{"id":352168,"date":"2026-03-18T06:55:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T06:55:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/352168\/"},"modified":"2026-03-18T06:55:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T06:55:11","slug":"emirati-entrepreneur-pioneers-uae-made-electric-mobility-with-sulmi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/352168\/","title":{"rendered":"Emirati Entrepreneur Pioneers UAE-Made Electric Mobility with Sulmi"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cFrom a young age, I was fascinated by engineering, robotics, and automobiles,\u201d Al Salmi said. That interest turned into a confidence that the region could build world-class automotive technologies.<\/p>\n

\u201cSulmi was born from a desire to prove that an Arab company can create globally competitive, advanced mobility solutions from the UAE to the world,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

That belief led him into entrepreneurship with a focus on building something lasting. \u201cI wanted to create something meaningful, something that outlives me and contributes to society,\u201d he said, adding that the aim was to ensure the region plays a leading role in shaping future industries.<\/p>\n

From hands-on work to product development<\/p>\n

Early experiences helped Al Salmi shape the company\u2019s direction, particularly exposure to the practical challenges of mobility and engineering.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy personal journey, from running a garage to developing an electric motorcycle from scratch, showed me the gaps in mobility, safety, and energy systems,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

That experience translated into Sulmi\u2019s first tangible success, taking an idea through to a working, road-ready product.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur biggest success is taking an idea from zero and turning it into a real, road-going product,\u201d Al Salmi said, pointing to testing by government entities and its presence at COP28 as key milestones that validated the concept.<\/p>\n

Challenges<\/p>\n

Building a hardware-focused company brought a different set of pressures, including funding constraints and technical setbacks that required careful execution.<\/p>\n

\u201cBuilding hardware is unforgiving; mistakes cost time and money,\u201d he said, describing the need for discipline and steady progress.<\/p>\n

Moments of doubt were part of the process, yet the long-term vision remained intact. \u201cEvery time I thought about stopping, I reminded myself why I started,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Backed by the UAE ecosystem<\/p>\n

Support from the UAE\u2019s startup ecosystem played a key role in Sulmi\u2019s growth, offering access to programmes, partnerships and early-stage validation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe UAE ecosystem has been instrumental,\u201d Al Salmi said, citing platforms such as Sheraa, MBRIF, SRTIP and In5, alongside collaboration with local institutions. That support reflects a wider push to position the UAE as a centre for advanced manufacturing and innovation.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause the UAE believes in ambition,\u201d he said, explaining his decision to build locally. \u201cThis is a place where ideas are welcomed, infrastructure exists, and leadership actively supports innovation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Building for the next phase<\/p>\n

Sulmi\u2019s next stage is focused on scaling its technology and expanding into broader mobility and energy systems, while maintaining local manufacturing and targeting regional and global markets.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn five years, I see Sulmi as a recognised mobility technology company,\u201d Al Salmi said, outlining plans to grow beyond its initial products into a wider platform.<\/p>\n

His advice to founders reflects the realities of building from the ground up. \u201cDon\u2019t start for money or headlines\u2014start because you believe in the problem you\u2019re solving,\u201d he said, adding that persistence remains critical.<\/p>\n

Sulmi\u2019s story reflects a wider shift across the UAE, where Emirati founders are building technology companies with global intent, believing that innovation can be created at home and scaled outward.<\/p>\n

\"Nivetha<\/a><\/p>\n

Nivetha Dayanand is Assistant Business Editor at Gulf News, where she spends her days unpacking money, markets, aviation, and the big shifts shaping life in the Gulf. Before returning to Gulf News, she launched Finance Middle East, complete with a podcast and video series.<\/p>\n

Her reporting has taken her from breaking spot news to long-form features and high-profile interviews. Nivetha has interviewed Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed Al Saud, Indian ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and N. Chandrababu Naidu, IMF\u2019s Jihad Azour, and a long list of CEOs, regulators, and founders who are reshaping the region\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n

An Erasmus Mundus journalism alum, Nivetha has shared classrooms and newsrooms with journalists from more than 40 countries, which probably explains her weakness for data, context, and a good follow-up question.<\/p>\n

When she is away from her keyboard (AFK), you are most likely to find her at the gym with an Eminem playlist, bingeing One Piece, or exploring games on her PS5.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cFrom a young age, I was fascinated by engineering, robotics, and automobiles,\u201d Al Salmi said. That interest turned…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":352169,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[72,191,61,60,96389],"class_list":["post-352168","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entrepreneurship","tag-business","tag-entrepreneurship","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-my-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352168","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=352168"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352168\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/352169"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=352168"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=352168"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=352168"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}