Napster and Kameha Ventures partner to advance AI innovation and deployment in the UAE

Napster and Dubai-based Kameha Ventures have announced a strategic partnership to accelerate development and deployment of locally relevant artificial intelligence solutions in the United Arab Emirates, with Napster designating the UAE as its regional hub and Kameha led by Sheikh Ahmed Bin Mana Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum providing market development and institutional access. The agreement positions Napster to work directly with UAE government entities, enterprises and institutions to shape AI deployments around local operational needs, cultural context and data-governance expectations, and aims to translate experimentation into practical adoption across the wider GCC.

"Napster's agreement with Kameha Ventures puts us in the UAE while the national AI framework is still being built, and that is a significant opportunity,” said John Acunto, CEO of Napster. “This moment is the result of years of work, and the next few months will be about capitalizing on the trust we’ve built with government and enterprise entities in the country to make the most of our momentum in the Emirates."

Partnership roles and priorities

The tie-up pairs Napster's embodied, multimodal AI platform and agentic AI capabilities with Kameha Ventures' regional relationships and execution capability. Napster will contribute technology for enterprise applications and interactive customer experiences, while Kameha Ventures will handle long-term engagement with government, enterprises, institutions and investors, structure local partnerships and provide ongoing guidance on market needs and stakeholder priorities.

• Napster will focus on deploying agents that engage via video presence, voice and text, designed to work alongside employees and customers and carry institutional knowledge into interactions.
• Kameha Ventures will marshal regional market-development capability and institutional relationship building under the leadership of Sheikh Ahmed Bin Mana Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, CEO at Kameha Ventures.
• Emirati leaders and experts will be central to guiding deployment priorities and evaluating solutions with first-hand stakeholder feedback.

Context: UAE policy and regional momentum

The timing of the partnership follows recent policy moves in the UAE. In May 2026, the UAE Cabinet approved a federal framework for implementing Agentic AI across ministries and entities, supporting a plan to transition 50 percent of government services and operations to Agentic AI models within two years. Dubai has also launched a two-year initiative to accelerate Agentic AI adoption across the private sector. These developments sit alongside longer-term strategies such as the UAE Strategy for Artificial Intelligence 2031 and Dubai's Universal Blueprint for Artificial Intelligence.

Sam Huber, CEO MENA at Napster, said: "We want the UAE to be Napster's principal hub for the region, not simply a market we serve. That means deploying locally, listening first and building with UAE organisations so our technology reflects their priorities and earns their trust. Emirati leadership and first-hand stakeholder guidance will be central to how we develop use cases and evaluate solutions."

Outlook

Napster and Kameha Ventures aim to create a durable cooperation platform that connects international technology with Emirati leadership and UAE stakeholder expertise, helping organisations move from AI experimentation to practical deployment. The partnership also builds on Napster's July 2026 regional activity, when the company announced a sovereign AI infrastructure collaboration with Saudi-based DETASAD and Lenovo to pair in-Kingdom data-centre infrastructure with Napster's enterprise AI platform. Both parties say the objective is a long-term foundation for growth across the GCC, deploying closer to customers and data and adapting solutions to local regulatory and cultural requirements.