Tackling Hiring in the Middle East with OVI - An AI-First Approach By Chris Weinmann, Founder, OVI Published 2026-01-06 After four years of venture building across the UAE and Saudi, I'm thrilled to finally tackle the challenge that’s slowed down every startup I’ve helped build: hiring. Hiring in the Middle East is still painfully slow often taking months. And when you're moving fast, that’s a dealbreaker. That’s why we’ve built OVI an AI hiring platform that helps companies: Source the right candidates Screen them intelligently Interview them without bottlenecks All powered by AI. No manual scheduling. No guesswork. Just faster, better hiring. Over the next few weeks, we’ll share how we built OVI in an ultra-lean way and how we’re now laser-focused on sales and GTM. Happy to answer any questions and excited to share more in the next post. Thanks for following along! Related readingFrom Automation to AI Hiring: Why I'm Building OVIFirst in the Middle East: How Red Sea Global Is Using SAP Joule to Transform HR at ScaleData-Driven Recruitment in the Middle East (2026) – The Ultimate Guide for Hiring TeamsRevolutionizing Recruitment in the UAE: How OVI's Voice AI Interview Platform is Transforming Hiring93% of Saudi Employers Use AI in HR. Here Are the 4 AI Screening Platforms Handling High-Volume Hiring in Saudi Arabia in 2026