Tech News
Autonomous deliveries for urban logistics: Zelostech’s fully electric delivery vehicle wins DHL’s startup challenge in the Middle East & Africa
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.
Tech News
Vertiv announces Scalable, High-Capacity Double Stack Busway System that Preserves White Space for Growing AI Data Center Demands
Vertiv, a global leader in critical digital infrastructure, today announced the expansion of the Vertiv PowerBar Track busway family with the introduction of a compact, high-capacity double-stack design that enables higher power density while optimizing valuable white-space. Designed to address rapidly evolving AI workloads within colocation and hyperscale data centers, the scalable system delivers high-capacity power distribution through a flexible, modular architecture that supports future growth, enables improved energy efficiency, and provides simplified deployment. The solution is designed to meet rigorous global safety and performance standards, with configurations of up to 2000A under UL standard 857, and up to 2500A for IEC 61439-6 with variants in copper and aluminum conductors.
The Vertiv PowerBar Track enables safe, continuous power delivery and live configuration changes without system downtime. Its open-track architecture allows operators to install or relocate tap-off boxes anywhere along the busway while maintaining active load distribution. Each connection point includes built-in mechanical and electrical interlocks for operator safety, and optional integrated metering provides real-time visibility of power usage for improved capacity planning and energy management. The double stack configuration supports higher capacity and more connections per tap-off box and can also scale vertically to efficiently serve high density environments.
“Power distribution must keep pace with the scale and density of modern AI and high-performance computing environments,” said Kyle Keeper, senior vice president of the power business unit at Vertiv. “As customers navigate increasing power demands, tighter space constraints, and rapidly evolving infrastructure requirements, they need solutions that provide flexibility. Vertiv PowerBar Track double stack is designed to address these challenges by enabling compact yet scalable expansion, supporting live changes, and delivering the reliability required in mission-critical data center environments.”
The busway system integrates seamlessly with the broader Vertiv end-to-end power train, including Vertiv™ PowerBoard switchgear, uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems, and racks, forming a complete and coordinated infrastructure for high-density applications. Supported by Vertiv’s global manufacturing and service network, Vertiv™ PowerBar Track can be configured to aid maintenance, helping reduce maintenance-related downtime while enabling faster deployment and greater adaptability for data centers undergoing rapid expansion. Vertiv PowerBar Track also contributes to the Vertiv 360AI power ecosystem, which combines power distribution, protection, and management technologies designed to support the next generation of AI-ready digital infrastructure.
Vertiv PowerBar Track integrates with Vertiv OneCore, a scalable prefabricated data center infrastructure solution, and Vertiv SmartRun, a modular overhead IT infrastructure system, enabling a cohesive approach to modular, scalable data center design.
Tech News
The Executive Health Upgrade: Why Personalized Prevention Is the UAE’s Next Premium Category
How Prana AI + SindyXR Want to Make Personalized Health Routine in the UAE
By Integrator Web Editor

Most healthcare is built for emergencies. But the biggest risks to long-term health often develop quietly—sleep debt, metabolic drift, chronic stress, early cardiovascular strain. Prana AI and SindyXR are building a UAE-first model that treats health like a modern dashboard: establish your baseline, detect drift early, and guide course-correction through an AI “longevity OS” paired with concierge support.
The UAE is rapidly becoming a proving ground for next-generation, consumer-friendly health models that blend premium services with data-driven personalization. This article explores a shift underway in Dubai and the wider Emirates: moving from reactive, appointment-led care toward continuous, proactive “health operating systems.” Prana AI and SindyXR are among the emerging players aiming to productize prevention—making personal health measurable, understandable, and easier to follow through on.
“Most healthcare is built for emergencies. Personalized health is built for trajectory.” – Christopher M. Hill, Board Chair, President, and CEO of SindyXR
From Firefighting to Flight-Checking
Most of us treat health like a fire alarm: we respond when it’s loud enough to ignore. A symptom appears, we book an appointment, get a prescription or advice, and move on. That model isn’t “bad”—it’s just built for a different job.
Reactive healthcare is excellent at handling acute problems. But the biggest threats to long-term wellbeing often don’t arrive with sirens. They creep in quietly: chronic stress patterns, sleep erosion, metabolic instability, early cardiovascular risk, burnout. By the time something becomes obvious, the fix is harder, slower, and more expensive.
