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What would Gary Vee do if he starts today in Dubai or Riyadh?
Thursday, December 11, 2025
Happy Thursday everyone!
There’s a billion dollar opportunity in the Middle East, specifically UAE and Saudi Arabia, and American entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk thinks it online, live shopping. Scroll down to read what he has to say in our exclusive catchup with him at Bridge Summit 2025. If you prefer video over text, you can watch it here.
Its been a busy week all around and some tidbits from the Middle East include: American host Tucker Carlson said at the Doha Forum that he is buying a house in Doha, Qatar, Saudi Prince Khaled AlWaleed was at the Abu Dhabi Finance Week highlighting that we haven’t even scratched the surface of AI, and China is buying billions of barrels of oil from Saudi.
For the big stories, UAE has MGX, Saudi has HUMAIN and now Qatar has Qai, a national AI form which will work under QIA. Good luck remembering all the acronyms.
Also UAE’s oldest data centre operator Khazna has entered Saudi Arabia and bought a land to build a 200 megawatts (MW) facility. They are planning something big, exactly 225,000 square feet big for now.
But before that: For quick daily updates, follow us on Instagram, and you can watch our Smashi Business Show live every weekday from 10AM onwards (UAE time). Also, you can join our Whatsapp channel to receive updates from the business world.
Markets
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UAE's Khazna Enters Saudi Arabia With First Data Centre
What’s it About?
Khazna Data Centers, the UAE's largest data centre operator, acquired 225,000 square feet in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province to build a 200MW facility. Mohammed bin Hassan was named country head to oversee the Dammam project. Completion timeline and costs remain undisclosed.
Why it Matters?
The facility will support high-performance AI and cloud workloads with modular architecture. Khazna manages 30 data centres with 650MW capacity and is developing over 1 gigawatt of AI-ready capacity across UAE, Saudi Arabia, Italy and other markets, backed by a $2.62 billion credit facility.
What’s Next?
Khazna's expansion follows strategic partnerships with Italian oil giant Eni for a 500MW AI campus and minority stake acquisitions by UAE's MGX and US-based Silver Lake. The Saudi facility strengthens the company's regional footprint amid surging AI infrastructure demand across the Middle East.
Qatar Launches National AI Company, Immediately Announces $20 Billion Brookfield Deal
What’s it About?
Qatar launched Qai, a national AI company under Qatar Investment Authority, to develop advanced digital ecosystems aligned with Vision 2030. Within days, Qai announced a $20 billion joint venture with Brookfield to build AI infrastructure in Qatar and international markets, creating an integrated compute centre for high-performance computing.
Why it Matters?
The move positions Qatar alongside UAE and Saudi Arabia in the Middle East AI hub race. McKinsey estimates $5.2 trillion in data centre investments needed by 2030. Qatar leverages its natural gas production to power energy-intensive facilities, while Brookfield commits through its $100 billion AI Infrastructure Fund targeting global opportunities.
What’s Next?
QIA's Mohsin Pirzada expects a market "shakeout" akin to the dotcom bubble, creating opportunities for strategic investors. Qatar continues backing AI infrastructure — the "bricks and mortar" — having invested in companies like Databricks. The partnership accelerates Qatar's knowledge-based economy transformation and regional AI leadership ambitions.
The Billion Dollar Opportunity Gary Vaynerchuk Says Everyone in the Middle East Is Missing
Smashi Business sat down with American entrepreneur and marketing legend Gary Vaynerchuk at Bridge Summit 2025, where the serial investor and CEO of VaynerMedia shared his unfiltered take on Dubai's startup scene, the death of 'having it figured out,' and the one business opportunity he'd bet everything on in the Middle East right now.
What do you think is the next big trend among young people right now?
Gary Vaynerchuk: The biggest macro trend is live streaming. Platforms like Twitch, Kick, and TikTok Live are taking serious market share from traditional social networks. That's where the attention is moving.
What's specifically happening with youth culture in the Middle East?
There's a massive explosion in collecting. Labubu, Pokemon cards, sneakers, watches, comic books — collecting is absolutely blowing up here. The media consumption patterns are similar to the rest of the world, but live streaming is spiking hard in this region too.
As an immigrant yourself, how do you see Dubai contributing to the immigrant spirit?
Dubai has had the most American-like impact on immigrants over the last 30 years. It's recreating what America did from the 1930s through the 1980s, attracting highly capable, entrepreneurial immigrants who have substantial impact on the economy. Very few places have had the 20-year run Dubai has had. It's a playbook America invented, and Dubai has built an incredible version of it.
You always say "having it figured out is the greatest lie of society." But can everyone afford that privilege when there are so many 20-year-old millionaires and billionaires?
Nobody has it completely figured out, I promise you. I've gone from living in a studio apartment with nine family members to spending 10-15 years with some of the wealthiest people in the world. A 29-year-old female billionaire might have figured out how to make money, but money is only one part of life. Some people nail finances but struggle with family. Others find true love but can't make a dollar. The privilege isn't in "not having it figured out" — it's in understanding that nobody has it figured out. That reduces stress and actually helps you figure things out more.
What does the West still misunderstand about entrepreneurial spirit in the Gulf?
Americans especially suffer from naivete about the world. They pride themselves on being hungry and ambitious, but they'd be incredibly humbled by how consistent the ambition is in youth culture here, how vibrant it is, and how much opportunity exists. This region is just so young as a market—there's enormous energy.
If you had to build a startup in Riyadh or Dubai right now, what would you do?
Live shopping. 100%. I'm obsessed with it. The enormous appetite in this region for fashion, collectibles, and consumables combined with live shopping's low friction and high entertainment value makes it a sure thing. There are very few things that are just "100% yes" — this is one of them. Whoever builds the scale of live shopping here — whether it's TikTok, noon, or a native Middle East brand — is going to find themselves at the top of a very big business.
🦄 World of Startups
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👨💻From Smashi Business’ Desk
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