Keeping it in the family: This couple feels UAE is the best place for innovation

The UAE has the power to turn your dreams into reality, found Nina Tandon, co-founder and CEO, EpiBone, Inc, and her husband, Noah Keating, strategic and digital product advisor, EpiBone, Inc. Once they were in the country, their search for a business- and investor-friendly destination was at its end.

Nina, a biomedical engineer with a passion for regenerative medicine, said, “I co-founded EpiBone to pioneer new treatments in bone and cartilage repair using stem cells and tissue engineering. I’ve also had the privilege of speaking at platforms like TED and Davos, where I advocate for the intersection of biotechnology and healthcare.”

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Noah comes from a creative background, which he applied towards technical challenges for both established brands and emerging companies. “In my career, I’ve developed everything from Bluetooth basketball shoes for NBA players, to internet-enabled air conditioners, to retail and travel apps. I’ve been active behind the scenes at EpiBone for years, and have been excited to take a more active role in the company as we seek to establish ourselves here in the UAE,” says the 43-year-old citizen of both US and Canada.

Nina met Noah when she was in the process of setting up EpiBone. Both met on solo vacations far from home at a surf camp in Costa Rica, where he asked her what she did for a living.

Through subsequent chats, Nina was surprised to find that Noah understood her mission, having had a bone graft in his ankle from an injury he’d sustained as a child.

“Although he hasn’t been an official advisor to the company until we moved to the UAE years later, he’s been a North Star for the company since its inception, and an important advisor at every step of our company’s path. I promised him that by the time he’d inevitably need cartilage to heal his ankle, we’d have it ready for him, and knew that we needed to speed things up to make good on that promise, which being in the UAE makes possible,” said Nina.

Helping heal

The couple’s EpiBone is a biotechnology company focused on using stem cells to grow personalised bone and cartilage grafts for patients. “Our technology has the potential to revolutionise orthopaedic surgery by providing living, anatomically precise grafts. EpiBone Inc. is registered in the US, and we are now establishing EpiBone Ltd. as a wholly-owned subsidiary in Abu Dhabi at ADGM,” said Nina, who at 45 is an American and a non-resident Indian.

The couple landed in the UAE in 2024, drawn by the incredible infrastructure and the government's focus on biotechnology and prioritisation of medical tourism. “We felt that the UAE was uniquely positioned to support our goal of making EpiBone a global leader in regenerative medicine,” said Nina.

The UAE's vision for the future of healthcare and the presence of organisations like Hub71 made it an ideal place for EpiBone. “We were especially interested in the region’s openness to new technologies, which is critical for what we’re trying to achieve,” said Noah.

The couple was first invited to the UAE in 2019 to participate in the Majlis lecture series, and it opened their eyes to the amazing confluence of resources, talent and vision.

“The UAE was top of our list when we searched the globe for the perfect setting to launch EpiBone’s global chapter,” he added.

The UAE, especially through platforms like Hub71, has provided a nurturing environment for EpiBone to land, and a vibrant ecosystem from which to expand.

“The access to cutting-edge infrastructure, as well as the government’s prioritisation of making the region a hub for medical innovations, has been instrumental in helping us fast-track our plans to scale. There’s a futuristic spirit of ambition here that aligns perfectly with our goals,” said Nina.

Noah adds: “The UAE offers both financial and operational support for innovative ventures like ours. Hub71 in particular has designed a programme targeted at growth-stage companies like EpiBone to quickly scale here, cutting down the amount of time and effort it would otherwise take to establish elsewhere. It’s an ecosystem designed to accelerate growth for futuristic technologies like EpiBone.”

Nina’s entrepreneurial aspirations were significantly shaped by her family, especially through experiences shared with her sisters and the support extended by her mother.

“When we were young, my sisters and I started a babysitting cooperative inspired by the Babysitter’s Club books that I adored. It all began with my older sister, Sheila, whose job it was to pick up our neighbour’s three daughters after school and bring them over to Roosevelt Island. As the demand for babysitting grew, my younger sister and I stepped in to help,” said Nina.

“Our mother played a pivotal role in nurturing our entrepreneurial spirit. Having returned to Wall Street as an accountant after eight years as a full-time mum and home-maker, she helped us manage our burgeoning business. She introduced us to spreadsheet software like Lotus 1-2-3 and Excel, teaching us how to organise our appointments and track our earnings effectively. She was also our biggest promoter. Whenever she spotted a mum pushing a stroller or a shopping cart, she’d enthusiastically ask, ‘Hey! Do you need a babysitter? I have teenage daughters’,” recalls Nina.

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