Faisal Al Hammadi: The Driving Force Behind UAE’s Entrepreneurial and Technological Evolution

Faisal Al Hammadi becomes a game-changing figure who connects vision with implementation. As the managing partner of Further-a state-of-the-art venture building and investment platform-the power of Al Hammadi goes way beyond that of an investor: he partners with entrepreneurs to ignite the creation and scaling of game-changing companies. A multifaceted career that cuts across key roles at Endeavour UAE, Wio, among other influential positions, stamps him as a leading architect of innovation and economic impact in the UAE.

It is through this that Faisal Al Hammadi epitomizes his commitment to nurturing the entrepreneurial spirit in the UAE. At Further, the company takes an institutional co-founding approach, bringing in strategic support and resources for bringing new companies into life. This approach, uniquely combined with investment and active partnership, ensures that the entrepreneur is not just funded but guided through scaling complexity. This hands-on involvement makes further different from other investment platforms and underpins Al Hammadi’s commitment to the pursuit of responsible business growth.

Faisal Al Hammadi is a member of the board at Endeavour UAE, an organization reserved for high-impact entrepreneurs. Endeavour UAE selects businesses that could make substantial economic and social differences in their regions and helps them scale. All that Al Hammadi does in his relation with Endeavour reflects his belief in the power of entrepreneurship to bring in a change and his commitment to support ventures so that this vision for change can materialize. He impacts the finance domain through his involvement in Wio, a digital banking platform created with the vision of giving a complete and tailored banking experience to UAE nationals. Wio symbolizes a breakthrough in digital banking space by offering custom-made products and services that meet the various needs of customers. By providing Wio with resources to further its mission, Al Hammadi extends the bounds of technology and customer experience in the financial industry further.

Faisal Al Hammadi contributed much in the food and technology sector. At Silal, while serving as CTO, he was at the center of sourcing and deploying Agri-Food technologies aimed at achieving the UAE’s food security development. His foresighted approach in this role has shown that he can merge technology with basic sectors in moving forward with national priorities. Al Hammadi’s entrepreneurial journey was about founding and leading several successful start-ups. YACOB founded a company that used technology and behavioral economics to better the way nutrition was managed in schools. Leadership for him in the shared kitchen start-up of OneKitchen culminated in its acquisition by Reef Technologies. He was also a cofounder of Slices, an organization scaling quickly and providing 20,000 healthy meals daily. Such success stories have marked his ability to identify emerging market opportunities and tap into them.

Faisal Al Hammadi has been recognized because of his massive contribution to the entrepreneurial and tech landscape. In 2015, Forbes Middle East listed him as 13th rank among the up-and-coming entrepreneurs in the region. The World Economic Forum listed him in 2017 as one of 100 startups shaping the future. The Arab Youth Office also recognized him as a Young Arab Pioneer in 2018. These recognitions are a reflection of the high impact he has had on the entrepreneurial ecosystem and his role in advancing innovation in the region. Key positions held during his career include being the Vice President at Mubadala Healthcare and a board member of the Abu Dhabi Telemedicine Centre. Engagement with various committees includes the Executive Committee for the Abu Dhabi Economic Plan and the Health Education Committee at the Health Authority, serving as further evidence of Al Hammadi’s commitment to shaping a future both in healthcare and in economic development within the UAE in an exemplary manner.