screening, and interviewing, while candidates move through the process with little clarity or feedback. Qureos treats hiring as a single system rather than a sequence of manual steps, designed to continuously improve outcomes for both sides.

Hiring has become one of the biggest bottlenecks for growing organizations, particularly in high volume environments where speed often determines who secures the best talent. Demand for Qureos has surged as enterprises increasingly use the platform to run high volume and time sensitive hiring, compressing hiring timelines from months to as little as six days and redefining recruitment as a competitive lever rather than a constraint for businesses.

“Hiring at scale is one of the most operationally complex challenges facing modern organizations,” said Robin Voogd, Head of Middle East Investments at Prosus Ventures. “Qureos has built a practical, end-to-end system that replaces fragmented recruitment workflows with a single, intelligent platform. By unifying sourcing, screening, and interviewing, the company enables employers to hire faster without sacrificing quality, a critical advantage in high-growth, time-sensitive markets.”

At the center of that system is Iris, Qureos’ AI assistant that acts as the interface between companies and candidates throughout the hiring process. For employers and recruitment agencies, Iris functions as an AI recruiter assistant, automating sourcing, screening, and interviewing while continuously optimizing for speed and quality.

On the candidate side, Iris matches individuals to relevant roles across the broader job market, clearly signaling where they are the right fit and why. Candidates gain early visibility into aligned opportunities and receive role-specific feedback that helps them engage with the right opportunities from the outset.

On the employer side, Qureos automates the full recruitment workflow. Roles are distributed across more than 2,000 job boards globally, as well as social and direct channels, using a multi-channel approach that increases visibility while lowering acquisition costs. Candidate profiles are enriched using publicly available information and AI-based prediction models, then screened against role requirements in under 15 seconds. Shortlisted candidates are assessed through AI-led interviews, delivered via audio or video, and tailored to each role.

Commenting on the fundraising announcement, Hasan Haider, Founder and Managing Partner at Plus VC, said: “Qureos is solving a deeply operational problem with real, measurable impact. By dramatically reducing time-to-hire while improving recruiter productivity and candidate experience, the company is redefining how modern organizations approach talent acquisition. We are excited to support Alexander Epure, Usama Nini and the team as they continue to establish Qureos as a category leader in this space. This is exactly the kind of infrastructure-level innovation we look to back.”

For organizations hiring at scale, the manual effort required for application review and initial interviews often reaches 15 hours per role, translating into roughly 2,160 hours of work per year. By automating these steps, Qureos eliminates a full year of recruiter workload that would otherwise slow hiring and limit capacity.

Today, Qureos has been adopted by teams within more than 1,000 enterprise and public sector organizations, including Qatar Airways, Dubai Economy and Tourism and BAAN Holdings, Union Properties. The platform is built with regional requirements in mind, including localization and nationalization policies across GCC markets, while remaining flexible enough to integrate with existing ATS and HRIS systems or operate as a standalone solution.

Hiring speed is becoming one of the most decisive competitive advantages for modern companies, said Alexander Epure, Co-founder and CEO of Qureos. The organizations that win are the ones that can identify the right candidates and move decisively. We built Qureos to help employers and candidates meet in the middle, with a system that improves with every hire.

The new funding will be used to further develop Qureos’ AI capabilities, expand its go to market team, and accelerate geographic expansion through enterprise and agency partnerships.

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The ninth edition of the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival (SEF) concluded on a high note after witnessing a record 15,000 attendees, including 5,000 founders, who gained first-hand insights and inspiration from over 300 global speakers sharing success stories from entrepreneurial and innovative sectors across industries.

SEF 2026 broke a personal record with its hosting of 17 MoU signings at the festival’s exclusive VIP lounge ‘SEF Vault’, which was powered by the Emirates Petroleum Company – Emarat. The sectors spanned Manufacturing, Edtech, Creative Industries, and Sustainability, unlocking financing deals worth AED 100 million, among others, and offered many key opportunities to support startup growth, innovation, and scalability.

Together, more than 250 fireside conversations, thought-provoking panel discussions, in-depth presentations, hands-on workshops, masterclasses and other immersive activities were featured across 10 curated zones. Additionally, at the SEF Investor Lounge, 400 exclusive investor-founder meetings were held to explore funding and mentorship opportunities between ventures, investors and enablers. SEF 2026 also featured a prominent showcasing platform for 150+ startup pods across the festival venue.

Across the two days, 294 founders applied to redeem an exclusive offer and launch their business journey under the Business Kickstarter Package, a business licensing initiative starting from AED 1,000, launched through a collaboration between Sheraa, Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park (SPARK), Emirates NBD, and du.

Through SPARK, eligible founders attending SEF were able to obtain a standard business  licence for AED 1,000, valid for the first year, for single-owner businesses covering up to three activities. A multi-owner licence was also available for AED 3,000, covering up to five activities for the first year. Standard immigration and visa fees apply in accordance with existing regulations.

