Thinking through strategy, change, and decisions

A practitioner's guide to entering the UAE market — covering competitive strategy, customer research, trust-building, brand, team hiring, and partnerships. Based on real experience launching and scaling products in Dubai, not template advice.

Local growth or international expansion? At DUNE by Oraseya Capital during Worldef Dubai 2026, founders and investors discussed how to scale beyond the home market without breaking the business model. The core message: global expansion requires repeatability, operational readiness, and execution — not just ambition.

AI is evolving from a standalone technology into an intelligent layer embedded within individuals, businesses, and urban infrastructure. Insights from Machines Can Think 2026 explore AI adoption, trust, localization, scalability, governance, and how artificial intelligence is reshaping business models, city systems, and digital interfaces.

This article breaks down three types of agencies that help companies enter new markets, explains what each one does well, and offers a practical framework for deciding which one you need — and when.

How unicorn logic breaks in the AI era: why scale no longer equals headcount, excess capital turns into a liability, and defensibility shifts toward product engineering, data, and operational AI integration. Key takeaways from the Why Unicorn Logic Breaks in AI panel at the Machines Can Think conference in Abu Dhabi — on how AI reshapes investing, startup evaluation, and the role of ecosystems.

Artificial intelligence is not simply improving education — it is exposing the limits of the traditional model. As AI reshapes how people learn, reason, and make decisions, education is shifting from knowledge transfer to cognitive capability: adaptability, sense-making, and judgment. Based on insights from the Machines Can Think conference in Abu Dhabi, this article explores how AI is transforming education, assessment, and the role of teachers — and why the same logic increasingly applies to parents and children. It argues that AI-native learning is not about answers, but about building thinking spaces that support better decisions, both in classrooms and in families.

Strategic partnerships with competitors: when rivalry becomes a growth lever. Learn how companies design competitor partnerships as part of their business model to reduce costs, share risks, enter new markets, and unlock growth.

Drawing on hands-on experience with market entry in the UAE and emerging markets, this article examines why go-to-market strategies often fail when built remotely. It explains the limits of desk research, analytics, and local partners — and why physical presence and direct market exposure are critical to building a workable go-to-market strategy and achieving real traction.