Scale to Win in the Middle East.

Startify is a Go-To-Market enabler that helps businesses launch and scale in the Middle-East. We provide brands a cross border launchpad with our integrated services stack that helps them grow in the region.

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About

Startify was born out finding a solution for common problems faced by most entrepreneurs trying to set up in this region. Where to start? What should be my GTM strategy? Who is the right advisor? When & how to hire the right team?

To solve these very problems our team of accomplished veterans with collective experience of over 60 years, bring together their learnings to create the perfect playbook to help brands launch successfully and get a running start in the region.

Services

Our services aim to provide essential support and guidance to early-stage businesses, helping them navigate the challenges of launching and scaling their ventures.

Set up and Incorporation

Product certifications, incorporation and legal requirements

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1

Brand Positioning

Brand identity and localisation for the local market

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2

Supply Chain

Designing and building local supply chain set up and infrastructure

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3

Customer Acquisition

Scale with a localised digital strategy, SEO and social media management

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6
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Online Distribution

Listing on leading online marketplaces (Amazon, Noon, Careem, Talabat). Management and optimisation; Building and development of D2C site

4
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Offline Distribution

Liaison and help in facilitating partnerships with offline distributors, this is across both general and moderntrade

5
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Financial Management

Shared CFO services for management of Middle East entity

7
1

Set up and Incorporation

Product certifications, incorporation and legal requirements

Know More
2

Brand Positioning

Brand identity and localisation for the local market

Know More
3

Supply Chain

Designing and building local supply chain set up and infrastructure

Know More
4

Online Distribution

Listing on leading online marketplaces (Amazon, Noon, Careem, Talabat). Management and optimisation; Building and development of D2C site

Know More
5

Offline Distribution

Liaison and help in facilitating partnerships with offline distributors, this is across both general and moderntrade

Know More
6

Customer Acquisition

Scale with a localised digital strategy, SEO and social media management

Know More
7

Financial Management

Shared CFO services for management of Middle East entity

Know More

Advisors

Ajay Pahwa

F&B, Cloud Kitchens

Vikas Agarwal

BPC

Bhavesh Rawal

HORECA

Alexis Dijksterhuis

Live Entertainment

Dani Oneisse

PR, Branding

Ritesh Mohan

Retail

Sufeena Hussain

Luxury Retail

Olivier Berger

Sr. Director

Ajay Pahwa

F&B, Cloud Kitchens

Vikas Agarwal

BPC

Bhavesh Rawal

HORECA

Alexis Dijksterhuis

Live Entertainment

Dani Oneisse

PR, Branding

Ritesh Mohan

Retail

Sufeena Hussain

Luxury Retail

Olivier Berger

Sr. Director

Ajay Pahwa

F&B, Cloud Kitchens

Ajay Pahwa

F&B, Cloud Kitchens

Our in-house F&B expert Ajay has launched +1000 outlets for Pizza Hut and Taco Bell at YUM Restaurants.

Karthik Raman

Technology and SaaS

Karthik Raman

Technology and SaaS

Industry principal with 25+ years in enterprise and telecom, managing tech-driven businesses and large engagements.

Vikas Agarwal

BPC

The man behind launching Marico & Kaya Skin Clinic in the region –Ajay advises us on our BPC client strategies for UAE.

Vikas Agarwal

BPC

Bhavesh Rawal

HORECA

The key faces of luxury hospitality in the region, Bhawesh is part of leadership at The Marriott group.

Bhavesh Rawal

HORECA

Alexis Dijksterhuis

Live Entertainment

Alexis Dijksterhuis

Live Entertainment

With +18years in the live event space with Flash Events & Ticket Master, Alexis plugs in to our clients looking for live entertainment and experiential solutions.

Dani Oneisse

PR, Branding

Dani Oneisse

PR, Branding

One of the most prominent voices for brand strategy and design in the region, Dani is our key advisor for brand localization essential for this region.

Ritesh Mohan

Retail

Ritesh Mohan

Retail

Expertise in the retail domain for +20 years has earned him the moniker of Retail Ritesh in the UAE and helps us achieve scale for retail brands.