Beyond licensing, the Business Kickstarter Package was designed to support founders as they begin day-to-day operations. du, through its operating sub-brand ‘du Business’, provided a special connectivity offer. Emirates NBD provided founder-friendly banking support, including a waiver of monthly account maintenance fees for one year, and salary transfer fees waived for six months, with unlimited transfers.

Sheraa further supported founders through complimentary access to its coworking spaces for one year, connecting newly-licensed businesses to Sharjah’s wider entrepreneurial ecosystem.

SEF as a powerful catalyst for entrepreneurship
Sheraa CEO H.E. Sara Abdelaziz Al Nuaimi said following the success of SEF 2026, the 10th edition next year will continue the story “as a deeper chapter, guided by what has come before and open to what is still unfolding.”

“The milestones reached at SEF 2026 reflect the visionary leadership of our Chairperson, Her Highness Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, whose unwavering commitment to entrepreneurship continues to shape Sharjah as a global hub for innovation and creative enterprise,” she further noted.

“Through Sheraa, we are proud to advance Sharjah’s mission of empowering founders with the platforms, capital, and networks they need to build scalable, impact-driven businesses. SEF has once again proven to be a powerful catalyst, bringing together ideas, talent, and opportunity to accelerate startup growth and reinforce Sharjah’s role at the forefront of the region’s entrepreneurial future,” the Sheraa CEO concluded.

The closing evening on February 1 featured standout performances by some of the region’s leading music and comedy artists, with the highlight of the night being a show-stopping performance by Saudi singer Tamtam.

Recognizing impact, and awarding excellence of startups and founders 
Across its two days, SEF 2026 celebrated standout innovation and ecosystem leadership through the SEF × 1Tank Startup Pitch Competition and the SEFFY Awards, presented during the SEF Reception Night at the Impact Zone, powered by Arada. Grants of AED 50,000 were awarded across four competition tracks — EdTech (powered by du business), Tech and Industry 4.0 (powered by Emarat) Sustainability (powered by Emirates NBD), and Creative Industries (powered by Emaar), alongside a Best Female Pitch Award (powered by Sharjah Business Women Council),  valued at AED 50,000 and a Crowd Favorite Award (powered by Crescent Enterprises), of AED 25,000, with winning startups also gaining access to potential investor funding of up to AED 500,000 to support market expansion and new service launches. EvolveCareers claimed the EdTech category, The AM Lab won Tech and Industry 4.0, Tathmeer was named Sustainability winner, and Arusto secured the Creative Industries award as well as the Crowd Favorite Award, while Thinkerbell Labs received the Best Female Pitch Award.

Through the SEFFY Awards, SEF 2026 also honored individuals and organisations shaping the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The Rising Star Award (powered by Emaar) went to Abdullah AlSalmani, Co-Founder and CEO of SpacePoint, while the Outstanding Mentor Award (powered by Emirates NBD), was received by Yahya Iqelan of the Incubation and Entrepreneurship Center at Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence. The Technology Award (powered by du business), was presented to Noor Alasadi, CEO and Founder of Lisan AI; the Ecosystem Enabler Award (powered by  the Emirates Petroleum Company – Emarat), was given to the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation; and the Social Impact Award (powered by Arada), was won by Dr. Karthika Gopi, Founder and CEO of Carbelim.

The SEF Reception Night also honoured SEF 2026 partners on stage. The  Ecosystem partners included Sharjah Commerce & Tourism Development Authority; Sharjah Foundation to Support Pioneering Entrepreneurs (RUWAD), Crescent Enterprises Ventures, Al Marwan Group, Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Real Estate LLC, Emirates Development Bank, and Majid Al Futtaim.

Those honored as Government partners were Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Sharjah Airport. Meanwhile, the Hydration partner was Wisewell.

The Media partners for SEF 2026 were Publicis, National Network Communication (NNC), Inc. Arabia, Smashi Business, and Entrepreneur Middle East. Additionally, the honorees included Travel partners Emirates Airline and Air Arabia and SEF Pitch Competition partner 1Tank.

As Community partners, Electra, Forsan of Emirates Volunteering Society, Sharjah Retail, Floward and Teel Floral Studio were also honoured during the awards ceremony.

Over two days, SEF 2026 brought together a rare mix of global icons, regional leaders, and high-impact founders, positioning Sharjah as a convening ground for ideas shaping business, culture, and technology. Headline conversations featured four-time Formula One World Champion Sebastian Vettel, UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov, technology thinker and author Mo Gawdat, alongside trailblazing Arab women, serial entrepreneurs, and senior executives from companies such as IBM, Kitopi, and Yango Play. The festival also welcomed high-level VIP guests, ecosystem leaders, investors, and policymakers, reinforcing SEF’s role not only as a startup festival, but as a platform where global perspectives meet regional ambition under the theme “Where We Belong.”

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International Free Zone Authority AG (IFZA) has entered into a strategic collaboration with Aleria, the pioneering force in sovereign AI and big data and an IHC Group affiliate, to advance the development of AI-driven digital services and intelligence capabilities that support IFZA’s ongoing digital transformation.

