Nima Vakili

Founder and CEO

Nima Vakili is the founder and CEO of Safa BioWorks, an integrated platform chemicals manufacturer based in Dubai and Riyadh, building the Gulf’s first regional production of lactic acid and lactate derivatives from date palm biomass. These are chemicals the region consumes across food preservation, pharmaceuticals and bioplastics, and currently imports in full. His work centres on the residue side of the date sector, converting off-spec fruit and palm biomass from a disposal cost for growers and processors into higher-value industrial chemistry produced in-region. Safa BioWorks partners with the National Center for Palms and Dates on feedstock development.