Dubai’s buy-now-pay-later platforms Postpay and Tabby, and sustainable activewear brand The Giving Movement have made LinkedIn’s list of top 10 UAE-based start-ups in 2022.
Postpay, Tabby and The Giving Movement came second, fourth and sixth respectively.
With this annual ranking, LinkedIn honours the best UAE emerging start-ups that have demonstrated significant growth in the past year.
Founded in 2019 in Dubai, Postpay enables online merchants in the UAE and Saudi Arabia to offer customers the option to defer and split payments into three interest-free monthly instalments free of charge.
“BNPL platforms like Postpay and Tabby are a testament to the growth of the FinTech sector, unlike other regions where such start-ups are on the decline,” the network said.
Tabby, also established in 2019, became the region’s first buy-now-pay-later consumer solution that enables shoppers to earn cashback in its partner stores.
Since its inception in early 2020, the sustainable athleisure and streetwear clothing brand The Giving Movement has been flourishing in the country capitalising on the ‘give-back’ ethos and recyclable textiles.
In March, the e-fashion retailer secured $15 million in a series A round to launch children and baby line categories and prioritise expansion into other GCC markets.
LinkedIn selects the best SMEs based on four metrics: employment rate, engagement with the company and its current employees, job interest for both paid and unpaid postings among LinkedIn users, and assimilation of top talent.
One of the prevailing common denominators noted by the LinkedIn list among emerging start-ups is their commitment to sustainability.
The Giving Movement, for instance, manufactures 100 per cent of its goods in the UAE to cut its carbon footprint.
Another marked trend is the proliferation of buy-now-pay-later start-ups, which points to the UAE as the leader in financial technology in the Middle East.
“The start-ups on this list are those that are successful in navigating the evolution of consumer and business needs, leading the way through the new world of work,” said senior news editor at LinkedIn Salma Altantawy.
“UAE’s Top Startups List 2022 reflects the strong ambitions of entrepreneurs in this region. Albeit a more nascent sector regionally, the start-ups and VC space are facing unprecedented growth despite the economic downturn that is sweeping the globe. The startups on this list are those that are successful in navigating the evolution of consumer and business needs, leading the way through the new world of work.”