Through this collaboration, IFZA is advancing the use of enterprise-grade AI and data intelligence to strengthen decision-making, enhance service delivery, and support a more intelligent, digitally enabled operating model across its ecosystem. IFZA, in partnership with Aleria, will be focused on ensuring the responsible, transparent, and secure use of emerging technologies within its global business enablement platforms.

Aleria’s enterprise AI operating system and intelligence platform enables organisations to operationalise advanced analytics, automation, and decision intelligence while retaining full control over data infrastructure, security, and jurisdiction.

“This collaboration is about creating a practical framework for how artificial intelligence can be applied responsibly and effectively within complex institutional environments such a Special Economic Zones,” said Martin G. Pedersen, Chairman at IFZA. “By working with Aleria, we are exploring how advanced data and AI capabilities can support better governance, stronger operational insight, and more intelligent digital services, while maintaining full control, transparency, compliance and trust.”

“We are thrilled to embark on this historic partnership with IFZA, marking a new chapter in how free zones operate globally with AI,” said Eric Leandri, CEO of Aleria. “This partnership transcends traditional technology implementation, we’re looking to empower IFZA and its clients to leapfrog into the future of business operations, making decisions at lightning speed while maintaining uncompromising control over data, security, and long-term sovereignty.”

As part of the collaboration, IFZA seeks to work with Aleria to integrate advanced data pipelines, large language and action models, and executive-level intelligence tools to connect internal and external data sources, structure information at scale, and generate actionable insights to support both operational and strategic priorities.

The collaboration will also assess opportunities for AI-enabled digital service platforms that offer a unified access point for approved services and future digital offerings within the IFZA ecosystem.

This partnership reflects a broader global shift toward enterprise-grade, sovereign AI platforms that deliver measurable value while meeting the highest standards of security, reliability, and governance.

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Geoff Stellfox via Getty Images

The much-discussed meeting between undefeated featherweights Movsar Evloev and Lerone Murphy is official to headline UFC London on March 21 at the O2 Arena in London, England.

Evloev and Murphy are widely considered to be the two top contenders in the UFC's 145-pound division. Both men were expected to be in the running to challenge UFC champion Alexander Volkanovski. However, that role was ultimately given to Diego Lopes for the second time in nine months at UFC 325 — a decision met by significant controversy. 

Volkanovski dispatched Lopes with another one-sided decision this past Saturday in Sydney, Australia, then advocated for one of either Evloev or Murphy to be his next challenger. As such, it's very likely that the winner of UFC London's main event will move on to challenge Volkanovski in the summer.

Evloev (19-0) is a perfect 9-0 under the UFC umbrella, but his rise has been slowed by long stretches of inactivity. The 31-year-old Russian has been sidelined since a December 2024 win over former featherweight champion Aljamain Sterling. He also holds notable victories over Lopes and Arnold Allen.

Murphy (17-0-1) is also 9-0-1 inside the UFC, a run culminating with a highlight-reel spinning back elbow knockout of Aaron Pico this past August that captured Uncrowned's Knockout of the Year award. Included among Murphy's undefeated run are wins over veteran contenders Josh Emmett, Dan Ige and Edson Barboza.

The official UFC London fight card can be seen below.

Main card (Paramount+)

Featherweight: Movsar Evloev vs. Lerone Murphy

Featherweight: Luke Riley vs. Michael Aswell.

Welterweight: Michael Page vs. Sam Patterson

Light heavyweight: Iwo Baraniewski vs. Austen Lane

Middleweight: Roman Dolidze vs. Christian Leroy Duncan

Featherweight: Danny Silva vs. Kurtis Campbell

Preliminary card (Paramount+)

Lightweight: Mason Jones vs. Axel Sola

Featherweight: Nathaniel Wood vs. Losene Keita

Heavyweight: Louie Sutherland vs. Brando Pericic

Middleweight: Mantas Kondratavicius vs. Antonio Trocoli

Heavyweight: Mick Parkin vs. Mario Pinto

Lightweight: Shem Rock vs. Abdul-Kareem Al-Sewady

Strawweight: Shanelle Dyer vs. Ravena Oliveira

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Alexander Volkanovski may be inching closer to the end of his legendary career, but he's still as good as ever. The 37-year-old future Hall of Famer defended his title Saturday at UFC 325 with yet another victory over Diego Lopes, outpointing Lopes across five closely contested rounds inside Sydney, Australia's Qudos Bank Arena.

With the win, Volkanovski moves into a tie with retired legend José Aldo for the most featherweight title defenses (8) in UFC history.

Undefeated featherweight contender Movsar Evloev was unsurprisingly quick to chime in following the conclusion of UFC 325's main event. Many within MMA felt that Lopes' title shot should've gone to either Evloev or fellow unbeaten contender Lerone Murphy, considering that Lopes already lost to Volkanovski in April. Evloev applauded Volkanovski for his efforts Saturday night and then reiterated his desire to face the champ before Volkanovski rides off into the sunset in retirement:

Great fight by @alexvolkanovski, he showed that you can get better at that age. I can’t wait to share a cage to show why I am different that these guys!

