Mumbai: In a bold step toward global expansion and cross-border innovation, HT Labs, the innovation arm of HT Media, has signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with The Doers Company, the team behind Europe’s top innovation events like Reflect Festival and the upcoming Doers Summit.
The MoU was formalized at a high-level event held at Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO) under the auspices of the Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority (DIEZ). Attendees included dignitaries, investors, and tech leaders from India, Cyprus, and the UAE, further underscoring a growing tri-nation partnership to fuel innovation, capital flow, and startup growth.
This collaboration sets the stage for the global scaling of OTTplay, India’s first AI-powered OTT aggregator and recommendation engine. The initiative will leverage Cyprus as a European gateway and DSO as a launchpad for testing digital infrastructure and media-tech solutions aligned with smart city development.
Demetris Skourides, Chief Scientist of Research, Innovation & Technology, Republic of Cyprus, commented, “I would like to thank Mr. Avinash for his trust in our ecosystem and look forward to further profiling how Cyprus and other investors can benefit from bidirectional value creation. Such collaborations are the foundational pillars that build the future.”
Badr Buhannad, Deputy Director General, Dubai Silicon Oasis, added, “Dubai Silicon Oasis was envisioned as a smart, future-ready hub for innovation, talent, and entrepreneurship. Hosting the Doers Summit in partnership with The Doers Company aligns perfectly with Dubai’s Economic Agenda D33 to position the city among the world’s leading digital and economic centres. The Summit reinforces our mission to attract forward-looking ventures and connect European and Middle Eastern innovators—accelerating cross-border collaboration in support of the UAE’s vision for digital economy growth and global competitiveness.”
Avinash Mudaliar, Co-Founder & CEO of HT Labs, remarked, “At HT Labs, this isn’t just an expansion—it’s a strategic leap into the future. Dubai Silicon Oasis offers the ideal launchpad to take India’s most disruptive, AI-driven innovations to the world. At the core of our work is TaaS—Technology-as-a-Service—delivering scalable, AI-powered solutions across video, apps, web, and content systems that boost engagement, unlock new revenue, and enable global growth. With our strong focus on intelligent, tech-first solutions, we see immense potential to co-create platforms that resonate globally.
What truly elevates this journey is the camaraderie we’ve built—especially with visionaries like Demetris Skourides, Chief Scientist of Cyprus. His insights and spirit of collaboration have made him not just a strategic ally, but a trusted friend in our cross-border mission.
With OTTplay leading our media-tech push, we’re excited to align with DSO’s smart city vision and deliver transformative experiences in entertainment and data intelligence. This marks a defining chapter in building globally relevant platforms from India.”
Dusan Duffek, Co-Founder of The Doers Company & Managing Partner, Zero One Hundred, said, “With a young, tech-savvy population and a booming innovation ecosystem, Indian startups such as OTTplay etc. offer some of the most exciting investment opportunities globally. Similarly, startups from Europe and the Middle East are now building some of the most consequential technologies, which will have an impact not only regionally, but globally. We believe now is the time to build bridges, not borders, and connect this energy with global capital and strategic partners”.
Stylianos Lambrou, Co-Founder & CEO at The Doers Company, noted, “We see a significant opportunity in India. With our growing presence in Greece, Cyprus, and now Dubai, we’re uniquely positioned to bridge the gap, providing Indian startups & companies with access to Europe, and offering European startups and companies a pathway into India. The strong relationship between my country and India gives us a powerful advantage, enabling us to amplify our impact across both regions.”
With strong backing from the Government of Cyprus, and alignment with regional tech agendas, the partnership opens up new avenues for deal flow, talent mobility, and the development of AI-led digital platforms. For HT Labs and its flagship product OTTplay, this MoU marks the beginning of a globally significant chapter in India’s innovation story.
HT Labs continues to drive tech-first consumer experiences through products like OTTplay and Slurrp, combining deep-tech and AI to transform entertainment and lifestyle engagement.
