The Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) has welcomed the latest two Korean companies to the UAE capital’s innovation ecosystem. H2O Hospitality (H2O) and the Korean Best Team for Smart Farm Consortium (K-BTS Consortium) announced plans to set up in Abu Dhabi during Yoon Suk Yeol, President of the Republic of Korea’s state visit to the UAE.
H2O, a digital transformation company in the hospitality and leisure industry, and K-BTS Consortium, an AgTech consortium that will grow Korean strawberry varieties from six new smart farms, will benefit from Abu Dhabi’s innovation ecosystem and commitment to transform sectors like agriculture and hospitality through technology.
The UAE capital is an established growth market for Korean companies, and in 2021 ADIO opened an office in Seoul to develop new relationships across the two ecosystems. With support from ADIO, Bespin Global, a leading cloud technology consulting and management company, recently opened its MEA headquarters in Abu Dhabi, featuring a Cloud Operations Centre and the Bespin Global Training Academy. In December, Bespin Global formed a joint venture with the UAE’s e& enterprise, part of e& (formerly known as Etisalat Group), to offer cloud-managed and professional services in the Middle East, Türkiye, Africa, and Pakistan (METAP) region.
H2O automates the front and back-end process of hotel operation by digitally converting existing manual hotel tasks, enabling paperless and contactless hotel operations that increase greater efficiency and profitability. H2O currently manages over 40,000 rooms in Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asia, and will establish its MEA HQ in Abu Dhabi, including an R&D facility and digital transformation academy for the hospitality industry.
K-BTS Consortium will leverage Abu Dhabi’s AgTech leadership to operate six smart farms producing fresh Korean strawberries year-round in the UAE capital. Korean strawberry varieties are known for their size, sweetness, and taste. The estimated investment into Abu Dhabi’s economy is US$16 million. The Korean consortium will benefit from Abu Dhabi’s innovation ecosystem to increase the efficiency of sustainable farming and continue expanding the availability of quality, locally-grown produce.
Image provided by Suji Su
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