Volkanovski ultimately mentioned both Evloev and Murphy in his post-fight interview as possible opponents for him this year. The Australian great has indicated that 2026 will likely be his final year, and thus he hopes to compete as many times as possible while he still can.

Check out Evloev's reaction to Volkanovski's win below, plus more from around the MMA landscape.

Check out full UFC 325: Volkanovski vs. Lopes 2 results and highlights here, as well as Uncrowned's play-by-play for the entire main card.

Jamie Squire via Getty Images

Watch the Teofimo Lopez vs. Shakur Stevenson live stream online here on Uncrowned for Saturday's big Lopez vs. Stevenson fight card from New York's fabled Madison Square Garden. Teofimo Lopez looks to defend his WBO super lightweight title against fellow pound-for-pound staple Shakur Stevenson atop a main card that also features the return of Keyshawn Davis and WBC featherweight title bout between Bruce Carrington vs. Carlos Castro.

The champ Lopez (22-1, 13 KOs) is a significant betting underdog (+260) on BetMGM against the challenger Stevenson (24-0, 11 KOs), who is also the current WBC lightweight champion.

The Lopez vs. Stevenson four-fight main card kicks off at 8 p.m. ET on DAZN pay-per-view. Prior to that, a two-fight undercard streams live and free at 6 p.m. ET below. Featured on that preliminary card is a super middleweight bout between Austin Williams and late-replacement Wendy Toussaint, as well as Ziyad Almaayouf vs. Kevin Castillo in a super lightweight bout.

Main Card (DAZN PPV, 8 p.m. ET)

• WBO super lightweight title: Teofimo Lopez vs. Shakur Stevenson

• Super lightweight: Keyshawn Davis vs. Jamaine Ortiz

• WBC featherweight title: Bruce Carrington vs. Carlos Castro

• Heavyweight: Jarrell Miller vs. Kingsley Ibeh

Live-streamed undercard (Uncrowned, 6 p.m. ET)

• Super middleweight: Austin Williams vs. Wendy Toussaint

• Super lightweight: Ziyad Almaayouf vs. Kevin Castillo

For full coverage of Lopez vs. Stevenson, including live results, play-by-play and highlights of the entire Teofimo Lopez vs. Shakur Stevenson main card, check out Uncrowned's Lopez vs. Stevenson hub.

Vennre, a wealth creation platform enabling HENRYs (High Earners, Not Rich Yet) to access private market opportunities, today announced the successful close of its Pre-Series A funding round, raising USD 9.6 million through a hybrid equity and debt structure.

The round was co-led by Vision Ventures and anb seed Fund, with participation from Sanabil 500, Ace & Co, Plus VC, and strategic individual investors from the private banking, technology and entrepreneurship ecosystems.

This investment reflects growing confidence from leading regional VCs and strategic backers in Vennre’s mission to democratize access to curated private investments for high income retail investors. By bypassing traditional gatekeepers, Vennre offers a transparent, Shariah-compliant solution previously available only to institutions and ultra-wealthy participants.

Founded by Ziad Mabsout, Anas Halabi and Abdulrahman AlMalik, Vennre has also reached two operational milestones: the appointment of Dr. Ibrahim AlMojel as Chairman of its Saudi board and surpassing USD 40 million in transaction value across its platform – clear evidence of growing market traction and investor trust.

Ziad Mabsout, CEO and Co-Founder of Vennre, said: “A generation of ambitious professionals across the region has earned success but has not been given the tools required to compound it. This funding is not just another round — it is a clear endorsement from leading institutions that a large, long-underserved HENRY segment is ready for a better wealth-building experience. We are building for long-term wealth creation, not one-off transactions — starting with curated and vetted private investment opportunities and expanding into a full wealth journey built on discipline, trust, and alignment. This round allows us to raise the bar for what private wealth platforms in the region should deliver.”

Khalid S. Alghamdi, CEO of anb capital, added: “We are pleased to co-lead Vennre’s Pre-Series A through the anb seed Fund. Private markets globally already manage more than USD 14 trillion in assets, yet individual investors account for less than 5% of that exposure. Vennre directly addresses this imbalance by offering Shariah-compliant access to a segment long excluded from these opportunities. Having already facilitated over USD 40 million in transactions, Vennre is proving that high-income Saudis are ready to engage with private markets at scale — fully aligned with Vision 2030’s mandate to broaden capital markets participation.”

Kais Al-Essa, Founding Partner and CEO of Vision Ventures, said: “We are glad to co-lead Vennre’s Pre-Series A and excited to support such an amazing founding team. We’re always ready to back founders who use technology to make people’s lives easier and give them access to opportunities that were not available to them before. Vennre enables access to high quality investment opportunities in real estate, private equity, venture capital and private credit. These four asset classes were previously available to a select few. Democratizing such access is one of our investment goals at Vision Ventures as it enables generational wealth creation and empowers everyone to access vetted income generating and high return investments, in line with Saudi Arabia’s financial sector development plan and fintech momentum.”

Looking ahead, Vennre plans to deploy this capital to grow its client network, launch new platform features, and deepen its Saudi presence in line with ongoing financial sector liberalization and fintech momentum.

