Explore the Fast Company Middle East’s Most Innovative Companies 2022 list; 42 organizations are reshaping their businesses and industries. We’ve selected the companies making the most significant impact with their initiatives across 25 categories, including the most innovative retail, emerging tech, and energy companies.

A successful market-shaping initiative requires identifying a problem, evaluating technology-based solutions, designing and implementing an intervention, and assessing impact. From artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things to genomics and blockchain, technologies are beginning to enable better business experiences and outcomes. This year’s winners of most innovative emerging tech companies have built the world’s largest Arabic natural language processing model and have developed technologies to grow drought-tolerant crops. 

REDSEA

For delivering innovative agritech

RedSea uses its patented proprietary technology to grow fruits and vegetables in harsh desert climates, such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the UAE, while reducing carbon, energy, and water footprint. It has developed salt, heat, and drought-tolerant crops and created solutions allowing them to grow. Using sunlight and saltwater as base resources, its innovative technology achieves savings of 300 liters of freshwater per kilo of produce, enabling greater production, improving food security, and reducing food miles in the MENA region. 

TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION INSTITUTE

For spearheading innovation

The Technology Innovation Institute has ten specialized research centers working on transformative technologies, including artificial intelligence, robotics, biotechnology, renewable energy, propulsion, and space. The institute developed the world’s largest Arabic natural language processing model named Noor. It also launched a cutting-edge lab, Advanced Materials Research Center, to trial and bring advanced materials to a stage where they are ready to transition from lab to industry. The institute is also spearheading research into several promising post-quantum cryptography alternative systems.