Gitex 2020: Israeli tech firms eye Dubai as hub to reach Mena, Asia

Israeli technology companies taking part at the Gitex Technology Week see good opportunities in different UAE sectors and intend to use Dubai as a hub to cater to the wider Gulf, Africa and Asia regions.

Executives of the big Israeli corporates and startups are overwhelmed with the scale of projects here in the UAE and see strong growth prospects in major sectors such as education, agriculture, farming, transportation, tourism and government entities.

“We are excited to be here and see ties with the UAE as an important development. There are so many areas where we can cooperate and grow together. We see good potential in sectors like tourism, sports, transportation, education and government entities,” said Joseph Dov Kohan, manager for technical market and solution designs at Kramer Electronics, which designs, manufactures and distributes products used in the professional AV, broadcast and production and residential AV markets worldwide.

“There is a huge potential in the UAE’s corporate markets as well. The level of quality that is required here, needs high quality products and Israeli products meet those standards,” Kohan said during an interview on the first day of Gitex Technology Week.

Pradeep Kumar, general manager of Abcom Distribution, said there is a good demand for Israel products in the UAE, thanks to top quality that is offered by the Israeli firms. Gitex Technology Week is also hosting the first and largest Israeli technology business delegation in the UAE. It is the first participation of Israeli companies in any major UAE event since the UAE and Israel normalised relations and signed the Abraham Accord on September 15 in Washington DC.

In addition to large companies, a number of Israeli startups are also taking part in the five-day exhibition.

Business relations and trade are growing at a breakneck speed between the two nations since the signing of the agreement and it is expected that non-oil trade will reach $4 billion. It is expected more than 10,000 Israeli tourists will visit the UAE in December alone.

Nadav Avni, marketing director for RadiX, also sees great opportunities here and a lot of interest in Israeli products from local players.

“We are looking to tap other countries of the region through Dubai and expect to find many partners in the region,” said Avni, whose company provides cutting-edge device management solutions focusing on education, VR/AR and enterprise single-purpose devices.

Omri Sorek, founder and CEO of Trusstor, also sees great potential and finds local culture and people very friendly and welcoming.

“We will target the whole Gulf from here. Technology is global and we don’t look at border limitation that may prevent any association or partnering with different companies of the world,” said Sorek of Trusstor, which develops command and control solution for the construction industry.

“For us, coming to the UAE is a major milestone. What Dubai has achieved in 30 years is a major accomplishment. It is an incredible opportunity for Israeli companies to be involved in the process of UAE’s development. We certainly see great value and opportunities here,” added Sorek.

Noam Azran, CEO of Israeli startup Beefree Agro, is also awed by the scale of things and the way they are organised.

“People are very courteous and everyone is helping us. We are developing a solution for the UAE market for both grazing and racing camels. Dubai and the UAE are a great place for doing business across the Gulf region, Africa and Asia. And Gitex is an opportunity to distribute and reach out to new markets,” said Azran.

-waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com