Category-Wise Breakdown of 2,850 GITEX 2025 Startups — What’s Hot and Why
GITEX Global 2025 is the world’s largest gathering of technology innovators, drawing thousands of startups from across the globe. This year, the event showcases 2,850 participating startups spread across diverse industries — from AI-driven e-commerce platforms to sustainability tech, HealthTech, and FinTech disruptors.
For entrepreneurs, investors, and corporate leaders, this breakdown offers a data-driven view of where innovation is happening, and why certain categories dominate the startup landscape.
At Royex Technologies, we’ve studied the full GITEX participant list to identify category-wise patterns, percentages, and trends that explain what’s hot and why it matters for the UAE market.
Category-Wise Statistics of GITEX Startups
From our analysis of 2,850 startups, here is the approximate distribution across major categories:
- AI-Powered E-Commerce & SME Automation – 30% (~850 startups)
- HealthTech & Med-IoT – 25% (~710 startups)
- Sustainability, ESG & Smart Cities – 20% (~570 startups)
- FinTech & Payments – 10% (~285 startups)
- Education & Wellness – 10% (~285 startups)
- LegalTech & Document AI – 5% (~150 startups)
1. AI-Powered E-Commerce & SME Automation (30%)
Why it’s hot: E-commerce continues to be one of the most disruptive industries globally. Startups are embedding AI into product search, recommendations, logistics, and SME automation tools. This helps businesses increase sales, reduce costs, and scale faster.
Examples from GITEX:
- Athena AI (Serbia): AI-native semantic and visual search for e-commerce.
- Plugthink (Brazil): AI platform unifying ERP, CRM, and WhatsApp data for SMEs.
- Bertix (Germany): Autonomous Customer Operations for online retail.
Why it matters for UAE: The UAE has a booming e-commerce market with giants like Noon and Amazon.ae. SMEs also form the backbone of the economy. AI-powered automation will help both large retailers and small merchants compete effectively.
2. HealthTech & Med-IoT (25%)
Why it’s hot: Global health challenges — from lifestyle diseases to accessibility gaps — are pushing innovation in wearables, diagnostics, and rehabilitation technology. AI + IoT are enabling remote healthcare and preventive monitoring.
Examples from GITEX:
- AISTHESIS (Qatar): AI + IoT wearables for children with autism.
- Orby (Brazil): AI-driven rehab and pain management sensors.
- Nanowear (USA): Wearable diagnostics with AI-powered remote monitoring.
Why it matters for UAE: The UAE is growing as a medical tourism hub. HealthTech startups will thrive in providing next-gen patient care, wellness solutions, and diagnostics.
3. Sustainability, ESG & Smart Cities (20%)
Why it’s hot: Climate change and carbon reduction goals are driving demand for sustainable technologies. Startups in this category focus on ESG monitoring, carbon tracking, energy efficiency, and AI-powered urban planning.
Examples from GITEX:
- Latitudo 40 (Italy): AI-powered climate resilience using satellite data.
- LeafIoT (Hong Kong): AI + blockchain carbon footprint tracking.
- Carnot Innovations (Hong Kong): AI for building energy optimization.
Why it matters for UAE: The UAE is committed to Net Zero 2050 and invests heavily in sustainable infrastructure. Smart city tech aligns perfectly with government priorities and corporate ESG goals.
4. FinTech & Payments (10%)
Why it’s hot: As global commerce goes digital, startups are focusing on seamless payments, embedded finance, and fraud detection. Many at GITEX are embedding escrow and eKYC solutions directly into chat platforms like WhatsApp.
Examples from GITEX:
- AskAlem (Singapore): Escrow-enabled chat payments for WhatsApp/Telegram.
- Bridge (Cyprus): Integrated corporate finance and communication platform.
Why it matters for UAE: The UAE’s cashless economy push and strong FinTech adoption make it one of the most lucrative markets for digital payments and financial innovation.
5. Education & Wellness (10%)
Why it’s hot: The demand for personalized education and mental wellness is rising worldwide. Startups in this category use AI, AR/VR, and gamification to transform how people learn and maintain well-being.
Examples from GITEX:
- Cheeko AI (India): AI-powered child learning assistant that reduces screen time.
- Brainy AI (UAE): Gamified knowledge-sharing platform for professionals.
- MyFlow (Serbia): Corporate wellness solution based on neuroscience.
Why it matters for UAE: With a young, diverse population and focus on a knowledge economy, the UAE is fertile ground for AI-driven education and wellness tools.
6. LegalTech & Document AI (5%)
Why it’s hot: Though a smaller category, LegalTech is growing fast. Startups are using AI to automate legal workflows, contracts, and multilingual compliance — cutting costs and reducing errors.
Examples from GITEX:
- Avocapp (Morocco): Multilingual AI for legal practice management.
- Altilia AI (Italy): AI for document-heavy industry automation.
Why it matters for UAE: With its cross-border, multilingual business environment, the UAE can benefit greatly from AI-powered document and compliance platforms.
Why These Categories Dominate
- AI is horizontal: Nearly 24% of all startups (675 companies) explicitly describe themselves as AI-powered. This shows AI is not a vertical — it’s the backbone of innovation across industries.
- Clear ROI: E-commerce, FinTech, and HealthTech startups are attractive because their solutions have measurable business impact.
- Global alignment: Sustainability and smart cities align with global policy and corporate ESG needs.
- Scalability: AI-driven platforms scale across borders, making them attractive to investors and accelerators.
How Royex Helps Entrepreneurs and Investors
At Royex Technologies, we transform global ideas into scalable businesses for the UAE and beyond. Our expertise spans:
- AI-Powered E-commerce & Marketplaces: Custom platforms with semantic search, personalization, and chat-native payments.
- HealthTech Solutions: Med-IoT apps, cloud pipelines for wearables, AI diagnostics.
- Smart City & ESG Tech: Dashboards, IoT data integration, climate insights.
- FinTech: Secure digital wallets, escrow payments, eKYC, and compliance integration.
- Education & LegalTech: Custom platforms for gamified learning and AI-driven document automation.
💡 Whether you are an entrepreneur inspired by GITEX or an investor looking for the next high-return category, Royex is your partner to build, launch, and scale AI-first businesses.
Royex at GITEX 2025 – Witness the Future of AI and Technology
GITEX 2025, one of the world’s largest and most influential tech events, is just around the corner, and Royex is excited to be part of this grand stage. As a leading technology solutions provider, we will be showcasing our latest innovations in AI, digital transformation, and cutting-edge software solutions designed to empower businesses across industries.
Attending GITEX gives you a unique opportunity to interact with our expert team, experience live demonstrations, and gain insights into how our solutions can solve real-world business challenges. Whether you’re interested in AI-driven applications, advanced web and mobile platforms, or enterprise-level digital strategies, Royex will have something tailored for you.
Don’t miss the chance to explore the future of technology with us at GITEX 2025. Join us, learn from our experts, and see how Royex continues to drive innovation and shape the digital landscape in the Middle East and beyond.
The 2,850 startups at GITEX prove that the future belongs to AI-powered, scalable, and impact-driven business models. By studying category trends, entrepreneurs can identify where to enter, and investors can see where to place their bets.
With Royex as your technology partner, you don’t just watch global trends — you turn them into profitable ventures in the UAE.