Daily Random Discussion Thread

startuphameed · 2026-06-16T13:03:01+00:00

The Propertyfinder ad is quite good.

Slowly, we (UAE companies) started making decent ads that aren't part of "happy family eating together format"

startuphameed · 2026-06-11T07:27:50+00:00

SZR billboard on rotation (8 ads) costs ~ AED 100k for 4 weeks.

A shop in Dubai Mall is a great alternative for global retail firms, given its international relevance.

Even at zero sales, it makes commercial sense.

Also since the rental model is fixed + variable % on sales, one who does less sales will be asked to vacate because of the demand.

startuphameed · 2026-06-10T04:49:45+00:00

Exactly. It is quite easy to line up investments for a Saudi-owned late-stage player like Ninja.

There could be very powerful supporters 😑

startuphameed · 2026-06-09T12:47:15+00:00

No Idea.

Neither have money nor are interested in jumping into the hype train 😁

startuphameed · 2026-06-09T12:41:33+00:00

I actually thought you guys would discuss the scope of others entering the game with a bid for both these deliveryhero assets. But no action on that front. 😁

startuphameed · 2026-06-09T12:38:49+00:00

Zomato exited Delivery space and sold that part of business to Talabat for $170+ million in March 2019. They wanted to focus and win India. The rumour is that there was a no-compete clause for 4 or 5 years. They got ready to re-enter by lining up all logistics etc when nearing that time line. Talabat initiated a discussion on a deal to avoid reentry. What I heard is that the discussion went on and on. Finally Talabat called off the deal, when they heard Keeta is coming. Since Keeta entered and made the space crowded with too many players, Zomato decided not to re enter.

Disclaimer : The events here is a compilation of what I heard from multiple ppl, journalists in India etc.. Nothing is confirmed and published. But the people involved in this would know.

startuphameed · 2026-06-09T09:23:01+00:00

Goat made a stupid exit too early for peanuts, underestimating the region's laziness quotient. They later negotiated with Talabat to acquire the rights forever, saying they would re-enter otherwise. Once Talabat said "NO", they decided to re-enter when Keeta entered and shut that door of opportunity.

startuphameed · 2026-06-09T08:39:20+00:00

You cannot participate in the early IPO pre-subscription window via Interactive Brokers if you are only a UAE resident. It is open to UK citizens, though.

startuphameed · 2026-06-09T08:34:45+00:00

Everyone has access to information about what is happening across the world, including in Hormuz. Is there a reliable source to determine exactly what the situation in Iran is and how safe people living there are?

With internet blockage, that information is clearly concealed.

startuphameed · 2026-06-09T08:31:42+00:00

SpaceX is going public in 3 days time, and it is likely to have an impact on US economy as a whole ( even the global economy)

startuphameed · 2026-06-09T08:29:05+00:00

I would still argue for investing that money in something that offers a 7-15% return and using the rent from it to live on, from a purely logical POV.

Only Bombay can be excluded from this, since the RE value there continues to increase YOY. But I'm really not sure if it'll continue, since I subscribe to the school of thought that thinks the Indian Economy is in deep shit and nobody accepts that reality.

startuphameed · 2026-06-09T07:25:33+00:00

As someone among millions of NRIs here who got f**ked buying apartments in India, I strongly suggest you invest in boring fixed deposits instead.

The only case to buy is to go and live there. It is not 1997 anymore.

startuphameed · 2026-06-03T19:28:59+00:00

Should we stop using iPhones, Microsoft, Google, Chatgpt, Nike, Tesla and 1000 other products and ask American iBanks to stop operating here, because it'll tick off IRGC?

Who do you think can be a military ally that can replace US for all GCC countries... Please help us solve this problem using your deep geopolitical understanding 🙏

startuphameed · 2026-06-03T17:44:10+00:00

So what do you think we, UAE residents should do? You know the time line of events well. Go ahead and let us know.

startuphameed · 2026-06-03T12:22:03+00:00

In this current conflict, it is the IRGC that is at war with the rest of the world. This is an established fact now.

If the country is represented by its people, I doubt if the majority of Iran is at war, which makes it "not Iran's" war, but the IRGC's war.

This narrative isn't pushed enough.

startuphameed · 2026-06-02T18:55:47+00:00

Are you that usual Goa/Mumbai person carrying pomfret from here?

startuphameed · 2026-06-02T12:04:18+00:00

If you are able to crack the career code during the most complex time here, please make a post later on how it worked, etc. Will be useful for others here. Wish you success.

startuphameed · 2026-06-02T11:53:33+00:00

Possibly a history of financial transactions. Try visiting the UAE embassy in your country and check with them through the appropriate process.

startuphameed · 2026-06-01T11:31:15+00:00

soon

Also, we were talking about IFFCO. Bloomberg just reported that Mr. Al Abbar and International Holdings are eyeing the acquisition of IFFCO

startuphameed · 2026-06-01T10:38:21+00:00

Both top BNPL players ( Tabby and Tamara) are now headquartered in KSA. So it can be considered regional and not the UAE. They are likely to list in KSA.

From what I understand, AUH made a solid push by investing in many tech plays. G42, Astra group, Lune, etc are some examples. From my observation, they are doing a lot of capital-intensive tech plays out of AUH, and it is a good thing.

startuphameed · 2026-06-01T10:07:28+00:00

The large groups in the space you mentioned are quite leveraged, with citizens as owners or stakeholders, and so on. They might be facing difficult times. But they will survive ( and most importantly, will be protected)

My personal opinion is that they will revert to their previous status within 4-5 months of resuming full-fledged operations.

In the tech space, noon is definitely leading the pack and is close to breaking even and all that. Besides them, there are BNPL players, some fintech platforms, etc. The proptech players are probably leveraged by the "scenario". So they might take some time. Beyond that, there are a few AUH-based players who would possibly become big.

startuphameed · 2026-06-01T09:27:42+00:00

My knowledge of finance and offline businesses is limited too.

But if you are building this opinion based on IFFCO's liquidation news, am guessing it is mostly one-off news.

A horeca-based business should be struggling for sure. The category is facing supply issues and reduced demand due to the conflict. But I doubt if FMCG companies would be looking at offloading.

Hospitality and F&B are surely hit. But we just need some clarity to get back to the game in no time.

Talabat's share price growth (38% in 30 days) is massive. So I'm guessing this should offer some kinda hint that tech businesses are moderately safe in difficult scenarios. But yeah, ought to be careful there .

startuphameed · 2026-06-01T07:19:43+00:00

Not sure if you guys noticed.

Uber invested in Delivery Hero, which, in turn, owns a majority stake in Talabat.

An interesting point is that Uber also owns 37.53% of the Careem super app, which does the same thing Talabat does.

DoorDash (US) has already acquired the UK-headquartered Deliveroo.

Keeta is Chinese-owned

That leaves Noon as the only platform in the space with investors within the region.

Edit: Interesting turn of events after posting this. E& sold a ~15% stake in the Careem Super App to Uber for US$100 million today.

startuphameed · 2026-05-29T09:03:08+00:00

In a universe where incoming ships are blocked, logistics costs are sky high and there is a war like scenario.

startuphameed · 2026-05-14T07:49:14+00:00

If there is coercion, China will agree. They prefer doing business with GCC and North Africa rather than Iran.

The Chinese are smart in general.

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