Dubai, UAE, 29 September 2026
FAST, the Dubai-headquartered AI-native ad technology group, is expanding into ventures, M&A and new markets. Having built a portfolio of businesses across outcomes-based marketing, creators, retail media and commerce, the group is now moving from operating growth businesses to building, acquiring and backing them.
To lead that expansion, FAST has established a group-level Ventures practice and appointed Asad ur Rehman as Partner, Ventures & Growth. The practice’s remit is threefold: to accelerate commercial growth across FAST’s priority businesses, to incubate and acquire new ventures, and to build the partnerships that open new revenue streams and new markets.
So&So Partnerships, the FAST group company Asad founded and continues to lead as Chief Executive, becomes the practice’s first vehicle for new markets. So&So builds and operates go-to-market and reseller businesses for global platforms in high-growth markets, starting with South Asia, and will work alongside FAST’s own businesses to open new revenue streams for the group.
Asad brings more than two decades of senior leadership across global markets. He held multi-market marketing and brand roles at Unilever, led WPP/GroupM businesses, and most recently ran HUM Network, Pakistan’s only publicly listed broadcaster, where he grew the network’s digital revenue. Since then he has founded and built ventures across technology, media and consumer sectors. His experience pairs large-company commercial discipline with a founder’s approach to scaling new businesses.
“We’ve spent the last few years proving that an outcome-based, AI-native model works in this region. The next phase is building and backing new ventures on top of it, and Asad is exactly the leader to drive that. He combines global operating discipline with a founder’s instinct for markets that are about to move, and I’m glad to have him at the table,” said Waseem Afzal, Founder and CEO of FAST.
“FAST has done something rare in this region. It has built a group of businesses across outcomes, creators, creative, retail media and commerce that all run on one principle: growth you can measure. I am excited to join a team that builds at speed and executes fearlessly. The opportunity now is to take what FAST has proved into new markets and new ventures,” said Asad ur Rehman, Partner, Ventures & Growth, FAST.
About FAST
FAST is a Dubai-headquartered AI-native ad technology group. Through its portfolio of interconnected businesses spanning outcomes-based marketing, retail media, the creator economy, affiliate and coupon marketing, creative, martech, commerce and digital product engineering, FAST partners with leading brands, platforms and entrepreneurs to deliver measurable growth across the Middle East and adjacent high-growth markets. It was founded as a region-native, outcome-based alternative to the traditional holding company model.
About So&So
So&So Partnerships is a FAST group company that builds and operates go-to-market and reseller businesses for global platforms in high-growth markets, starting with South Asia. Founded in Dubai by Asad ur Rehman, So&So works with platforms, brands and local partners to open new markets and new revenue streams for the group.