A packed room. Eight bold startups. Zero fluff. That was the energy at the Orbit 8 Demo Day in Dubai — an investor-only event spotlighting the next wave of innovation across climate, HR, e-commerce, and embedded fintech.
Held in collaboration with Dubai Future Accelerators, the event brought together global VCs, operators, and founders to explore how emerging-market startups are not just innovating — they’re leapfrogging traditional systems.
🌍 Meet the 8 Breakout Startups
These teams are building real infrastructure for tomorrow’s economies:
- Bekia Inc – Turning household waste into currency, digitizing recycling in Egypt.
- FABC LLC – Enabling faster, bias-free hiring with HR tech tailored for the MENA region.
- etmana – Revolutionizing e-commerce with real-time logistics optimization in Africa.
- Refurbi – Tackling e-waste through high-quality refurbished tech for underserved markets.
- Route.money – Simplifying cross-border payments with embedded fintech APIs.
- SOSO CARE – Swapping recyclables for micro-health insurance in Nigeria.
- Elevatix – Modernizing performance management tools for a post-remote workforce.
- VenueX – Helping brands manage venues and experiential marketing through one seamless platform.
🔍 These aren’t just “startups” — they’re infrastructure plays in regions where legacy systems never worked well to begin with.
🎤 Highlights from the Panel
Our sharp-thinking panel of investors and operators dissected the macro trends shaping emerging markets:
- Roo Rogers (Utopia Capital): “Founders in these markets aren’t just iterating — they’re skipping straight to scalable infrastructure.”
- Simon Sharp (Global Ventures): “The key is localized insight paired with global capital and systems thinking.”
- William Bao Bean (Orbit Startups): “This generation of founders understands systems — they’re not just building apps, they’re laying down rails.”
🤝 Shoutouts & Thanks
A huge thank you to our venue partner, Dubai Future Accelerators, for hosting us and underscoring the region’s commitment to forward-thinking, impact-driven innovation.
🎥 Watch the Full Pitches
Missed the live event? You can still watch all eight pitches on YouTube:
👉 Watch Now
📈 Why It Matters
From turning trash into access to healthcare to embedding fintech into fragmented economies, these startups are proving that innovation thrives where the need is greatest.
🌱 This isn’t just the future of startups. It’s the future of infrastructure, inclusion, and impact — born in emerging markets.
