Explore the Fast Company Middle East’s Most Innovative Companies 2023 list; featuring 42 winning entries reshaping businesses and industries. We’ve selected the companies making the most significant impact with their initiatives across 23 categories, including the most innovative services, sustainability & cleantech and retail companies.

Media businesses profoundly impact the economy and societies through their ability to inform, educate, influence, and entertain; through their content, they have a pervasive influence on global consumption patterns. As such, media companies are pioneering new ways of delivering news to reach maximum audiences. This year’s most innovative media companies use advanced tech like AR and AI and are creating relatable and engaging content.

Al Arabiya News Channel 

For advancing technology in news delivery

In the past 12 months, Al Arabiya has harnessed technology to amp up news delivery, integrating augmented reality for on-screen presentations and introducing innovative split-screen formats on social media. It also introduced Mira, the Middle East’s AI news presenter, and expanded its reach through smart gadgets. Al Arabiya has consistently demonstrated innovation in news reporting. Its podcast shows and exclusive interviews with global and Arab state leaders enrich its content offering, providing quick and reliable updates to 20 million users and creating an informed global community. 

Kapturise

For being the one-stop solution for content creation 

Starting as an on-demand photographer/videographer booking in the region, Kapturise has grown to become the region’s largest on-demand content creation platform by bringing a wide range of professionals under one roof — photographers, videographers, models, makeup artists, influencers, event rentals, space rentals, and more. It streamlined the booking process, with defined delivery timelines, for clients’ diverse needs. It helps individual users and businesses create an online digital presence through stunning visuals and niche content creation. By providing options to define pricing, create customized packages, and offer custom quotations to find the best arrangement that suits clients’ requirements, Kapturise changed the way clients and service providers connect, collaborate, and create content.

Telfaz11

For extending creative and cultural influence beyond Saudi Arabia 

Built on a solid business model, Telfaz11 celebrates the Saudi cultural identity by creating relatable and engaging content. Leads the media industry by empowering creative talents – storytellers, filmmakers, and its network – dedicated to generating captivating content. Last year, it produced and released its first theatrical feature film, Sattar, the biggest Saudi box office hit and the first of its eight-picture film deal with Netflix. Raven Song, a feature film it produced, was the official Saudi Arabia submission to the Academy Awards. It also partnered with NEOM to produce at least nine films and series in NEOM over the next three years. Telfaz11, which has consistently created entertaining content for the masses and extended its creative and cultural influence beyond Saudi Arabia, directly contributing over $13 million to the local film industry in 2022.