This is why “personalized health”—often described as preventive, longevity-focused, or precision wellness—is accelerating globally. The promise is simple and non-medical: know your baseline, track changes over time, and act early with clarity.
In the UAE, where performance, pace, global mobility, and high expectations are everyday realities, that promise is especially relevant. People want health experiences that match how they actually live: fast, discreet, premium, and practical—with minimal friction and real follow-through.
Personalized Health, Explained Without the White Coat
Personalized health doesn’t require a medical degree to understand. It’s a system that does four things well:
- Establishes your baseline — a clear snapshot of how your body is functioning today.
- Detects drift over time — what’s improving, what’s stuck, what’s slipping.
- Translates data into action — simple, tailored steps you can actually do.
- Keeps you consistent — so improvements don’t fade after a “good month.”
The goal isn’t perfection. It’s trajectory. You’re not trying to “win health.” You’re trying to reduce risk and increase resilience—month after month.
“Think of it as a health command center: baseline, drift detection, and guided course-correction.” – Charles Cavo, DO Co-founder, Pounds Transformation
Why the UAE Is Ready for This Category
Dubai and the wider UAE are fertile ground for this model for three reasons:
- High intent: Many professionals already invest in fitness, nutrition, mental performance, recovery, and longevity practices.
- High friction: Even motivated people struggle to stay consistent when travel, deadlines, and family responsibilities pile up.
- High expectations: Premium experience isn’t a “nice to have” in the UAE; it’s a baseline for adoption.
Most people don’t need more information. They need a system that makes follow-through easier than falling off track.
That’s the core thesis behind Prana AI + SindyXR: the real disruption isn’t “one more health test.” It’s a repeatable operating model around the person that converts insight into sustained action.
Prana AI + SindyXR: A Hybrid ‘Longevity Concierge’ Built for Busy Lives
The Prana AI + SindyXR approach can be understood as three layers working together—each solving a different part of the real-world problem.
Layer 1: Precision diagnostics (the baseline)
This is the “what’s happening inside my body?” layer—advanced diagnostics designed to establish a meaningful baseline across key health domains. Not just a basic annual check, but a deeper view intended to help identify risk patterns early and prioritize what matters now.
Crucially, the output has to be readable, not intimidating: scores, trends, and plain-language insights that allow non-medical professionals to understand what they should focus on—without getting buried in numbers.
Layer 2: Prana AI as the Personal Longevity OS (the daily system)
This is where personalization becomes real. Many wellness apps can nudge, but they often lack context—your baseline and your changes over time.
Prana AI’s role is to function like a health command center:
- Daily routines that fit real schedules (sleep, movement, recovery, nutrition prompts)
- Wearable integration where available (to track trends, not obsess over single readings)
- Progress tracking that emphasizes trajectory (what’s changing, what isn’t)
- Quarterly and annual comparisons to identify drift early
The design intent is simple: reduce decisions. When people are busy, friction kills follow-through. The “OS” needs to feel like a co-pilot—not a second job.
Layer 3: SindyXR concierge + expert ecosystem (the follow-through engine)
The uncomfortable truth about health is that many people already know what to do. The problem is friction:
- booking
- scheduling
- follow-up
- accountability
- decision fatigue
SindyXR’s concierge layer aims to handle the “life admin” of better health—connecting users to curated experts, creating structured sessions, enabling community learning (webinars and roundtables), and coordinating next steps so momentum doesn’t fade.
This is the difference between:
- “I should do something about this,” and
- “It’s scheduled, guided, and underway.”
“The innovation isn’t one more test—it’s the operating model around the person.” – Sumit Puri, CEO & Co-Founder, Prana AI
The Closed Loop Most Health Experiences Don’t Deliver
Here’s what separates a premium testing service from a real system: the loop.
Most offerings stop at “test + report.” Some add “test + report + generic advice.”
The Prana AI + SindyXR model is designed to deliver a full cycle:
In other words:
- you don’t just learn your numbers,
- you change the trajectory, and
- you prove it over time.
That loop is the true product: a repeatable “operating model” for personal health.
