The UAE’s reputation works like a magnet for start-ups: Sofia Bobrik

ABU DHABI / GULF TIME

As the founder and CEO of TechWaves PR, Sofia Bobrik helps businesses in technology sector become trustworthy and increase their brand awareness worldwide. While Bobrik’s public relations experience spans real estate, blockchain, web3, IT, finance, and related sectors, she’s been learning the know-how of artificial intelligence and the benefits of the phenomenon, which will be the game changer shortly, as experts say. Since 2017, she has been helping firms enter international markets, generate leads, and establish leadership in top-tier media outlets through her agency, TechWaves PR.
An avid reader who likes to spend time in the rugged mountains and medieval villages of her current work location in Podgorica, Montenegro, Bobrik strikes a work-life balance through yoga, a widely accepted practice that combines breathing exercises, meditation, and movements proven to benefit mental and physical health.
In this one-on-one interview with Gulf Time’s Arunima Mishra, founder and CEO at TechWaves PR, Sofia Bobrik shares her dream of opening an office in the UAE.

With the UAE constantly moving up world rankings to be the best place to live and work, would you like to come to Dubai to start a new business or expand your existing business?
Sofia Bobrik: Dubai has Burj Khalifa — the world’s tallest building — besides one of the globe’s busiest airports for international passengers and a trade as well as business hub that it is due to its Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements with many nations.
Another fascinating figure from the IMF (International Monetary Fund) that was widely reported across media outlets caught my attention recently. The IMF projected the United Arab Emirates was experiencing strong economic growth, with real GDP projected to grow by about 4% in 2024.
I wanted to expand my agency’s base from picturesque Montenegro, situated on the Balkan Peninsula, to the UAE as well as Portugal. I’m still weighing the doable possibilities, but I’m eager to work in one of the Arab world’s most important financial centres, which offers a business-friendly environment for growth and is safe to live in.
Besides, I’ve gathered from my research and conversations with friends who work in the United Arab Emirates that the year-long events and exhibitions all over the UAE provide immense opportunities for PR and marketing professionals to build on their networking portfolio quite seamlessly. That said, it would be apt to say that the UAE’s reputation works like a magnet for start-ups.

As a city famous for superlatives, such as the world’s most enormous skyscraper and largest mall — among many others — it’s always on first in the bucket list of visitors and tourists. But why do you think Dubai is so famous?
Sofia Bobrik: I’ve always been quite fascinated by the geographical location and the business prospects that a city like Dubai provides. And, to top it all off, when someone like me reads exciting news like the following, it makes it all the more attractive for a PR agency founder like me.
Be it the city being ranked as the No. 1 global destination in the TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards or the WEF ranking, the city with the world’s tallest tower could make any globe trotter impatient to experience it.
I recently came across the following information from the World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Development Index (TTDI). “The UAE has ranked first in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and 18th globally. This index provides a benchmarking tool for organisations, governments, and others to develop the travel and tourism sector,” it said.
The same report quoted that the UAE raised its score by 4.4 percent in the 2024 index, climbing seven places from its 25th global ranking in the previous report issued in 2021. It certainly is reassuring that tourism spearheads Dubai’s economic growth.

As a crypto enthusiast, are you looking forward to participating in Bitcoin MENA Conference 2024, set to take place on December9-10 in ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi)? If so, what are your expectations from the world’s largest Bitcoin conference in the rapidly growing Mena region?
Sofia Bobrik: It goes without mentioning that such a huge event will provide a much-needed platform for discussion and dialogue, especially since it’s a comparatively new phenomenon for many developing countries. I’m looking forward to gathering knowledge and insights in this domain, and it will also be exciting to observe how Bitcoin Mena will contribute to shaping the nascent sector’s trajectory in the years to come.
As I have worked in this domain since the inception of my agency, TechWaves PR, I’m closely following the UAE capital’s increasing adoption of blockchain technology. In addition, Abu Dhabi’s progressive regulatory ecosystem has garnered many industry licenses. All this, combined, positions Abu Dhabi as the final destination for adopting Bitcoin in the entire Mena region.
I’m eager to participate in the Bitcoin Mena Conference. I’m sure it will open a paradigm shift in perspectives around the crypto market, which will equip me as a PR professional to guide my existing and potential clients in the Web3, fintech, and cryptocurrency space towards better market projections.