Its founder knows his demographic well: residents of the religiously conservative Gaza Strip, with its culture of resistance. Some 1,400 men have been killed in the three wars with Israel since 2008, leaving many widows who would like to remarry. Tradition, however, can make it difficult for them to wed single men. Mr. Abu Mustafa, 34, a math teacher, said he had no specific reasons to get married again, but said he did wish to give "dignity" to a widow. Ms. Abu Mustafa's first husband died during the conflict between Hamas and Israel in 2012.

Earlier in November, Careem launched Dubai's first female chauffeur service for women, called Ameera. When it comes to startup success stories in the UAE, ride-hailing service Careem is undoubtedly in the driving seat. Every week thousands of people in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region download the Careem app to their phones and order a car for the first time. Last week, it announced a new partnership with Apple whereby app users can order rides through Siri, the voice command service on iOS. In just about four years, Careem has become a basic tool for those in need of transportation in 25 cities across 10 countries.