Founders from Italy, Tunisia and Sri Lanka have moved their startups to the UAE, and they showed off their products at a startup exhibition organised by the Thara Foundation. Smart shoes that measure health through the feet, prosthetic limbs powered by artificial intelligence, and a virtual clinic for pets were among the ideas on display, alongside digital platforms for education and a wallet built for students.
The exhibition was part of the first Thara Connect forum, organised by the Ajman Chamber, which also marked the launch of the Thara investment and entrepreneurship system. The founders who took part said the same thing in different words: the UAE is no longer just a market to sell into. It is a place to build a company and launch it to the world.
Smart shoes that read the feet
Pietro Allegherti, founding director of the startup Yoshi, brought a product that started in Italy and is now being built in Dubai. The company is developing smart products built into shoes and linked to phones through apps, measuring health indicators through the feet and monitoring stress and fatigue. The shoes can also release pulses and vibrations, with the aim of activating the feet and body.
The idea is practical as well as clever. The shoes can count steps and track foot health, serving everyone from elderly people and patients to ordinary users. Allegherti said the company moved to Dubai to develop its products and launch them into global markets, and the UAE’s business climate is what made that possible.
Prosthetic limbs that learn how to move
Omaima Al-Juwaini, chief executive and founder of Bionic, came from Tunisia with a different kind of hardware. Her company makes prosthetic limbs supported by artificial intelligence, which help amputees predict and carry out movements with less effort, while improving response speed and smoothness compared with traditional limbs.
The limbs are made using 3D printing, which means they can be adjusted as children grow without changing the design completely. Some are made from carbon fibre, which is light and rigid and helps the wearer move better. Al-Juwaini said the company was founded in Tunisia before heading to the Emirates to explore opportunities and launch from there to global markets.
A vet clinic that fits in a phone
Lakshan Kultic, founding director of Taklus Solutions, brought a virtual clinic for pets from Sri Lanka. The company is developing a smart virtual clinic that provides remote treatment and consultation, so pet owners can get help from different regions without travelling to a clinic for cases that can be handled remotely.
Kultic said the company was founded in Sri Lanka before moving to the UAE in search of growth and international expansion. The openness of the economic environment, and the country’s location connecting global markets, are what encourage startups of different nationalities to set up here, he said, especially in artificial intelligence.
Textbooks and wallets join the showcase
The exhibition was not only about hardware. Ahmed Al-Saif, founder and chief executive of Alfredo, showed a platform that lets students buy used textbooks and resell them at low prices, alongside remote educational consultations. Fahad Al-Habsi, founder of Viz, showed a digital wallet aimed at students and micro-enterprise owners, which allows buying and selling without a bank account.
Al-Habsi said the wallet works under the standards and regulatory controls of the Central Bank, and offers a simple experience for groups that often struggle with financial services. For both founders, the message was the same: the UAE’s business environment gives small startups room to grow into other markets.
The ecosystem behind the forum
The forum sits inside a bigger plan. The Thara Investment and Entrepreneurship Ecosystem was launched by the Ajman Chamber on 29 October, with a target of AED 700 million in added value for Ajman’s economy over five years. The plan aims to help at least 100 companies establish, relocate or expand in the emirate, and to create 3,135 direct jobs.
The ecosystem brings together six companies, Thara Holding, Thara Hub, Thara X, Thara Capital, Thara Experience and Thara Foundation, covering workspaces, venture building, capital and community programmes. Its first Thara Connect forum also included a startup competition, giving founders a chance to pitch their projects to investors and experts.
What the Thara showcase says about Ajman’s startup bet
Dubai and Abu Dhabi usually take the spotlight when founders talk about moving to the UAE, so it is worth noting that this showcase happened in Ajman. The emirate is pitching itself as a cheaper, calmer place to build, with the same access to the country’s markets and talent. That pitch will only work if the founders who move there stay, hire and grow, and if the ecosystem delivers the investment and customers it promises.
For now, the early signs are encouraging. Five very different startups, from three different continents, have chosen the UAE as their launchpad, and they chose to show their work in Ajman. The test now is whether the Thara system can turn a good exhibition into real companies. If it can, other emirates will be watching closely.