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G42, Cerebras Systems and the Institute of Foundation Models at Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), today announced the release of K2 Think V2. This latest 70-billion parameter advanced reasoning system reasoning system is now built on the K2-V2 base model, IFM’s strongest fully frontier-class open-source foundation model that’s purpose built for K2 Think.

This launch marks a major milestone for the UAE’s technological sovereignty. While earlier versions of K2 Think were open and widely accessible, K2 Think V2 (70B) is the first to be open from end-to-end; from pre-training data and curation through post-training, reasoning alignment, and evaluation. The result is a reasoning system that is both more transparent and more powerful.

By upgrading the base model to K2-V2, K2 Think V2 unlocks a new level of performance, openness, and independence, reinforcing the UAE’s leadership in building frontier-grade AI systems that are globally accessible and fully sovereign.

Why K2 Think V2 is Different
K2 Think V2 marks a step change in open reasoning systems, shifting from a reasoning model layered on top of a foundation to one built directly into it. Inheriting K2-V2’s long-context capabilities and full training transparency, it now operates as a fully sovereign system end-to-end.

Every stage of K2 Think V2 (70B) is open, inspectable, and independently reproducible, ensuring both scientific credibility and national AI sovereignty. Designed as a purpose-built reasoning system, it solves complex problems step-by-step using long chains of thought across mathematics, science, coding, logic, and simulation.

This reasoning-first, fully open foundation translates directly into greater levels of performance. K2 Think V2 delivers leading results on complex reasoning benchmarks, including AIME2025, GPQA-Diamond, HMMT, and IFBench, when compared against other open-source reasoning systems.

Key Features, Made Simple

• Built on K2-V2
  K2 Think V2 (70B) is powered by MBZUAI IFM’s latest foundation model, designed from the outset to support reasoning, long context, and alignment, raising the ceiling for what the reasoning system can achieve.
  
• Longer Memory, Deeper Thought
  Expanded context length enables sustained, multi-step reasoning over much larger bodies of information.
  
• Truly Independent Data Pipeline
  All training relies on IFM-curated datasets, including the Guru dataset, fully decontaminated from downstream benchmarks to ensure fair and trustworthy evaluation.
  
• 360-Open Transparency
  From pre-training data and intermediate checkpoints to post-training recipes and evaluations, every component is available for inspection, reuse, and extension.

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Snap Inc.’s AR Ramadan Mall marked its fourth consecutive year on Snapchat, reinforcing Snap’s continued investment in AR formats that support seasonal shopping behaviours during Ramadan, a key cultural moment for audiences and brands globally.

The 2025 AR Mall re-created the charm of GCC heritage towns as a mystical digital village, featuring streets of storefronts where users could browse and discover together, mirroring how people connect and discover during the Holy Month. Built for participation and social exploration, the experience reflected how people connect during Ramadan, allowing brands to engage audiences in a way that felt natural to the moment. 

The 2025 mall featured multiple interactive AR brand environments across beauty, fashion, electronics, F&B, and e-commerce. Participating brands included Givenchy, NiceOne, Al Majed Oud, Faces, Max Fashion, Tecno, Adfaz, Almarai ‘Alyoum, and Keeta, offering Snapchatters new ways to explore products and collections throughout the Holy Month. 

Throughout the season, the AR Ramadan Mall reached over 16.8 million Snapchatters across MENA, generating 250 million impressions. The experience also drove 195.1K+ swipes, 265.1K+ total shares, and 265.1K+ total user-to-user redistributions. Average AR engagement time rose 30.25% versus 2024, with Snapchatters spending an average of over 26 seconds with brand environments. Sharing remained a key behaviour with 265.1K+ total shares, as users explored the mall together with friends and family, reinforcing the social nature of discovery on Snapchat. 

Mohammed Bouarib, Regional Creativity Strategy Lead at Snap Inc., said, “The AR Ramadan Mall is more than a digital storefront; it is a digital landmark that mirrors the heartbeat of the community. By blending the spirit of the Holy Month with immersive technology, we’ve turned seasonal discovery into a shared cultural event, proving that when AR is built for connection, it commands unrivaled attention and measurable impact.”

Building on the season’s momentum, planning is underway for its fifth edition in 2026, as Snap continues to focus on seasonal AR experiences that align with how audiences explore, connect, and shop together during Ramadan across MENA and global markets.

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The Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development (KFED) announced its participation in the 31st edition of Gulfood, taking place from 26 to 30 January 2026, at both Dubai World Trade Centre and Dubai Exhibition Centre at Expo City Dubai, by supporting 10 Emirati food and manufacturing ventures.

KFED’s participation forms part of a broader effort to strengthen the international market presence of national enterprises and leverage global trade platforms to support their expansion beyond local and regional markets. By facilitating access to international stakeholders and commercial networks, the Fund continues to advance its role in enabling sustainable growth for Emirati Startups and SMEs while contributing to economic diversification.

