Billionaire Draper invests in Dubai-based Arrow Labs $5m in Series A

Dubai - Other prominent investments to date by Draper include Baidu, Hotmail, Skype, Tesla, SpaceX, and Twitter.

Arrow Labs, technology company uniting deskless, frontline workers, welcomes the investment of Draper Associates, the venture capital fund founded by renowned American investor Tim Draper, in its $5 million Series A fundraise.

Draper Associates’ investment is one of the company’s first in a Mena region company, reflecting the company’s excitement at the technology of Arrow Labs. Other prominent investments to date by Draper include Baidu, Hotmail, Skype, Tesla, SpaceX, and Twitter.

Tim Draper, Founder & Managing Partner of Draper Associates, said: “For many years, investment in critical remote working tools has focused almost exclusively on office based staff. This has caused front-line workers to become disconnected. This is a global issue, affecting hundreds of millions of people, and a solution is required. Arrow Labs’ technology has really caught my eye. They have built the solution the world needs, which is already being used by some of the biggest global brands. The startup ecosystem in the MENA region is very exciting, and Arrow Labs is a unique player there. I’m delighted to make them one of my first investments in the region.”

Arrow Lab’s core product is a platform (MIMS) – an enterprise SaaS software – unifying frontline workers. Accessed by mobile app, web, and wearables – it connects employees/machines/facilities – to deliver flawless work-flow execution. The platform reduces operating costs by 20 per cent, increases staff productivity by 30 per cent and business efficiency by 40 per cent.

Investment proceeds will be used by to accelerate growth into new markets. Specifically, funds will drive further growth in the U.S. market, and enhance development of the MIMS platform’s machine-learning capabilities.

Arrow Labs has experienced high growth in enterprise customer acquisition and geographic coverage, onboarding clients in MENA, Europe and the United States, especially with industry leaders in the telecoms, oil and gas and logistics sectors. Clients include G4S, Linde AG, Dubai Ports World and Bnet.

Arrow Labs MIMS platform will make deskless work simpler, better and more productive for millions of frontline workers who have yet to be empowered with technology. By bringing innovation and Machine Learning capabilities to the front line, MIMS removes the complexity of scheduling, work distribution, recourse management, workflow automation and route optimization in a unique easy to use software tool set.

Rami Darwish, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Arrow Labs, said: “Securing such strong financial support and backing from investors such as Tim Draper is transformative for our business. The funds will support our growth, further development of our MIMS platform, and accelerate our journey to connect the 80% of the global workforce that is deskless – and protect their jobs. We are ideally positioned to rapidly grow, and further expand our presence in the United States, and into South-East Asia.”

Other leading technology investors who participated in the round include international venture capital firm, Global Ventures, and B&Y Ventures.

Noor Sweid, General Partner at Global Ventures, said: “Rami Darwish and the team at Arrow Labs have been our partners since 2018. From then until now, the company has been a leading player and innovator in its space, addressing a critical and global challenge in workforce management. We are strong supporters of reverse innovation and emerging market founders building cutting-edge technology with both regional and global potential, and Rami is definitely one such entrepreneur. We are thrilled to be a part of the next chapter of Arrow Labs.”

Founded in 2011, Arrow Labs transforms the way companies manage field resources through smart technology wearables and services. Arrow Labs’ mission is to disrupt traditional business models with solutions to manage effectively, automate processes and increase revenue on a whole new level. Industries such as facility management, hospitality, logistics, security, and transport have seen radical change in terms of efficiency, productivity, and operating costs since integrating MIMS into their practices. Arrow Labs services clients from operational hubs in the US, the UAE, and South-East Asia.

Abdallah Yafi, Managing Partner at B&Y Ventures, said: “Most of the innovation globally has been aimed at improving desk and office work resulting in field work being largely overlooked. Arrow Labs solves the disconnect between the deskless workers and the back office and is on a mission to transform the way businesses manage field resources. At Arrow Labs, B&Y is backing a hyper exceptional team - led by Rami Darwish - that we believe can build a category leading business in this space, thanks to an extremely intelligent platform, flawless execution and strong focus on delivering profitable growth.” — sandhya@khaleejtimes.com