A look at the work

Most moves we see rhyme with something we've already done. The engagements below give you a feel for how Caven Strategy thinks and the kinds of problems we take on.

They're only a slice. We work across far more situations than we can show here — so if your move looks nothing like these, that's fine. Tell us what you're facing and we'll walk you through how we'd approach it.

AI drone platform, commercialised across the Gulf

A European developer of AI-piloted inspection drones

Where they started

The company had proven its technology at home and wanted to expand into the Gulf, where demand for automated inspection of energy and infrastructure sites was climbing. The product was ready. The route to flying it commercially in-region was not.

The hard part

Operating beyond visual line of sight needs explicit authorisation, and the Gulf frameworks differ from the European ones the team knew. Without that approval, there was no commercial product — only a demo.

What we did

Caven Strategy mapped the airspace requirements across three target markets and built the authorisation plan around the launch timeline. From Dubai, we opened conversations with the right regulators and lined up two regional distributors and a first infrastructure operator to fly with.

How it landed

BVLOS trial authorisation secured within 7 months
First commercial deployment with a regional utility
3 Gulf markets operating inside the first year

US chiplet firm's R&D base in the Netherlands

A venture-backed designer of AI accelerators, scaling out of the US

Where they started

The company wanted a research presence in Europe, close to the talent and supply chain around the Dutch semiconductor cluster. It needed a base that could hire and operate without tripping over the rules that govern its technology.

The hard part

Semiconductor IP sits firmly inside export-control and dual-use regimes. Getting the classification and the structure right at the outset was the difference between a clean setup and a stalled one.

What we did

Caven Strategy handled the export-control classification upfront, chose a location inside the cluster that fit the research goals and stood up the Dutch entity. From Amsterdam, we ran the setup and the first wave of technical recruitment.

How it landed

9 months to an operational R&D base
10 hires in research and engineering in place
Classification approved before any IP moved

International AI firm's regional HQ in Dubai

A fast-growing international AI software company

Where they started

With customers appearing across the Middle East, the company decided it needed a regional headquarters rather than to keep serving the area remotely. Dubai was the choice. The question was how to be operational quickly and credibly.

The hard part

A major prospective client expected data to stay in-region, and the company needed the right licence and structure to win government and enterprise work. Both had to be solved before the HQ could earn its keep.

What we did

We selected the right free-zone structure, secured the licensing and set up a data residency arrangement that satisfied the client's requirement. From Dubai, we handled the establishment and the first local hires.

How it landed

4 months to a live regional HQ
Licensing and data residency in place for the first major contract
6 hires across sales and delivery