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Autonomous deliveries for urban logistics: Zelostech’s fully electric delivery vehicle wins DHL’s startup challenge in the Middle East & Africa

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Zelostech

Zelostech wins DHL’s Fast Forward Challenge startup program in the Middle East & Africa. The five shortlisted startups of this year’s Fast Forward Challenge presented groundbreaking applications based on AI and automation that have the potential to redefine logistics and workforce efficiency while driving more sustainable supply chains in the MEA region. The innovative solutions ranged from strategic people analytics platforms to a collaborative mobility approach bridging the gap between manual labor and automation to fully automated robots and vehicles for intralogistics, mid- and last-mile deliveries.

“It was such an honor to be among these shortlisted companies who are all pioneers in their specific field. In the end, it was our autonomous delivery solution for urban logistic deliveries that won and that is already deployed in various cities in China and in Singapore. We have 3,000 vehicles on the road and have accumulated nine million kilometers of Level 4-autonomous driving and are eager to enter the UAE and wider GCC market, says Jason Wang, UAE-Country Manager of Zelostech.

The Fast Forward Challenge, now in its fourth edition, is a startup program organized by the DHL Middle East & Africa Innovation Center together with strategic partners. It supports startups that offer innovative solutions to meet the future needs of logistics and supply chains.

“Congratulations to the winner Zelostech. I am certain they will make a major difference towards shaping the future of logistics and I am very much looking forward to our collaboration,” says Irina Albanese, Head of Innovation, Middle East & Africa at DHL. “The candidates this year are really remarkable, especially in terms of the maturity of the startups and the innovative ideas and solutions that were presented. With our Fast Forward Challenge, we offer a platform for startups to showcase their groundbreaking solutions, receive ongoing mentorship, and forge valuable connections with venture capitalists. It is truly an ecosystem of opportunities.”

While some of the presented solutions vary greatly, they have one major thing in common: All five startups provide a solution to address current and future challenges with the world of work evolving.

This year’s program featured startups from around the globe. For the final round, the contestants took the grand stage of the Future 100 Forum during the 4th edition of the annual Investopia Summit in Abu Dhabi. Investopia is a UAE-based platform launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The platform connects the global investment community with opportunities in new economies.

In Abu Dhabi, the five shortlisted companies had to pitch to a panel of 9 prominent judges with a wealth of business expertise in the region, the industry, and beyond. The judges selected the winner, utilizing a set of detailed criteria to guide their decision-making process. The Fast Forward Challenge @ Investopia winner will benefit from extensive support provided by industry experts and consultants, including mentorship, trade license support, extensive media coverage, and a membership to the Ignyte platform to foster their business growth and development. Additionally, Zelostech will receive a Proof of Concept opportunity with DHL or Dubai South for a suitable solution fit.

The Fast Forward Challenge MEA 2025 is organized by DHL Customer Solutions & Innovation in partnership with Investopia, PwC Middle East, Dubai South, Logistics Middle East, the tech startup AHOY and various prominent startup business supporters.  

“It was a pleasure to host the final round of DHL’s Fast Forward Challenge during the 4th edition of Investopia. This challenge brought together an outstanding group of innovators and entrepreneurs redefining logistics and supply chain – an industry at the core of the new economy, which is the very essence of Investopia. We were also delighted to have DHL as one of Investopia’s Contributing Partners this year, and I am confident that this marks the beginning of a series of fruitful collaborations in the UAE and beyond,” said David Tabet, Chief Operating Officer of Investopia.

Mohsen Ahmad, CEO of the Logistics District at Dubai South, said: “We are proud to be part of such an innovative program that continues to evolve and improve year after year. The logistics industry is ever-changing, and participants are showcasing groundbreaking ideas that promise a strong future for the sector. At Dubai South, we remain committed to supporting initiatives that drive the advancement of logistics, further cementing the emirate’s position as a global logistics hub.”

“We congratulate Zelostech on winning this year’s Fast Forward Challenge. As we celebrate our fourth consecutive year partnering with this program, we recognize the strong contributions of startups participating,” says Dominik Baumeister, Partner, Global Transport & Logistics Lead, at PwC Middle East. “Innovative solutions are part of PwC Middle East’s strategy, and through this partnership, we have consistently seen real and tangible impact on the logistics landscape. We look forward to continued progress in shaping the industry’s transformation in the Middle East.”