Gulfood’s current edition is the largest in the exhibition’s history and the first to be held across two separate venues, bringing together leading companies and key stakeholders across the global food value chain. A diverse range of KFED-backed Emirati ventures across the F&B sector, including those specialising in general trading, retail, catering services, as well as import and export, will participate at the event.

Her Excellency Mouza Obaid Al Nasri, CEO of Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development, said: “KFED’s participation in Gulfood 2026 reflects a deliberate strategic direction to position Emirati ventures as competitive contributors to regional and global trade. By supporting the participation of 10 national food and manufacturing businesses, we are enabling them to engage directly with international buyers, distributers, and investors, unlock new export opportunities, and integrate into global value chains.

This participation goes beyond showcasing products; it represents a focused effort to strengthen the trade readiness of Emirati SMEs, enhance their market access, and support their transition from local success to sustainable international growth. Through this engagement, KFED continues to advance Abu Dhabi’s Falcon Economy and accelerate economic diversification by empowering high potential, export-oriented national companies.”

Innovative ventures participating in the exhibition with KFED’s support are: Frio Beverages Trading, specialising in the production of clean-label, functional sparkling drinks and healthy alternatives to traditional sodas; Sinless General Trading, focused on the production and trade of gluten-free food products; Blend Herbs & Spices, which offers natural spice blends inspired by authentic Emirati flavours, infused with a touch of global taste; Aurum Apis Trading, providing premium-quality natural honey; and Rashtions Sweets Trading, specialising in date cultivation as well as the production of confectionery and date-based products.

The lineup also includes Al International Al Ata Trading, which provides catering, food trading, vending machine equipment and packaging services; Ork Trading, a specialist in import and export as well as trade of health products and ready-to-eat meals; Mars Food Industries, specialising in baby food manufacturing; Rukn Al Khair Foodstuff, specialising collagen-rich and natural gelatin products; and Osol Al Itqan General Trading, operating in the dietary supplements, consumer goods and veterinary products segment.

KFED invites visitors and stakeholders to visit the UAE Pavilion situated at the Dubai Exhibition Centre to explore their innovations, engage directly with participating entrepreneurs, and capitalise on the opportunities offered by the region’s leading F&B exhibition.

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Savvy Games Group and NEOM came together to streamline the journey of Saudi gaming startups from incubation to acceleration. This joint initiative aims to strengthen the Kingdom’s end-to-end gaming ecosystem and advance the goals of the National Gaming and Esports Strategy under Saudi Vision 2030.

Together, both Savvy’s Nine66 Incubator Program and NEOM’s ‘Level Up’ Accelerator ensure that startups graduating from Savvy’s Incubator have the training, resources and support required to progress efficiently into NEOM’s Accelerator. This Savvy-NEOM collaboration builds upon the rapid evolution of both programs and shall ultimately support a stronger pipeline of investable gaming studios.

Savvy’s Nine66 Incubator Program has helped early-stage studios validate prototypes, build foundational capabilities, and prepare for investor engagement. Through this initiative, Savvy aims to help startups achieve readiness to move into the subsequent stages of development and scaling.

NEOM’s Level Up Accelerator provides funding and mentorship to scale incubated studios into self-sustaining businesses. Since 2023, it has grown into a multiphase platform supporting more than 45 Saudi startups, deploying 15 investments, and achieving a 100% survival rate within its portfolio – outperforming many global benchmarks. With 17 international partners offering publishing and support, Level Up has enabled more than 170 jobs and facilitated a historic milestone: the Kingdom’s first international publishing deal for a domestic gaming start-up – signed between Fahy Studio and UK-based publisher Kwalee.

Amr Sager, Group Chief of Staff at Savvy Games Group, said: “As the games industry continues to grow at a rapid pace in Saudi Arabia, there is an increasing number of programs and initiatives designed to help emerging studios and entrepreneurs to build, run, and scale their businesses. This momentum is encouraging, and the next step would be to create stronger synergy and alignment across these efforts, so that the journey is smoother and clearer for startups to identify and source the support they need. This is what our partnership with NEOM is really about, and we look forward to working with the team to continue empowering Saudi studios and game makers.”

Toby Evan-Jones, Executive Director and Head of Gaming at NEOM, said: “NEOM Gaming is proud to play a role in nurturing the Kingdom’s gaming ecosystem, in line with the National Gaming and Esports Strategy. From sparking interest within high schools, to investing into young gaming studios via the Level Up accelerator, it’s immensely satisfying to see the green shoots of a viable self-sustaining industry appear. We share a joint view, with Savvy Games Group, that increasing coordination around the startup journey shall benefit all parties, not least the young game makers which we support. We couldn’t be more excited about this alignment.”

The respective program websites are below for further information:
Savvy Nine66 Incubator: www.savvyacademy.sa/savvy-incubator-program/
NEOM Level Up Accelerator: www.neomlevelup.game

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International Free Zone Authority AG (IFZA), the Swiss based global operating entity of the IFZA network, and IHC, a global investment company focused on building dynamic value networks, today unveiled a landmark strategic partnership at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2026. The partnership marks a significant step toward advancing globally connected, future ready business ecosystems and developing next generation economic infrastructure across multiple international markets.

