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Lending app Shahry raises $650k; Telepresence robots in Saudi hospitals
Good morning,
A bit light on AI news this week, but a few interesting stories for you nonetheless.
Egyptian online lending startup Shahry has closed a $650,000 pre-seed round, the UAE and Saudi invest in more telemedicine, meanwhile scroll to the end of the newsletter for a couple of stories on smart farming in Oman and the Emirates.
Lastly, in case you missed it, Dubai's AI Everything will hold a webinar today at 10am UAE time called 'Is your privacy worth more than your health?' with Intel's Abigail Wen, George Huang from SenseTime and Dr Hatem Bugshan, CEO of Big Innovation Centre in Saudi Arabia. Moderated by Microsoft's Principal AI Engineering Nate Yohannes. You can register here.
Have a good weekend!
/Carrington
Startup News
Shahry raises $650,000 in pre-seed round — www.wamda.com
#Egypt #funding- Online lending startup Shahry, has closed a $650,000 pre-seed round from the investment arm of EGBANK. Powered by a proprietary AI-based credit scoring engine, the fintech company allows its users to apply for contactless, virtual credit and place an order online (WAMDA)
Coronavirus
Robot doctor helps keep Saudi medical staff safe — saudigazette.com.sa
#Saudi #coronavirus - A telepresence robot named “Dr. B2” had started work in Riyadh's King Salman Hospital this month, to help protect medical staff against the risk of infection. The robot was developed by US robotics manufacturer iRobot and telemedicine company InTouch. (Saudi Gazette)
UAE MoHAP strengthens telemedicine system — www.tahawultech.com
#UAE #coronavirus - UAE MoHAP is reinforcing its e-services by adding telemedicine to the services provided by outpatients clinics of ministry-run hospitals. (TahawulTech)
Huawei sponsors Ministry of Health uses self-driving vehicle to distribute PPE in Sharjah — www.wam.ae
#UAE #coronavirus - The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) has deployed a self-driving vehicle to distribute personal protective equipment (PPE) including masks, gloves and sanitisers to residents and workers of a residential complex in Sharjah. The initiative was implemented in cooperation with the Sharjah’s Family Health Promotion Centre, and Huawei. (WAM)
Energy
ADNOC’s new CTO shares innovation philosophy — pubs.spe.org
#UAE #energy - Alan Nelson is the first person to ever hold the title of CTO at the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC). In addition to digital transformation, and research and development at ADNOC, he is also responsible for sustainability. (JPT)
Education
Dr. Behjat Al-Yousuf to lead outreach initiatives at MBZUAI — www.arabnews.com
#UAE #education - Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) has appointed Dr. Behjat Al-Yousuf as executive vice president for outreach and engagement. The university also re-confirmed UK academic Dr Ling Shao's appointment as its executive vice president and provost. (Arab News)
Smart Farms
UAE agri-tech growing with new multi-million dollar fundings for smart farms — salaamgateway.com
#UAE #smartfarming - When Stanford Graduate School of Business alumnus and private equity expert Sky Kurtz started in Silicon Valley, he had no idea his investor and entrepreneur journey would lead him to start Pure Harest Smart Farms in the UAE. (Salaam Gateway)
Move to ensure food security through smart farming — www.omanobserver.om
#Oman #smartfarming - The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries announced the bidding for a Smart Agriculture project for vegetable production in Al Kamil W’al Wafi in Al Sharqiyah Governorate. (Oman Observer)