“Big congratulations to Zelostech on winning DHL’s Fast Forward Challenge; you made us proud with your innovative approach to logistics. Your startup exemplifies the spirit of transformation that this industry so urgently needs. Initiatives like the Fast Forward Challenge encourage groundbreaking solutions to problems affecting everyday life, a mission we stand behind at AHOY. Every candidate presented a solution that shows their drive to innovate, and AHOY is proud of each and every one of you”, said Jamil Shinawi, Co-founder and CEO of AHOY.

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Snowflake powers KSA’s Zahid Group’s data and AI transformation to unlock enterprise value

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Zahid Group, one of Saudi Arabia’s leading diversified business groups spanning heavy equipment, energy, transport and manufacturing, and others, has selected Snowflake, the AI Data Cloud company, as the strategic foundation for its enterprise data and AI transformation, giving the Group a scalable way to strengthen governance, advance AI adoption, and elevate customer experiences enterprise-wide. The relationship was formalized during a signing ceremony at Zahid Business Park in Jeddah, launching a multi-year investment that will strengthen productivity and support technology-led growth in line with Saudi Vision 2030.

With Snowflake, Zahid Group’s Digital Solutions Division is unifying data from across its business streams and departments on a governed, secure, centralized and scalable lakehouse platform. A modern business intelligence ecosystem will give leaders faster access to information, enabling them to spend less time reconciling reports and more time acting on insights. The next phase will use Snowflake Cortex AI to enable employees to engage with data through natural language, reducing reliance on traditional reporting and shortening the path from question to decision.

Snowflake’s adoption at Zahid Group comes as Saudi Arabia accelerates its goal of becoming the Middle East’s leading AI infrastructure and technology hub. The Council of Ministers has designated 2026 as the Year of AI, and PwC estimates that AI could contribute around 12.4% of the country’s GDP by 2030.

Before adopting Snowflake, Zahid Group’s data was dispersed across multiple systems, requiring extensive manual consolidation and resulting in reporting inconsistencies that slowed decision-making. As an early proof of value, the Caterpillar Helios initiative demonstrated the power of secure, real-time data sharing through Snowflake. Building on this foundation, Zahid Group is now extending Snowflake’s capabilities across its digital ecosystem, enabling real-time data streaming and integration with core platforms such as Infor and Salesforce.

This connected architecture has standardized critical reporting processes, reducing month-end reporting cycles from days to hours, and in many cases minutes. By eliminating manual effort and improving data consistency, it provides leaders with timely, trusted insights that support faster decision-making and strengthen a culture of data-driven innovation.

Suzan Sadek, Group IT Manager, Zahid Group, said: “Data is one of the most valuable assets of the digital economy. By choosing Snowflake, we are building a trusted and scalable data foundation that enables AI-driven innovation, faster decision-making, and improved customer experience. This transformation strengthens Zahid Group’s competitiveness, while supporting Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 ambition to create a data-driven economy.”

Michel Nader, General Manager for the Middle East, Turkey & Africa, Snowflake, said: “Zahid Group is demonstrating how trusted data can become the foundation for enterprise AI at scale. Snowflake brings information closer to customers while providing leading AI capabilities to enable digital transformation across Zahid’s operating environment. We are proud to support the company’s next phase too, where employees can access trusted insights faster and strengthen the Group’s ability to create lasting and scalable value across its businesses.”

Looking ahead, Zahid Group will expand Snowflake’s platform’s role across the Group, extending governed data products, advanced analytics and AI capabilities into more business functions to deliver measurable value for customers, partners and employees.

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PNY Technologies Joins LEAP 2026 with the Latest AI Technologies – Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | 31 August to 3 September | Booth H3-D10

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PNY Technologies announces its participation in LEAP 2026, taking place in Riyadh from 31 August to 3 September, where it will present its latest AI infrastructure and accelerated computing solutions.

The showcase will feature the technologies behind PNY’s AI infrastructure portfolio, from the AI Enterprise Factory to the latest NVIDIA RTX PRO and GeForce graphics solutions, together with networking and infrastructure technologies.