Bringing together two globally established institutions, the collaboration combines IFZA’s extensive international network of more than 65,000 businesses, 2,500 authorised agents and representatives, and operational presence across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the Americas, with IHC’s position as one of the world’s largest investment companies, with a diversified portfolio of over 1,400 subsidiaries and a market capitalisation of USD 239 billion, alongside its deep expertise in building, scaling, and operating complex platforms and infrastructure projects.

Together, IFZA and IHC will collaborate on specific free zone and special economic zone projects, with a number of countries already under active discussion. These initiatives are intended to support cross-border trade, investment flows, and long-term economic development through carefully designed, well governed business ecosystems.

At its core, the IFZA-IHC collaboration is focused on the co-development of globally connected business platforms that enable companies to expand across borders, access new markets, and operate with confidence amid geopolitical and economic change.

IFZA’s Swiss based global structure anchors a rapidly growing ecosystem supporting entrepreneurs, SMEs, and multinational companies worldwide. With active operations and partnerships across the Middle East, Europe, Panama, Pakistan, China, and other strategic markets, IFZA brings regulatory insight, operational agility, and hands-on experience in establishing and managing successful free zones and special economic zones.

IHC complements this platform through its proven capability in developing, funding and operating large-scale, multi-sector initiatives, its strong governance framework, and its ability to deliver forward-looking complex projects at scale. The partnership reflects a natural alignment between IFZA’s global business enablement expertise and IHC’s track record as a global investment company in building dynamic value networks.

“This partnership represents a defining moment in how economic platforms are designed, built, and sustained across borders,” said Martin G. Pedersen, Chairman of IFZA. “By working with IHC on clearly defined projects, we are combining IFZA’s globally connected business ecosystems and operational expertise with IHC’s strong diversified ecosystem and access to capital. Together we will develop free zones and special economic platforms that create long-term and sustainable value and success. This collaboration is about building the right infrastructure, in the right markets, with the right partners.”

Syed Basar Shueb, CEO of IHC, added: “At IHC, we focus on partnerships grounded in shared ambition and practical execution. Our collaboration with IFZA is centered on specific economic development initiatives where our combined expertise can create measurable, long-term impact. Alongside IFZA, we are bringing IHC’s experience across advanced technologies and business enablers, including artificial intelligence, digital platforms, and financial services, to help build globally connected ecosystems that are investment ready and designed for the future of trade. This marks the beginning of a focused, long-term partnership dedicated to enabling sustainable economic progress globally.”

The IFZA-IHC partnership reflects a long-term commitment to developing scalable economic infrastructure that responds to the realities of a changing global economy.

As governments and businesses seek new models for cooperation and growth, IFZA and IHC are setting a clear direction by working together on targeted, high impact projects that enable businesses to expand across borders with confidence, resilience, and purpose.

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Alexander Khanin, Founder of Polynome Group and organiser of Machines Can Think, highlights that the event connects early-stage AI startups directly with global tech leaders, investors, and decision-makers, providing real-world validation, visibility, and clear pathways to scale within the UAE’s rapidly growing AI ecosystem.

How is Machines Can Think creating opportunities for startups to showcase their AI innovations to global tech leaders?
Machines Can Think was designed deliberately as a platform that keeps startups from being pushed to the sidelines, bringing them into the same rooms as the people who actually build, deploy, and fund real AI systems. The UAE’s broader AI ecosystem is evolving quickly, and the whole point of the summit is to ensure early-stage teams gain genuine visibility into that momentum. That means founders are sharing the programme with global technology companies and UAE organisations that already operate AI at scale — teams from Meta, Snap Inc., G42, Mubadala, and MBZUAI among them.

For startups, the benefit is immediate. When the speaker lineup includes practitioners like Michal Valko, Chief Models Officer at a stealth AI startup, who works at the frontier of model development, founders aren’t hearing abstract theories; they’re hearing exactly how real AI products are built, stress-tested, and commercialised. With more than 1,500 experts from over 30 countries attending, the summit becomes a place where investors, accelerators, enterprise buyers, and public-sector operators can spot emerging teams in a context that feels real, not hypothetical. Startups gain visibility in front of people who understand the work—and who have the authority to move it forward.

What support does the summit offer early‑stage founders looking to validate, scale, or commercialise AI‑driven products?
One of the biggest challenges early-stage founders face is getting their first real validation. Before investors or large enterprises take them seriously, they need references — customers who have actually used the product and can vouch for it. That’s the hardest part. When a startup approaches a company, the first question they hear is, “Who else is using your solution?” If they don’t have an answer, the conversation stops there.

Machines Can Think helps founders cross that barrier by creating an environment where these early connections can genuinely happen. The summit brings together investors, potential co-founders, technical talent, and, most importantly, companies that are actively exploring AI adoption. It’s a space where early-stage founders can have real conversations with people who may become their first customers or early adopters. That kind of interaction is often what transforms a prototype into a viable business.