Sufeena Hussain

Luxury Retail

Sufeena Hussain

Luxury Retail

Our in-house luxury retail expert Sufeena is one of the key contributors to the success of the brand Pretty Little Things in the region.

Clients

Testimonials

Startify has been our invaluable partner, guiding us from ground zero to a successful launch in the region. Their systematic approach, professionalism, and unwavering support made our journey smooth and fruitful. They're not just our team, but trusted partners who instill faith and reliability.

Prashanth Gowriraju
Founder & CEO: PIP’S

Startify has been an invaluable Go-To-Market partner for our planned expansion into the MENA region. Their deep expertise, strategic insights, and extensive network in the Middle East have been instrumental in propelling our significant progress and establishing a strong foothold in the MENA market.

Farhan Abdulbari
Director International Business: VIVY

Our Partners

Our Plans

Expansion as a service - Modules

Overseeing legal setup/ incorporation
Overseeing product certifications
Market research and validation, competative analysis
Strategic assessment & brand positioning
Pricing recommendation
Supply chain planning
Business planning - P&L projection
B2B + modern trade opportunity eval
Product localisation recommendations (flavors and fragrances)
Online distribution (Any 3 from : Talabat, Careem, Noon, Amazon, Namshi)
Offline - general trade distribution
Offline - modern trade distribution

Explorer

(ONLINE ONLY)

Explorer

(OFFLINE ONLY)

Launcher

(ONLINE+offline)
Upto 500 GT stories in 6m

Full Stack

modern trade
Upto 500 GT stories in 6m

Explorer

(ONLINE ONLY)

Expansion as a service - Modules

Overseeing legal setup/ incorporation
Overseeing product certifications
Market research and validation, competative analysis
Strategic assessment & brand positioning
Pricing recommendation
Supply chain planning
Business planning - P&L projection
B2B + modern trade opportunity eval
Product localisation recommendations (flavors and fragrances)
Online distribution (talabat, careem, noon amazon, instashop)
Offline - general trade distribution
Offline - modern trade distribution
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Explorer

(OFFLINE ONLY)

Expansion as a service - Modules

Overseeing legal setup/ incorporation
Overseeing product certifications
Market research and validation, competative analysis
Strategic assessment & brand positioning
Pricing recommendation
Supply chain planning
Business planning - P&L projection
B2B + modern trade opportunity eval
Product localisation recommendations (flavors and fragrances)
Online distribution (talabat, careem, noon amazon, instashop)
Offline - general trade distribution
Offline - modern trade distribution
Show More

Launcher

(ONLINE+offline)

Expansion as a service - Modules

Overseeing legal setup/ incorporation
Overseeing product certifications
Market research and validation, competative analysis
Strategic assessment & brand positioning
Pricing recommendation
Supply chain planning
Business planning - P&L projection
B2B + modern trade opportunity eval
Product localisation recommendations (flavors and fragrances)
Online distribution (talabat, careem, noon amazon, instashop)
Offline - general trade distribution
Upto 500 GT stories in 6m
Offline - modern trade distribution
Show More

Full Stack

modern trade

Expansion as a service - Modules

Overseeing legal setup/ incorporation
Overseeing product certifications
Market research and validation, competative analysis
Strategic assessment & brand positioning
Pricing recommendation
Supply chain planning
Business planning - P&L projection
B2B + modern trade opportunity eval
Product localisation recommendations (flavors and fragrances)
Online distribution (talabat, careem, noon amazon, instashop)
Offline - general trade distribution
Upto 500 GT stories in 6m
Offline - modern trade distribution
Show More

Team

Meet our team of cross disciplinary experts with over 60 years of collective operator experience in the Middle East.

Sudhir Syal

Founder & CEO

Subhobrata Sengupta

Co-Founder and Lead – Client S...

Subhobrata Sengupta

Co-Founder and Lead – Client Success & Operations
Subhobrata has been part of the growth journey for brands like Nokia, Redbus, and Book My Show India & UAE. He is a project management and execution expert who has an eye for detail and perfection.

