Homegrown DXB with Omar Butti

Our guest today doesn’t believe in waste. Dr Haythem Riahi is one of the founders ofCirca Biotech, a UAE based company that is taking organic waste and turning it intothe building blocks of the future. Using an innovative process that upcycles wasteand produces insect proteins, aviation fuel, and fertilizers, Circa Biotech aims tocreate a circular economy where waste is minimized and resources are optimized,heralding an environmental stewardship that is sorely needed, especially in the lightof the energy crisis and supply chain disruption caused by closing of the strait ofHormuz.

Our guest today wants to bring quality education to every single student on the plant. David Harkin launched 8billionideas in 2021 in the wake of the pandemic, when the challenges of remote education were thrown into stark relief, with teachers and students alike unprepared for the demands of the modern world. Now in 2025 8billionideas has impacted 500,000 students across 26 countries, growing year on year and David and his team strive to reach their lofty goal of reaching all 8 billion people on the planet.

Our guest today is taking the UAE to the stars. Josefine Lissner is the co-founder and CEO of Leap 71, a Dubai based company literally building rockets for space travel. A young company of only a few years, Leap 71 is already leading in the field of Computational Engineering, designing and 3D printing parts, structures, and entire machines using software models. Leap 71 leverages their Noyron AI to do the engineering of months in mere minutes and their latest partnership with Aspire Space sees Josefine and her team building large reusable space launch systems right here in the UAE.

Today’s guest made a traditional UAE staple a sweet global sensation. Martin Van Almsick founded Al Nassma Chocolate in 2008 and the first camel milk chocolate produced anywhere in the world. It wasn’t an easy path for Martin, however. He first had the idea for Al Nassma while back in his hometown of Cologne, Germany in 2004, and it took him four long years of development to get the taste and texture of Al Nassma just right. But all the hard work paid off. Al Nassma now sells in North America, Europe, East Asia and across the MENA region, giving international audiences a creamier, more refined option for their sweet tooths.

Today’s guests put the fit in fitness. Wajdan Gul and Anam Khalid started Squatwolf from their apartment in 2016 at the age of 27 and 26, after identifying that Dubai’s fitness community was being underserved when it came to quality gymwear. But like anything related to exercise the gains didn’t come easy. Squatwolf only became the global success it is today through consistency, repetition and a lot of hard work. Squatwolf products are now stocked in 120 countries and Wajdan and Anam won’t resist until their brand is as ubiquitous as Nike.

Today’s guests put the fit in fitness. Wajdan Gul and Anam Khalid started Squatwolf from their apartment in 2016 at the age of 27 and 26, after identifying that Dubai’s fitness community was being underserved when it came to quality gymwear. But like anything related to exercise the gains didn’t come easy. Squatwolf only became the global success it is today through consistency, repetition and a lot of hard work. Squatwolf products are now stocked in 120 countries and Wajdan and Anam won’t resist until their brand is as ubiquitous as Nike.

Our guest today has been the voice of Dubai’s mornings for the past 18 years. Kris Fade arrived in Dubai in 2007 to help launch Virgin Radio, then a fresh new brand on Dubai’s radio soundscape. Now Virgin is, of course, an institution and so is Kris, who has transcended the radio waves launch a highly successful business, with his healthy food brand Fade Fit now sold in six countries. Fade Fit mirrors Kris’s own story, a man who through hard work and determination has built himself and his company up to become an international fixture.

Our guests today are a father son duo who exemplify the Dubai dream. Yogesh Mehta arrived in Dubai in 1990 working a 2000 dirham a month job, but only five years later he launched Petrochem Middle East, now the biggest chemical distributor in the Middle East, and the twelfth biggest on the planet. Petrochem Middle East specializes in the distribution, supply, and storage of a wide range of petrochemical products like solvents, chemicals, and lubricants and deliver across all industries to over 50 countries. But as Yogesh considers finally hanging up his Petrochem hat, his son Rohan Mehta is poised to take the family empire onto its next conquest.

Today’s guest put Dubai into quite the Pickl. Steve Flawith, CEO and founder of Yolk Brands has been

tantalizing taste buds for 18 years, making his mark here in Dubai in 2019 with the launch of local

favorite Pickl, followed by an expansion into Yolk Brands in 2023 with new favorites like BonBird and

Southpour. Yolk now operates in eight countries globally, with Steve to surpass 100 international

restaurants in the next couple years, bringing his philosophy of simple meals done well to a global

clientele.

Hosam Arab, Faraz Khalid, and Hisham Zarka started moving forward together in 2011. The three men founded Namshi, one of the first companies to provide an online lifestyle destination for fashion and beauty in the MENA region. Namshi revolutionized the way online retail was approached, offering fast delivery and easy returns in an age when that was anything but common. The three founders went their separate way in 2019 when Emaar fully acquired the company, with Hosam going on to found payment platform Tabby and Faraz and Hisham leveraging their Namshi expertise to shepherd e-commerce juggernaut Noon.