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Starting up with Virtuzone
The Agenda’s Tom Urquhart and our partners at Virtuzone discuss the big issues affecting startups and SME’s in the region. Hear everything you need to know about starting your own business from getting a license to growing your company. Highlights include interviews with entrepreneurs and experts, covering topics including e-commerce, leadership and how to get investors for your business.
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Episodes
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Running a virtual business out of Dubai
Friday, 12 December 2025
Can you run a fully virtual business out of Dubai? Ekta Gandhi and Hannan Moti have successfully done itSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Do we need a leadership refresh in 2026?
Friday, 5 December 2025
Tom and Paul explore the leadership landscape of 2025 - and how it can level up in 2026. They're joined by three leaders with different perspectives: Sasha Marashlian, Founder of Imagine FMCG, Farhan Rehman from Rehman Sheriff Group, Nazneen Abbas from Ma’an Legacy & Legal ConsultancySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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The Great Dubai Comeback
Friday, 28 November 2025
Tom and Neil explore the journeys of two Brits who are coming back to Dubai to live or do business. After years in the property business, Nicky Way is back in the city to launch his newest venture, Little Biga Pizza. And Jason Leavy finds himself doing business in Dubai to expand his executive coaching business, Prime Performance Labs. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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How to create an upmarket brand
Friday, 21 November 2025
Elizabeth Morales, Brand Manager of Aura Bakery and Café and Basma Chaieri, founder of Etika Jewels - our featured guests, have built brands that feel premium, emotionally engaging and very Dubai. How did they do it?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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What REAL luxury feels like in Dubai
Friday, 21 November 2025
A new Visa Global Economic Insight report has found that while luxury spending is slowing in cities like London and New York, Dubai tells a different story. About 1 in 9 Dubai residents makes a premium purchase every quarter, supported by a huge base of high-earning households. But what really makes a brand luxurious? Manuel Arnaut, Head of Editorial Content at Vogue Arabia, tells Starting Up what really matters to high-end customers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Rethinking Retirement
Sunday, 16 November 2025
What does retirement really look like today, and can you design a life you never need to retire from?Tom Urquhart and Neil Petch sit down with aviation legend Habib Fekih, who reflects on life after four decades at the top of the industry. They also learn a thing or two from Florian Urghetto and Liz Nunez, founders of Easy Wedding, who are living the FIRE lifestyle — Financial Independence, Retire Early.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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From employee to entrepreneur: how to take the leap
Friday, 7 November 2025
Our all-female panel tell Tom and Neil how they ditched their pay cheque to take the plunge into starting a new business.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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How to build an AI startup in Dubai
Friday, 31 October 2025
No matter your industry, you can build an AI-powered startup. We have experts in studio who have done it: Nokhez Usman, Psychologist and Founder of MindMe Sonny Sangha, YouTube and software developerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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How entrepreneurs "reset"
Friday, 24 October 2025
Tom and Paul speaking to biohacking expert CJ Malhotra, business psychologist Amanda White beauty tech entrepreneur Haifa Addas about why all entrepreneurs need to reset and slow down, even amidst a busy business period.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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How to Win the UAE Property Market
Friday, 17 October 2025
We kicked things off with Dubai Holding’s Innovate For Tomorrow Impact Accelerator 2025 - a platform empowering entrepreneurs to drive real sustainability change.Then, we shifted gears to one of the UAE’s hottest sectors: real estate. Our guests, James Gosling from Exclusive Links Real Estate Brokers and Atif Rahman, Founder & Chairman of ORO24 Developments, broke down how investors and founders tapped into the property boom sweeping across the Emirates.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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The husband-and-wife duo that built Squatwolf
Friday, 10 October 2025
Squatwolf founders Wajdan and Anam tell Katie and Neil what it takes to run a global fitness empire with your spouse. Plus, Al Ryum Group CEO Rafael Khanoyan describes how he took over his father's business and grew it across the country. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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How to fund your business in the UAE
Friday, 3 October 2025
Katie and Virtuezone Chairman Neil Petch explore the tricky topic of raising capital for your business, with our guests: - Helen McGuire founder of The Founder Sanctuary and partner of Identifii (EYE), mentor, and champion of women entrepreneurs - Mohamed Khaled - founder of Hotdesk, the "Airbnb for offices" - Simon Davies - founder of ORK-TA (Aucta) Group, who for 34 years has been connecting founders to capital, fund the largest accelerator for fund managers in the GCC. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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How to look after your employees
Friday, 26 September 2025
Georgia joins Paul Bryson, MD of Virtuzone, discuss how bosses can effectively manage their employees with our dynamic panel: Sebastian Bedu - GM, International SOS Shane Philips - CEO, The Philips Group Adel Ghazzawi - Co-Owner, Cove BeachSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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The business of fine dining with Chef Jason Atherton
Friday, 19 September 2025
Michelin-starred Chef Jason Atherton tells Tom and the Virtuzone team how he runs a global restaurant business, and what's new at Row on 45, his two- Micheline star bespoke fine dining venue.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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What you should know about corporate tax filing
Friday, 19 September 2025
John Casey, Managing Director of TaxReady.ae tells you everything you need to know about the UAE's corporate tax rule, and what you need to know to stay compliant ahead of the September 30 deadline.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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There's no shame in starting small in business
Friday, 12 September 2025
Tom and Paul speak to brilliant entrepreneurs on the show who have either been there, done that, or are experiencing the journey of growing slowly but surely. Haider Al Assam, Co-Founder of Maiz Tacos and Good Burger Maria Vitoratos, Founder of MV Careers Maria Pruna, Founder of My Car Care See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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How do you stand out in a crowded market?
