By Gulf Marketing Review

Start-ups aren’t defined by their reach and depth in the business, but by their approach to business and marketing. Gulf Marketing Review has compiled 25 start-ups in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, by talking to experts, investors, and established businesses and entrepreneurs.

This is our first edition of our list of promising start-ups, where we present notable and up-and-coming regional start-ups, all with strategies that marketers from all walks of life can learn from.

Conventional wisdom says that new companies usually learn from the big and the old. Yet, despite being smaller, these start-ups can flip this logic on its head.

Silicon Valley has long reigned as the hub for start-ups and innovative companies. However, there’s a new wave of companies that are eschewing the MENA region in favour of founding start-ups.

Today, places such as Beirut, Cairo, Riyadh and Dubai are becoming hubs for enterprises and start-ups. The marketing strategies used by start-ups, often born from a necessity to brave the competition with limited resources, are innovative.

We do not claim that this is the most comprehensive list. There are no perennial winners or losers, and just because a company didn’t make it to the report doesn’t mean it is not a promising start-up.

Without further ado, here is our list, representing some of the most talked about start-ups in the MENA region today.

The list is not according to alphabetical order, nor is there any kind of ranking. Take a look:

What it is: MIFON; Where it’s from: UAE; Founder: Abhijit Barua, Founder and Strategist

Read more: http://gulfmarketingreview.com/profile/abhijit-barua-founder-strategist-founder-mifon/

What it is: Foodics; Where it’s from: Khobar, KSA; Founder: Ahmad Al Zaini and Mosab Al Othmani

Read more: http://gulfmarketingreview.com/profile/ahmad-al-zaini-mosab-al-othmani-founder-foodics/

What it is: Sail; Where it’s from: Dubai, UAE Founder: Iman Ben Chaibah, Founder/Editor in chief

Read more: http://gulfmarketingreview.com/profile/iman-ben-chaibah-foundereditor-chief-sail/

What it is: Looshi’s; Where it’s from: Dubai; UAE Founder: Alia El Alami

Read more: http://gulfmarketingreview.com/profile/alia-el-alami-founder-looshis/

What it is: CarSwitch.com; Where it’s from: UAE Founder: Ali Malik and Imad Hammad

Read more: http://gulfmarketingreview.com/profile/ali-malik-and-imad-hammad-founder-carswitch-com/

What it is: NOW Money; Where it’s from: Dubai, UAE; Founder: Ian Dillon and Katharine Budd, co-founders

Read more: http://gulfmarketingreview.com/profile/ian-dillon-katharine-budd-co-founders-now-money/

What it is: Fetchr; Where it’s from: Dubai, UAE; Founder: Idriss Al Rifai, founder and CEO

Read more: http://gulfmarketingreview.com/profile/idriss-al-rifai-founder-ceo-founder-fetchr/

What it is: Beehive Group DMCC; Where it’s from: UAE; Founder: Craig Moore, founder and CEO

Read more: http://gulfmarketingreview.com/profile/craig-moore-founder-ceo-beehive-group-dmcc/

What it is: www.deerasa.com; Where it’s from: Jeddah; Founder: Khawlah Almadoudi, founder and CEO

Read more: http://gulfmarketingreview.com/profile/khawlah-almadoudi-founder-ceo-www-deerasa-com/

What it is: Handlettered by Lama; Where it’s from: Dubai, UAE; Founder: Lama Adra, founder

Read more: http://gulfmarketingreview.com/profile/lama-adra-founder-handlettered-lama/

What it is: BOXknocks; Where it’s from: Dubai; Founder: Tareq Samara

Read more: http://gulfmarketingreview.com/profile/tareq-samara-founder-boxknocks/

What it is: Jubna.com; Where it’s from: Dubai; Founder: Basel Sayaf

Read more: http://gulfmarketingreview.com/profile/basel-sayaf-founder-jubna-com/

What it is: Baddel; Where it’s from: Egypt; Founder: Mohamed El Shaer, Omar Abdelwahed, Alaa Khalil and Ibrahim Eid

Read more: http://gulfmarketingreview.com/profile/mohamed-el-shaer-omar-abdelwahed-alaa-khalil-ibrahim-eid-founders-baddel/

What it is: CashBasha; Where it’s from: Amman, Jordan; Founder: Fouad Jeryes, co-founder

Read more: http://gulfmarketingreview.com/profile/fouad-jeryes-co-founder-cashbasha/

What it is: Souqmobi; Where it’s from: UAE; Founder: Muhammad Younas

Read more: http://gulfmarketingreview.com/profile/muhammad-younas-founder-souqmobi/

What it is: Bosta; Where it’s from: Cairo, Egypt Founder: Mohamed Ezzat

Read more: http://gulfmarketingreview.com/profile/mohamed-ezzat-founder-bosta/

What it is: Chari Cycles; Where it’s from: Dubai, UAE; Founder: Zaina Kanaan, Rania Kanaan

Read more: http://gulfmarketingreview.com/profile/zaina-kanaan-rania-kanaan-founder-chari-cycles/

What it is: Oustaman; Where it’s from: Egypt; Founder: Nader El-Batrawi

Read more: http://gulfmarketingreview.com/profile/nader-el-batrawi-founder-oustaman/

What it is: Triangle Mena; Where it’s from: Beirut, Lebanon; Founder: Nadim Bou Yazbeck, Managing Director

Read more: http://gulfmarketingreview.com/profile/nadim-bou-yazbeck-founder-managing-director-triangle-mena/

What it is: Spill The Bean Specialty coffee; Where it’s from: Dubai, UAE; Founder: Ola Sinno, Owner and Managing Director

Read more: http://gulfmarketingreview.com/profile/ola-sinno-owner-managing-director-spill-bean-specialty-coffee/

What it is: DV8; Where it’s from: Amman; Founder: Randa Darwish, co-founder and CEO

Read more: http://gulfmarketingreview.com/profile/randa-darwish-co-founder-ceo-dv8/

What it is: Day.Dream; Where it’s from: Lebanon; Founder: Roy Haddad

Read more: http://gulfmarketingreview.com/profile/roy-haddad-founder-day-dream/

What it is: PlayMyWay; Where it’s from: Beirut, Lebanon; Founder: Salma Jawhar, CEO and co-founder

Read more: http://gulfmarketingreview.com/profile/salma-jawhar-ceo-co-founder-playmyway/

What it is: SMAC Boutique; Where it’s from: Beirut, Lebanon; Founder: Sandra Macaron

Read more: http://gulfmarketingreview.com/profile/sandra-macaron-founder-smac-boutique/

What it is: SellAnyCar.com; Where it’s from: UAE; Founder: Saygin Yalcin, founder and CEO. Read more: http://gulfmarketingreview.com/profile/saygin-yalcin-founder-ceo-sellanycar-com/