Privately-owned Middle East construction and engineering recruitment outsourcing platform, FifthEdge, has been selected from thousands of applicants to be awarded a place on the exclusive Global Microsoft for Startups program. Powered by artificial intelligence and smart automation, the technology was chosen because of its potential to revolutionise construction recruitment, reducing costs and increasing efficiency for employers through innovative technology.
FiftheEdge will be part of Microsoft’s global initiative dedicated to accelerating the trajectory of high-potential startups to enable growth at scale. Microsoft has engaged a team of its experts to explore and engage a selection of middle eastern homegrown, unique and innovative startup businesses in an effort to support economic recovery and growth, both regionally and globally. As a program member, FifthEdge will have exclusive access to Microsoft technology, mentorship and business support, enabling FifthEdge to maximise the adoption of the most recent advanced analytics, artificial intelligence and learning technology without having to develop them from scratch.
FifthEdge will use the Microsoft Azure global marketplace to scale quickly and reach a global audience in a short time, with built-in redundancy and security, and offer its support to employer brands operating regionally and globally.
“We’re honoured to be among such a select group of companies chosen to join the Microsoft for Startups program, and we plan to leverage this amazing opportunity to its fullest,” said FifthEdge’s founder Marcus Taylor.
“To be chosen against such fierce regional competition by a giant such as Microsoft is amazing in its own right, but our participation in the program comes at a critical time for both our company and the construction industry, as we move to recover from the pandemic, which has left the construction industry reeling,” he said.
Taylor added: “FifthEdge’s mission to bridge the gap between employers and their future talent has been a ‘tough slog’, weathering a global pandemic and entering as a disruptor in a very traditional industry. However, we are quickly gaining traction by working with some of the leading employers and SMEs in the region, providing ongoing support in discovering Project Management, Construction Supervision, Design, Commercial and Planning talent to build the region’s vision goals.
“Our ongoing challenge is to change the hearts and minds of internal recruitment teams and construction professionals. The next step will be global capability, which is an expansion that would be extremely difficult simply due to the challenges of accessing local markets. However, with the help of Microsoft and this incredible accelerator opportunity, we can not only do this but also use the resource to leverage off Microsoft’s incredible technology base to enhance and develop our offering to the construction industry.”
He added: “With industries such as Fintech dominating the technology space, it’s a surprising move from Microsoft to look to the construction industry as one to adopt innovative technology. It shows we are on the right track and becoming more attractive to innovators as we look to provide solutions fit for purpose in today’s challenging business environment.
“With Saudi’s ambitious future development plans and a global focus on smart cities, FifthEdge’s technology will emulate this innovation, attracting and securing the talent required for future competitiveness and growth.”
Ali Samir Oosman, Strategic Partnerships & Deal Flow – Microsoft for Startups MEA, said: “The construction sector is an important growth driver across the Middle East. With construction practices having evolved rapidly as we build higher and use new materials, it is essential to ensure the right talent pool is readily available. This is what excites us at Microsoft for Startups about FifthEdge – they are innovating to ensure talent availability across the region in order to efficiently complete a project safely and budgeted in line with the demanding requirements of the sector. We hope to support them with access to Microsoft’s technology and growth opportunities across the Microsoft ecosystem.”