The value of the summit is that it brings together the right people in the same room — decision-makers open to experimentation, teams searching for solutions, and founders ready to prove their technology works. When these conversations happen naturally, founders can walk away not just with interest but with actual pilots, reference use cases, or the beginnings of a customer relationship. For many startups, that first endorsement is the hardest milestone to reach. Machines Can Think is intentionally structured to make that moment more achievable.

The summit’s Startup Contest Day on Day 2 also encourages the founders, as it is also designed to test ideas under pressure. Twelve selected teams take the stage for fast, focused pitches, followed by direct questioning from an expert jury. Founders must clearly articulate the problem they are solving, why their technology matters, and where it fits in the market, all in front of investors and operators who know what works. The format creates intensity, clarity, and visibility in a short window, where the most valuable conversations often begin.

How is the event helping founders understand the infrastructure, data, and talent requirements needed to build AI‑native companies?
A lot of founders underestimate how complex it is to build a truly AI-native company, and that goes far beyond just training a model. They need to understand infrastructure, data governance, compute access, and the kind of talent required to run systems reliably at scale. Machines Can Think is designed to give them that clarity in the most direct way possible.

During both days of the summit, we bring in people who actually shape these ecosystems — government policymakers, infrastructure providers, and teams who operate large-scale AI systems every day. They explain how things work in practice: what regulations matter, how data can and cannot be processed, what it takes to run a national-scale compute, and how companies should think about hiring and technical capabilities from day one. It’s information that founders rarely get access to in such an open setting.

But the most valuable part is that nothing happens behind closed doors. We give startups full access to the speakers and experts. They can ask direct questions, challenge assumptions, and get real answers. The Q&A sessions are just the formal part, and the real magic happens in the coffee breaks, the lunches, and those informal moments where conversations go deeper. Our speakers don’t just show up, give a talk, and leave; they stay, they engage, and they spend time with the participants.

That proximity is what makes Machines Can Think different. Founders aren’t just listening to theory; they’re learning from the people who build, regulate, and operate the infrastructure that AI companies depend on. It’s a rare opportunity to understand what it truly takes to scale, long before they make decisions that are difficult or expensive to undo. 

As AI adoption accelerates, how is Machines Can Think planning to expand its startup‑focused programs and engagement in future editions?
As AI adoption moves from experimentation to execution, we see a growing need for founder-centric support that extends beyond inspiration. That’s why future editions of Machines Can Think will deepen our commitment to startups in very intentional ways. One of the biggest priorities is showcasing real success stories from founders and partners who joined us in previous years. Their journeys involve securing early customers, raising investment, or scaling their technology across new markets. serve as powerful proof points for what this ecosystem can enable when the right connections are made.

Future editions of Machines Can Think will also deepen founder involvement through more structured pathways that connect pitching, technical learning, and commercial dialogue across the year. Startup-focused sessions will increasingly link founders with infrastructure providers, public-sector buyers, and enterprise partners earlier in the product lifecycle.

The aim is to create continuity rather than one-off moments. As the region’s AI economy is projected to reach US$320 billion, startups need repeated access to decision-makers who control data, compute, and long-term budgets. Machines Can Think is expanding its role as a convening platform where founders can return with stronger products, clearer positioning, and a deeper understanding of market realities. The summit is building a longer runway for emerging teams to move from early traction to durable, scalable businesses.

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The National Experts Program has called on Emirati professionals working in the field of artificial intelligence to join its new Artificial Intelligence track (NEP-AI), with applications scheduled to open on 29 January 2026.

Building on the success of NEP since 2019, NEP-AI is a specialized track of the program, focusing on the nation’s strategic AI priorities with the goal of developing a national cadre of AI leaders.

NEP-AI was launched under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Presidential Court, during the graduation of NEP Cohorts 2.0 and 3.0 in October 2025. The first cohort of NEP-AI is scheduled to begin in May 2026.

NEP-AI is developed in alignment with the UAE National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence 2031 and contributes directly to its vision of positioning the UAE among the world’s leading nations in AI.

NEP-AI participants are selected based on strong academic, professional, and leadership credentials, as well the ability to translate knowledge and expertise into tangible, practical impact across national sectors.

The program spans 25 priority sectors across the national economy, including six core tracks: AI Infrastructure and Hardware, AI Models and Application, AI Productization and Entrepreneurship, Sovereign AI and National Capability, Human–AI Leadership and Foresight, and Applied AI Domains.

NEP-AI is designed to translate national AI strategy into execution. The program places strong emphasis on human capital, governance, ethics, data readiness, and responsible AI deployment, ensuring that participants move beyond theory to delivery.

Participants will work on developing initiatives and projects linked to their respective sectors, addressing multiple institutional and national challenges and enhancing measurable impact. Each participant will present a capstone project connected to their organisation or sector, aimed at achieving scientific solutions with tangible and sustainable impact.

Participants are also supported by a network of NEP-AI mentors, in addition to leveraging global expertise to enhance local capabilities by combining UAE-based centres of excellence with leading international institutions, alongside international study visits aligned with participants’ AI specialization tracks.

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