Over the last few decades, Dubai has rapidly transformed from a humble trading port into a global hub for business, tourism, and innovation. With favourable economic policies, strategic location, and an ambitious young workforce, Dubai has become a vibrant destination at the intersection of Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Entrepreneur Anas Bukhash has experienced and capitalised on this transformation firsthand. As the host of one of the Middle East’s most-watched talk shows and founder of influencer marketing agency Bukhash Brothers, Anas embodies the entrepreneurial spirit of Dubai.

"It's a 50-something-year-old country. It's younger than our fathers and our mothers,” says Bukhash. “So imagine if you come up with an idea and you just moved to Dubai – you could be the first one and then you have that edge of being the pioneer in that field.”

This week on The BoF Podcast, Bukhash joins BoF Founder and CEO Imran Amed at BoF CROSSROADS in Dubai to discuss how the city’s openness and youthfulness have shaped a thriving, innovation-driven culture.

Key Insights:

• Dubai’s youthfulness provides a significant advantage for entrepreneurs. "It's a 50-something-year-old country," says Bukhash. "It's younger than our fathers and our mothers. So imagine if you come up with an idea and you just moved to Dubai – you could be the first one."

• Dubai offers entrepreneurs the unique possibility of becoming a pioneer. "If you're fast and you actually have a dream, I think Dubai is one of the few places in the world where you could be the first," says Bukhash. “You have that edge of being the pioneer in that field. If you do that in London or you do it in New York, you're probably number 500.”

• The rise of Dubai as a content capital is both a blessing and a curse. “Everybody has a smartphone, everybody can claim they are a life coach, or a media personality,” says Bukhash. “But the beauty is the direct journalism and reviews from creators with integrity. You see the situation in a certain country, in a certain place and it's quite a positive aspect.”

• Still, Bukhash stresses that social media and content creation should be approached with balance. “Let's not also get too hooked on it because then we don't live and experience things properly. In order to get better content as well, you need to travel and see and interview people and have dinners and just feel creative,” he says.

Additional Resources:

• BoF CROSSROADS 2025: Unpacking Fashion’s Future Markets

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