My Business: How a Long Search for a Home in Dubai Sparked the Idea Behind Mifta
Dubai: When Natalia Dobrynina moved to Dubai, she encountered a rental process that was a maze of inefficiencies. WhatsApp messages, repeated agent calls, and conflicting advice on basic requirements like Ejari made finding a home a daunting task. It took her more than six months to find a place she liked, and even signing a one-year contract felt unclear.
This experience inspired Dobrynina to create Mifta, a rental platform designed to streamline the entire leasing journey into a single app. Users can search for apartments, view properties, make offers, pay rent, and sign Ejari digitally, all in one place. Mifta also collaborates with brokerages, property managers, and developers to automate leasing infrastructure on the supply side.
A Digital City's Gap
Dobrynina noticed a disconnect in Dubai's digital landscape. While the city boasts super apps for food, transport, and on-demand delivery, finding a home remains fragmented. Tenants often end up talking to dozens of agents to understand available properties before viewing anything, making the process exhausting for both tenants and agents.
Drawing from her experience in the US, where technology made renting transparent and efficient, Dobrynina aimed to apply similar logic to Dubai's market. Mifta's goal is to remove guesswork while keeping the process human-centric.
A Journey of Resilience
Dobrynina's journey to building Mifta is deeply personal. She grew up in a small town before moving through Moscow, San Francisco, and Silicon Valley, eventually settling in Dubai to build a company from scratch. This surreal journey has been a testament to her belief that with determination, anything is possible.
Early challenges tested her resolve. Partnerships fell through, plans changed overnight, and uncertainty became a constant companion. Dobrynina learned to prioritize momentum over perfection, understanding that every challenge sharpens judgment and every setback builds something stronger.
Supported by the UAE Ecosystem
Mifta's early progress has been significantly influenced by the support of the UAE's startup ecosystem. Backed by Antler, a pre-seed investor, through a program supported by the Dubai Future Foundation, Mifta now operates from the Dubai Founders Headquarters. Dobrynina appreciates the value beyond office space, including a supportive community, mentorship, and the belief that the country genuinely wants them to succeed.
Mifta has also expanded its network across the real estate ecosystem with support from the PropTech Business Group, opening doors to partners and early adopters.
Funding and Growth Plans
Since its launch less than six months ago, Mifta has grown rapidly and attracted interest from angel investors and regional funds. The current focus is on scaling the platform and deepening partnerships, with additional fundraising planned at the right moment. Dobrynina's experience in raising $70 million and securing partnerships in the Middle East, gained from her previous role, is now instrumental in Mifta's growth.
Five-Year Vision
Dobrynina envisions Mifta evolving into an AI-powered, end-to-end rental platform operating across the Gulf and Europe. Her ambition is to make long-term renting as simple and on-demand as everyday digital services. Moreover, Mifta aims to create a world where humans still sense belonging in a landscape increasingly shaped by AI and technology.
Advice for New Founders
Dobrynina advises aspiring entrepreneurs to choose partners carefully, ensuring the relationship works beyond business plans and pitch decks. She emphasizes the importance of genuinely enjoying working with partners, as it's a constant, all-day relationship.
Encouraging founders to start before feeling ready, she believes that action creates clarity. This mindset was shaped by her father's small construction materials business, where consistent effort, day after day, moved mountains. Dobrynina's journey is a testament to the power of perseverance and the belief that anything is possible.
