Genieology, UAE-based digital agency, acquired by global consultancy Monstarlab 

Monstarlab, a global Japan-headquartered digital consultancy, has announced the acquisition of the fast-growing human experience and digital reinvention firm, Genieology. The acquisition will strengthen Monstarlab’s presence through expanding its advanced digital consulting services in the Middle East, and it will give Genieology a platform on which to continue its fast-paced, dynamic growth in the Middle East market.

Genieology was founded by the Human Factors & Systems Engineering expert Calvin Hart in 2020 in the UAE. Since its establishment, Genieology has grown from three consultants to a team of 40 strategists, user-interface (UI) and user-experience (UX) experts, developers and data scientists based across the UAE, KSA, and the UK. With this diverse team, the company has achieved strong operational and financial performance as its revenue has shown a CAGR of 299 per cent from 2020 to 2021. The digital firm has delivered state-of-the-art digital transformation projects for organisations within the Banking and Finance, media, retail and free zone sectors in the Middle East region. 

Hiroki Inagawa, Monstarlab Group CEO commented: “Through this acquisition, we reaffirm our commitment once again in supporting and contributing to the region’s economic diversification efforts through expanding our advanced service portfolio to drive digital transformation across different sectors in the UAE, the Middle East and beyond. Genieology has proven its cutting-edge capabilities to provide innovative solutions designed to revolutionise the digital experiences of a range of organisations and projects within its network. We are proud to be joining forces and look forward to working together to shape the future of digitalisation across different areas of the economy in local and regional markets.”

Through this acquisition, Monstarlab with more than 1,400 experts around the world, aims to continue growing its global footprint and accelerate the digital transformation of customers in growth markets. Monstarlab will benefit from Genieology’s expertise in developing and structuring its digital experience model across its global operations. As part of the deal, Genieology will continue to operate as a separate entity, and Monstarlab will provide global expertise on integrating emerging technologies and digital services, which Genieology offers to its existing and future customers.

Commenting on the acquisition, Calvin Hart, founder of Genieology, said: “From the start, our strategy has been focused on delivering human-centric, digital transformation services in the UAE and wider Middle East. Since our launch, we have achieved remarkable growth through our hybrid work model, which has helped us develop our network and expand our services and operations. We have built trust and success with customers through offering boutique and customised services that deliver real impact and results. We have created a brand where we can truly live our mantra of bringing ‘Part Magic, Part Science’ to all of our engagements, and this in turn, is underpinned by the humility in our people, and the passion of our clients whom we choose to work with. 

“Monstarlab is the ideal culture fit for Genieology, and we believe this partnership will supercharge and further accelerate our growth and our capabilities in this region. Together we will continue to see rapid expansion for us into areas such as Smart City developments, the development of Retail stores of the future, as well as Web3 and Metaverse technologies. Our main focus will continue to be the enabling of clients and Brands to provide robust platforms to their customers whereby the brands can step back and allow their customers to build their own experiences. This new wave in digital transformation is now where we are focusing a core of our thinking in order to support the achievement of this Nation’s 2030 Vision,” added Hart.