2017 was seen as a watershed for the tech ecosystem in the UAE and wider Gulf region; Amazon bought Souq.com, more than half a billion dollars was invested into hundreds of start-ups and the entrepreneurial fire was truly stoked.

November will feature a number of events and conferences drawing in regional and international VCs, other types of investors and start-ups together, to take stock of where we have arrived and what the future might hold for the sector.

Host Assistant Editor in Chief, Mustafa Alrawi speaks to Bana Shomali, founder of home services market place Servicemarket.com which recently raised $4 million in its latest funding round about why the investment base is broadening and what it takes to rapidly scale a business.