Boom founders turn a home-business delivery problem into an award-winning app
Emirati friends Mariam Al Nuaimi and Mariam Al Marri developed Boom while holding full-time jobs, connecting small businesses and home merchants with nearby delivery drivers. Their platform earned App of the Year 2025 and Most Impactful App honors at the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy's Create Apps Championship, along with funding from the chamber.
Layla Haddad
A business ready to launch, but no way to deliver
Al Nuaimi had prepared her home-based business and secured a commercial license when she encountered an unresolved problem: finding a flexible delivery service. That experience became the starting point for Boom, she told Emirates247.
A future forecasting analyst at Abu Dhabi Police, Al Nuaimi shared the idea with her friend Al Marri, a monitoring specialist at the Ministry of Education. Al Marri had recently completed a user experience course and earned artificial intelligence certificates, and she saw a feasible way to build the service.
Both studied quality management and strategy at the Higher Colleges of Technology. They now divide the company's leadership between them: Al Nuaimi is co-founder and CEO, while Al Marri is co-founder and CTO, according to Boom's official site and Entrepreneur Middle East.
The founders said they continued learning from marketing, design and technology specialists as they developed the app. For Al Marri, the central challenge was making the technology robust without making it difficult to use, while both women kept their full-time jobs.
Flexible orders, prices and driver schedules
Recruiting delivery drivers proved the hardest practical hurdle, the founders said. Building a dependable network took time in a crowded logistics market. Rather than copy large delivery companies, they focused on small shops and individuals who needed more flexibility over timing and price.
Boom has three platforms serving different users. Drivers looking for additional income can register to receive orders in their preferred locations and at their preferred times. Customers can request urgent, 24-hour or round-trip deliveries. Businesses can submit individual or bulk orders and set their own delivery prices.
The founders said those options help merchants serve remote areas, lower operating costs and reach customers quickly. According to Boom's app description, its coverage extends across all seven emirates and Al Ain, with same-day, door-to-door delivery by bike, car or van. It charges per delivery, without a subscription or minimum order, and offers real-time tracking and Arabic- and English-language support.
The founders said trust has been a priority since the platform was established in 2025. They described an approved driver registration process involving Emirates ID fingerprint verification, tracking throughout the delivery, and encrypted payment channels. Prices are shown before an order is accepted so customers can compare them and businesses know their costs in advance, without hidden commissions or unexpected charges at delivery.
Recognition and business support
The two Create Apps Championship awards marked a turning point for the founders, who said the recognition and funding from the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy helped turn their idea into an established project.
The chamber organizes the competition, which began in 2023 under the Create Apps in Dubai initiative. The 2025 edition attracted 4,710 app submissions from 132 countries, more than 300% above the previous year's total. Four winners were selected from 12 finalists, with each receiving $150,000 and business support from the chamber.
Boom also participated in Expand North Star 2025 and appeared in When Stars Connect, a podcast series produced jointly by Entrepreneur Middle East and the chamber.
Meetings with Sheikh Hamdan and expansion ambitions
The founders described meeting Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum as a defining moment. He is Dubai's crown prince, UAE deputy prime minister and minister of defense, and chairman of Dubai's Executive Council. According to Entrepreneur Middle East, they met him twice and considered showing him the app unforgettable.
They said the support strengthened their gratitude and encouraged a measured approach to expansion, with the aim of making Boom a trusted delivery business. Their advice to their generation was to seize the opportunities available in the UAE and use them to make a useful contribution to society.
Asked by Entrepreneur Middle East about their five-year goal, the founders said they wanted to take Boom into neighboring countries first, with worldwide expansion as their eventual ambition.