Who It’s For First: The Executive Longevity Circle
The initial positioning is clear: this is built for people who are time-poor, performance-driven, and outcome-focused—CXOs, founders, board-level leaders, and globally mobile professionals (often 45+).
It’s a pragmatic wedge. High-touch membership models can:
- protect quality while the system is refined,
- build trust through experience rather than marketing,
- generate credible outcomes stories (the only marketing that matters in health).
From there, the model can expand into broader segments and partnerships—especially in an environment like the UAE where premium experience and measurable outcomes are powerful adoption catalysts.
The Trust Test: No Magic Claims, Just Clear Guardrails
AI in health is powerful—and sensitive. Adoption depends on trust:
- What is informational vs diagnostic?
- How is data stored and consent managed?
- How are recommendations explained?
- Where does clinician oversight come in?
The healthiest framing is simple: AI doesn’t replace doctors. It reduces noise, spots patterns, and improves follow-through. It helps people act earlier, more consistently, and with fewer blind spots.
What Success Looks Like in the UAE
If Prana AI + SindyXR execute well, the UAE could become a flagship market for a new category: personalized preventive health that feels as seamless as concierge banking.
Success won’t be measured by how “advanced” the tech sounds. It will be measured by:
- consistent engagement over months (not weeks),
- measurable improvement in key markers,
- fewer health surprises,
- better energy, sleep, recovery, and resilience.
Because the future of health won’t be another appointment.
It will be a smarter system around you—quietly keeping you on course.
“The UAE is uniquely positioned to lead this shift: people here value time, discretion, and outcomes. Personalized health will win when it feels as seamless as concierge banking—and as measurable as a performance dashboard.” – Subrato Basu, Global Managing Partner, The Executive Board
Tech News
AL OSTAD PALLET FACTORY APPOINTS ZAYSTACK INTELLIZENCE TO ADVISE ON DIGITISATION AND AUTOMATION PROGRAMME
Process digitalisation programme set to create another industry benchmark for Dubai Industrial City-headquartered Al Ostad Pallet Factory

Al Ostad Pallet Factory, based in Dubai Industrial City, has appointed ZayStack Intellizence to deliver a groundbreaking programme to digitise and automate core business processes across sales, procurement, production, inventory, and delivery.
Under the agreement, ZayStack will support an initial three-month phase focused on “quick wins and foundations”, including current-state assessment, process mapping and advanced software and AI tool recommendations. The project will also see rollout of practical templates, dashboards and minimum viable automations, designed to improve visibility and accountability across operations.
The recently inked agreement is part of Al Ostad’s continuing evolution, ensuring it keeps delivering value to its ever-growing customer base, building on more than 25 years in business with strong investment in the technology-driven future of the logistics sector.
The engagement aims to help Al Ostad reduce manual, person-dependent workflows and move towards a more digitally enabled, data-driven operating model that supports long-term growth, improved decision-making, and stronger customer communication. The project will help employees understand how to use cutting-edge AI tools to increase productivity.
Alex George, Managing Director, Al Ostad Pallet Factory, said: “Al Ostad Pallet Factory has grown on the strength of operational know-how and a hands-on approach. Now, we need to ensure our team is AI prepared, and that we all understand how to make best use of AI across our business.
“This programme is about putting the right digital foundations in place so we can improve visibility, reduce friction in day-to-day workflows, and scale with confidence, all while continuing to deliver reliably for our customers.”
Alex is keen to implement cutting-edge technologies at his 8,000 square meter DIC manufacturing facility, and is intent on becoming “best in class” for logistics and packaging solutions, aiming for the number one position regionally.
“We’re on track,” Alex says with confidence. “It’s about being ready for the future – a future where technology, sustainability, and supply chain resilience define the leaders in manufacturing. We want to be at the forefront of that shift.”
Alex believes the new workflows Zaystack will deliver will create a new industry benchmark in the region.
Tarun Malik, Partner, ZayStack Intellizence LLP, said: “Manufacturing businesses don’t need ‘digital’ for its own sake, they need practical systems that improve speed, accuracy and accountability. We’ll be working closely with Al Ostad to identify critical workflows and establish the dashboards, templates and ‘intelligent’ automation foundations that support sustainable, long-term adoption.”
The programme also includes a review of document management and IT readiness (hardware and network), with training and change-management support to help teams adopt new ways of working.
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