Visitors will also be able to explore the PNY AI Factory Digital Twin Configurator, which allows users to design and configure their own AI factory using digital twins and NVIDIA Omniverse.

PNY will also host live demonstrations developed in collaboration with its technology partners, including SOMOD, DDN, INFINIARC, VERTIV, and F5.

The company’s participation in LEAP 2026 reflects its continued commitment to supporting AI innovation across the Middle East and helping shape the technologies powering the region’s digital transformation.

The PNY team, including regional representatives, will be on-site throughout LEAP 2026 to meet with visitors, partners, and members of the media at Hall H3, Booth D10. Attendees wishing to arrange a briefing or interview are welcome to submit a request below.

Contact request: https://forms.pny.eu/pny-at-leap-2026/

Press contact: sverdier@pny.com / mhamdouche@pny.com

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Globant Introduces Glob.AI, Reinventing Technology Services for the AI Era

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Globant (NYSE: GLOB), a global company focused on driving enterprise reinvention through AI, today introduces Glob.AI, a new AI-native tech services model that fundamentally changes how enterprises access, purchase and deploy AI services. Available online through a self-service model, Glob.AI gives organizations access to enterprise-grade, high quality AI Pods (service units run by a set of AI agents and supervised by humans). Companies are charged for what they produce -per output or per consumption- never per seat or per hour.

“For over 20 years, Globant has stayed ahead of every major technology shift, and AI is no different. Glob.AI is our next step: the one-stop shop where our AI Pods live, each specialized by task and industry. Traditional AI adoption drives token consumption far beyond what efficient output requires, and the real cost is the wasted tokens plus the unstructured, manual supervision of AI. AI Pods introduce a smarter model, running the right AI through parallel agents, loops, workflows, and deterministic processes, representing the true state of the art of what AI can deliver today,” said Martín Migoya, CEO and co-founder of Globant.

Glob.AI brings together AI-native velocity with Globant’s 23 years of enterprise delivery baked into the governance layer. AI agents do the heavy lifting, with Globant’s experts supervising their outputs and guiding every step. Glob.AI works to standards–documented, tested, secure, built for enterprise scale. It’s the speed AI promises, with the rigor and quality that businesses need, by including:

  • Well-defined, deterministic, and repeatable processes, supervised end to end by experts
  • Optimized AI usage and transparent pricing: customers pay strictly for expert-validated outputs and/or real consumption — not hours, seats, AI hallucinations, retries, or wasted cycles.
  • At least 30% more productive than the typical engineer-plus-AI approach
  • Full AI sovereignty and governance: total flexibility over which models customers use and where they run them, with zero client data ever used to train external models.
  • Token consumption secured in a client’s proprietary Token Vault, providing full traceability and compounding a client’s institutional knowledge over time.

“AI is not just making the same projects faster, it is making thousands of projects viable that never were before,” said Guibert Englebienne, co-founder of Globant. “Until today, enterprises could not buy technology services this way: instantly, transparently, paying only for results. That is the shift Glob.AI delivers, and the strong demand for AI Pods shows enterprises are ready for it.”

Organizations joining the waiting list at Glob.AI will gain early access to a comprehensive catalog of agentic workflows capable of building and deploying solutions for enterprise platforms and specialized industry use cases. The AI Pods in the offering also include partnerships with major organizations including Anthropic, AWS, Vercel, OpenAI, Adobe, Azure, Google Cloud Platform, SAP and Salesforce.

Traditional enterprise tech services require months of discovery, RFPs, and procurement cycles before the work begins. Glob.AI changes that model entirely. Users can log in and immediately start building enterprise grade software. Tech delivery becomes a live, continuous service rather than a fixed-term project — every improvement and release happening on the platform, fully visible to the client, in real time.

Globant released AI Pods in mid-2025, and they are already in use by several Fortune 500 organizations across media, entertainment, professional services, and finance, delivering early results that include:

  • FIFA experiencing a 20% efficiency increase in throughput generation while maintaining or improving quality rates
  • LALIGA deploying AI across key functions in three months
  • YPF reducing contract timelines by up to 40%
  • PharmaMar achieving 15x faster insights in oncology research
  • A leading commercial bank completing a COBOL migration in 2 months versus 14 as projected with a traditional approach
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