The Dubai PropTech Market Reality Check

In this episode of The Situation Zoom, we find out what happens when market pressure meets innovation — how PropTech founders are responding to shifts in affordability, investor behaviour, ownership, and access across the UAE real estate ecosystem.Silvia Eldawi is joined by Jad Antoun (Huspy), Walid Shihabi (Keyper), and Manar Mahmassani (Stake) to break down how Dubai’s homegrown PropTech startups are responding to shifting market conditions — and what the data is actually saying beneath the headlines.From affordability and investor behaviour to AI, ownership models, and the future of access to real estate, this is a deep dive into the infrastructure powering the next phase of the UAE property market.This is not theory.This is real-time.🔍 What we cover: what internal dashboards and investor behaviour are showing right now why Dubai’s market data is stronger than sentiment suggests affordability and the future of homeownership rental market pressure and flexible financing models why GCC investors kept deploying capital during uncertainty how PropTech founders think during volatile periods AI, automation, and the future role of agents the evolution of ownership and fractional investing UAE vs global PropTech ecosystems what startup founders need to understand about raising capital right now🧠 Core frameworks: Market Behaviour vs Headline Narrative Access & Ownership Infrastructure Capital Conviction vs Sentiment🎯 Who this is for:Founders. Investors. Brokers. Operators. Developers.Anyone interested in the future of real estate, PropTech, and how markets behave under pressure.🎙️ Featuring: Silvia Eldawi Jad Antoun — CEO & Co-Founder, Huspy Walid Shihabi — Co-Founder, Keyper Manar Mahmassani — Co-CEO & Co-Founder, Stake🔗 Resources: Huspy Stake Keyper Stake Investment Intelligence Report Q1 2026💬 Watch, read and then decide for yourself —is Dubai quietly building the next global PropTech ecosystem?⏱️ Chapters:00:00 Welcome to The Situation Zoom 🎙️00:45 The PropTech Layer of the Ecosystem ⚙️02:11 Internal Dashboards & Market Behaviour 📊04:22 Correction vs Crash 📉07:58 Investor Confidence During Uncertainty 🌍11:20 Rental Pressure & Affordability 🏠14:41 Movement, Behaviour & Market Slowdown 🔄18:26 Rental Market Opportunities 💸22:43 Building Through Volatility 🧠26:00 Why Founders Are Doubling Down 🚀29:41 Abu Dhabi Expansion & Regional Growth 🌐33:12 Has Anything Actually Changed? 🔍36:58 Dubai as a Global PropTech Hub 🏗️41:01 Why Founders Are Staying Bullish 💪43:53 Raising Capital in Tough Markets 💰48:15 The Future Investor & Ownership Models 🏢51:29 Big Problems Founders Are Solving ⚡55:09 AI, Data & The Future of Agents 🤖58:34 Dubai’s Long-Term Property Outlook 🔮01:01:48 Final Thoughts on the Future of PropTech 🎯