List of top UAE startups for 2022 revealed by LinkedIn

LinkedIn has announced its annual ranking of the top 10 UAE-based companies that have demonstrated exceptional growth in the past year through the LinkedIn Top Startups List 2022.

The news team at LinkedIn creates a yearly rating called “LinkedIn Top Firms” that identifies the best-rising startups to work for. The 850+ million platform users’ billions of interactions are analysed to create the list based on four pillars—employee growth, engagement with the business and its present staff, job interest, and luring top talent—and is scored accordingly.

Here are the Top Startups for 2022 in UAE:

1. ekar
2. Postpay
3. Pure Harvest Smart Farms
4. The Giving Movement
5. Right Farm
6. Tabby
7. Sarwa
8. Baraka
9. Opontia
10. Huspy

On the heels of the global pandemic and in light of the global economic uncertainty that followed, the companies spotlighted on this year’s list are rising to the challenges of the moment and continue to innovate, gain attention and attract top talent in 2022.

UAE has proven itself as an exception when it comes to hiring as while the global hiring trends seem to be in a downward spiral, the nation’s hiring percentage has seen an increase to 8.2%. Companies on the list are reflective of the trend as they are hiring and actively looking for talent, reinforcing their growth potential and the opportunities that lie ahead.

Methodology

• LinkedIn measures startups based on four pillars: employment growth, engagement, job interest and attraction of top talent.
• Employment growth is measured as percentage headcount increase over methodology time frame, which must be a minimum of 10% (lowered from 15%).
• Engagement looks at non-employee views and follows of the company’s LinkedIn page, as well as how many non-employees are viewing employees at that startup.
• Job interest counts the rate at which people are viewing and applying to jobs at the company, including both paid and unpaid postings. 
• Attraction of top talent measures how many employees the startup has recruited, as a percentage of the startup’s total workforce. 

However, startups that have laid off 10% or more of their workforce within the methodology time frame are ineligible.  

Key trends observed from this year’s Top Startups list:

• Going green:
  • Sustainable solutions are top of mind for regional entrepreneurs. Startups like Pure Harvest Smart Farms (#3) and Right Farm (#5) venture into agri-tech to offer sustainable solutions and reimagine food supply. Such innovative solutions are essential for food security, especially in this region which faces higher risks of droughts and food shortages due to climate change.
  • Other startups, such as The Giving Movement (#4), are doing their part by producing streetwear using sustainable materials and donating a percentage of their proceeds to different causes.
• BNPLs on the rise: Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) platforms like Postpay (#2) and Tabby (#6) are a testament to the growth of the fintech sector, unlike other regions where such startups are on the decline.
• Democratizing investment: With financial independence becoming crucial in today’s uncertain climate, a lot of retail investors are turning to fintechs like Sarwa (#7), baraka (#8) and Huspy (#10) to invest their money in stocks, houses, and digital currencies.