Abstract

Dr Anas Alfaris (Alfaris), Co-Founder and CEO of Intelmatix, a global AI & deep-tech company based in Saudi Arabia, announced on June 23, 2025, that the World Economic Forum (WEF) had recognized the organization as a “2025 Technology Pioneer”. This was the first time that an AI company from the MENA region had got the award. Adoption of AI in the MENA region by organizations was slow as most of the enterprise solutions available did not cater to local requirements and specifications, with the result that most companies were disinclined to adopt AI. The factors that discouraged organizations in the region from adopting AI were high costs, integration issues, data complexity, lack of access to AI skills, dearth of expertise in AI, ethical concerns, and non-availability of tools for AI model development. Alfaris planned to use his local data knowledge and expertise to offer customized AI solutions to organizations in the MENA region. With further plans to target medium and large enterprises along with public entities in the region and provide affordable and accessible solutions, Alfaris tried to remove the complexities associated with AI deployment. He also had plans to go in for global expansion. However, Intelmatix was facing increased competition from MNCs and local startups entering the market in the MENA region with new products. What can Alfaris do to succeed in his plans? What are the challenges that Intelmatix might face in achieving these?

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Understand the importance of utilizing the latest technologies in a startup venture.
• Examine the entrepreneurial process of a startup in the AI domain.
• Evaluate the challenges faced by entrepreneurs in the AI segment in scaling up their startups.
• Analyze the business strategy of an AI startup.

Keywords

Intelmatix; Artificial Intelligence; MENA region; AI Deployment; AI Startups; Porter; Business Strategy; Innovation; Scaling Up; Entrepreneurship; Challenges Of AI Startups,