Friday, 5 September 2025
05 Sep 2025. Starting Up with Virtuzone returns after the summer break with one big question: how do you stand out in a crowded market? Tom and Neil speak to KCal founder Andreas Lindgreen Borgmann about building one of Dubai’s first healthy meal plan brands. Plus Chef Nick Alvis and Sam Amidi of Mortgage Finder, two experienced individuals sharing their secrets to building a business that truly stands out.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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How Ajmal Perfumes thrived over the decades
Friday, 4 July 2025
Abdulla Ajmal, CEO of Ajmal Perfumes, told Starting Up about his plans to further grow the scent empire that his grandfather started in the 1950's,. Plus, we get business advice on business longevity from Guillaume Giroux, CEO of Dubai Immo and Tristan Lowe, CEO of Escrow Made Easy. Finally, we look into the big Labubu trend - is it going to fade soon? What's the next big thing, and how can businesses take advantage of it? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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How I turned my failure to fuel for success
Friday, 20 June 2025
Three brave entrepreneurs share their failure stories, and how they turned things around to achieve success. Dan Bolton, Founder, Be Creative Kane Andrews, Founder, The Rock Star Group Nithin Mathew Thombil, Founder, Wheels AHOY and AHOY ModzSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Build local, go global: how to expand outside the UAE
Friday, 13 June 2025
With snacks across 65 markets, UAE snack brand Hunter Foods is making waves across the world. The secret? Understanding the market and innovating flavours, according to Founder and Managing Director Ananya Narayan. And what if the brand was YOU? Seif El Hakim, author, speaker and entrepreneur and Founder of The Alpha Movement, tells us how he was able to build a personal brand that the world can resonate with. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Why beauty and e-commerce are the perfect combination
Friday, 30 May 2025
Just how big is the online beauty industry in the UAE? What are the opportunities for small business owners? noon Beauty VP Ritika Jain tells us.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Build your online store from scratch
Friday, 30 May 2025
Experts Kian Golzari and Nas Mansurali tell us how to source and sell products online, and build a brand people won't forget.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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What are your company's non-negotiables?
Friday, 23 May 2025
Our panelists share how company values are formed, and why we need them to make difficult decisions. David Ribott, Managing Partner at Ribott Partners Christian Moufarrej, Founder and Managing Partner, Pet's KitchenSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Shuja Jashanmal: What I learned from the shop floor
Friday, 23 May 2025
Shuja Jashanmal, Group CEO of the Jashanmal National Company, tells Tom and George why starting as a salesman made him the business leader he is today. His son Seth also shares his aspirations for the family business as he prepares to start his career journey. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Entrepreneurs share their burnout-to -breakthrough stories
Friday, 16 May 2025
These successful empire builders managed to turn a burnout moment into a business breakthrough:Vadim Fedotov, CEO and Co-Founder of BioniqEmma Burdett, CEO and Founder of WILD: Women in Leadership Deliver & WILD TalentMaria Pavani, Founder of Tres Marias CoffeeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Keeping customers happy and loyal
Friday, 9 May 2025
Tom and Neil discuss the good, the bad and the ugly of dealing with clients and customers. They're joined by: Vishal Menon, founder of Fireflies ME, Charles Dersahakian, Managing Partner at CVML Riyaz Sutterwala, CEO and founder of View Emirates Sports ClubSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Finding your business tribe
Friday, 2 May 2025
Tom and Neil explore the power of belonging in a community with those who have built thriving and solid ones. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Cash flow challenges in business
Friday, 25 April 2025
Does your business struggle with cash flow? Cash flow is the number one challenge for small businesses. So what's the solution? Tom and Neil unpack this topic with entrepreneur and finance expert Roota Mittal, We Do Events Founder Reham Damanhouri and Chief Growth Officer Waleed Zouki. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Moving your business to the UAE
Friday, 18 April 2025
Tom and Neil discuss the truths and takeaways of moving your business to the UAE. They're joined by guests: Salman Moghimi, CEO of Peyk - attended school in the UAE, started his delivery business in the UK, and now in the UAE, manufacturing multi-purpose robots! Katy Holmes, CEO of British Chamber of Commerce ... supporting a growing number of UK businesses entering the UAE Mousa Azar, CEO of HAWES, a home automation technology company that relocated from Lebanon.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Are you just a boss, or a true leader?
Friday, 11 April 2025
Tom and Neil discuss the qualities of a great leadership, especially in this day and age when workplace hierarchy is seeing a massive shift. They're joined by special guests: James Michael Lafferty, Former CEO of Fine Holdings, Coca Cola and P&G. Olympic coach and trainer. Dr. Corrie Block, Executive Coach and Author of Chief Executive Coach Catherine Jeha, Head of Training, ProClipse Consulting See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Coming Up on Dubai Eye
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The Business Breakfast6:00am - 10:00am
The Business Breakfast is the day’s must listen for the UAE’s business leaders, and those who aspire to be.
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Starting up with Virtuzone10:00am - 11:00am
Starting Up is back, with a fresh new edition in a brand-new timeslot every Tuesday from 10am-11am.
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