Amman Dua

Lead - Brand, Marketing and PR

Deepika Vasudevan

Lead - Retail, Operations, Suppl...

Sudhir Syal

Founder & CEO
Ex-CEO of both BookMyShow and Lenskart in the region. Expertise across business development and marketing. Loves to connect the dots to see clients win in the region

Subhobrata Sengupta

Co-Founder and Lead – Client Success & Operations
18 years of experience building companies from start to scale across domains and geographies

Amman Dua

Lead - Brand, Marketing and PR
14 years of experience as a brand, digital marketing expert specialising in lifestyle, D2C and experiential marketing

Deepika Vasudevan

Lead - Retail, Operations, Supply Chain, Omnichannel
Deepika is an omnichannel expert coming from brands like Essilor and Lenskart across India & UAE. Her methodical approach helps brands refine processes and resources across industries.
Team

Blogs

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Contact us

We would love to hear from you.
Address

The H Dubai, Sentinel Business Centre, Level 9, Office Tower, One Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE

[email protected]
+971 54 410 2455
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Market Access

Online

  • Online GTM strategy
  • Marketplace distribution
  • Own website creation + localisation
  • Payment gateway/other API integrations

Offline

  • Product localisation
  • Offline strategy
  • General trade distribution
  • Modern trade distribution
  • In-store advertising
  • B2B evaluation

Talent acquisition

  • Team Planning
  • Team hiring assistance
  • SOP definition
  • Team training

FAQs

01
What are the services rendered in the company incorporation service?
From answering question like what is the correct form of the legal entity to be set up, and where.
What are the licenses to be obtained?
We take care of your end to end business incorporation needs for the Middle East
Our process involved a thorough Market Research to What is the Product-Market Fit  for an informed strategy for market entry
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02
What are the key deliverables of the Branding service stack?
The branding service stack includes services like:
Identifying the Brand Positioning for the market
Channel & Distribution Strategy?
Most suited localization of the brand to appeal to a broader audience – adding new categories / SKU’s
Locking in of marketing & PR strategy?
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03
Do you cover end to end supply chain and logistics?
Yes our services include Identifying the right logistics partners  to go with. We further add value by On-boarding the right delivery / logistics partners for the company for a seamless operation. Our aim is to Streamline the delivery process for optimised logistics and operations. We achieve this by monitoring and helping with Set-up of supply chain and warehouse and also by Freezing and on-boarding the right distribution partners
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04
How do you help with Online Business / Marketplace setup?
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We assist with understanding what localisations are required to set up the website in the most appropriate manner. To optimise the website, we also help integrate the best local partners
Who would be the best local partners (e.g. payment gateways) to be integrated?
How do we set up customer support?
Partnering with the right online market place partners
05
Do you provide assistance with – Offline Sales /  Retail Setup?
Which are the most appropriate multi-brand outlets / retail chains to partner with?
What would be the commercial terms of these retail outlets and what is the expected RoI?
What should be the in-store visibility and promotions that should be planned?
Own stores: What are the correct store formats and appropriate store locations?
What is the expected RoI for the desired formats and locations?
Who are the best architects and contractors to go with?
How do I ensure the store location, layout and design resonate with my brand persona?
Are there any specific government approvals to be taken prior to launch?
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05
Do you provide services for Launch and Marketing & PR?
We help with services that answer the following questions:
What is the best way to launch the product?
Will it be right to have any stunt events, in terms of cost vs benefit?
What should be the performance marketing strategy?
What should be my social and influencer marketing strategy?
What are the relevant media channels for PR coverage?
What are the correct offline partners / outdoor campaigns to undertake?
What should be my marketing budget and the spend on each?
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05
At what point do you hand over the project and what are the steps?
What is the correct organization structure to start with?
When should we hire the top management and subsequent hierarchies?
Should we export key talent or hire locally?
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05
How do you price yourself for the service?
Our pricing is based on a retainer fee. In some cases a discounted retainer for an equity carve out or revenue share can also be explored.
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Team