SWVL, a well-funded start-up in the Middle East, solved the mass transportation problem in emerging markets with a unique bus-hailing model. In March 2020, with 150,000 bookings in one day across its operating geographies, it reached its highest utilization rate and gross profit margin. Then Covid-19 hit. SWVL’s first reaction was to shut down operations and hunker down.

In March 2020, Tarek Kabrit, founder and CEO of Seez, the online car marketplace and aggregator, must determine how to proceed given the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. His decision could make or break the company.

Majid Al Futtaim (MAF) is a lifestyle conglomerate present in 16 countries in the Middle East and North Africa, with annual revenues of $9.6 billion. The case focuses on its data-led, customer-centred transformation that unlocked new sources of growth and mitigated the effects of the covid19 pandemic on business thanks to the group’s digital resilience.

In 2018, the Luxury Closest (TLC), an e-commerce marketplace for pre-owned luxury goods based in Dubai, receives Series C investment from two venture capital firms, Middle East Venture Partners and Wamda Capital. CEO Kunal Kapoor needs to evaluate three distinct paths for the company’s expansion over the coming 18 months.

The case discusses the globalization of fashion and the trajectory of Fashion Forward Dubai. Since its inception in 2013, FFWD had striven to offer an alternative to traditional fashion weeks by showcasing collections of local designers to fashion buyers, journalists and customers on the catwalk and on internet. Over 15,000 attendees came to the show and more than 100,000 followed it online.

Careem, a Dubai-based ride-hailing company, was founded in 2012 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by two ex-McKinsey consultants who saw a gap in the transport market.