Fortis Digital Solutions, a Dubai-based provider of point-of-sale and business management software, has launched FortisOS, an operating system for restaurants and cafés that uses artificial intelligence to prepare routine back-office tasks for owners to approve, according to a statement carried by Zawya published on October 22.
The platform was unveiled at Ballers in Downtown Dubai, which the company described as one of the first venues using FortisOS. Fortis did not disclose pricing or how many restaurants have signed up.
What the company does
Fortis started out by turning card payment terminals into cloud-based point-of-sale systems. Its SmartPOS software runs on card machines supplied by Network International, letting merchants take orders, record cash and card payments, manage inventory and run loyalty programs from a single device, the company says. It also sells Fortis Loyalty, which rewards customers with points or stamps each time they pay.
FortisOS combines point of sale, kitchen management, inventory, analytics, QR ordering and customer loyalty in one system, so that dine-in, takeaway and delivery orders go through the same flow. According to the statement, the software updates stock and margin figures in real time and, at the end of each day, checks orders and payments, flags exceptions for review, prepares draft purchase orders, calculates tips under configured rules and closes the books. It also identifies repeat customers who have stopped visiting and drafts WhatsApp messages to guests who have opted in.
The system runs on iOS, Android and desktop devices that restaurants already own and works with LAN, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi printers, so venues do not need to buy proprietary terminals, Fortis said.
“Restaurant owners in the UAE don’t lack ambition but hours,” Artem Zarubenko, Group CEO at Fortis, said in the statement. He said too much of an owner’s day goes to switching between systems, checking spreadsheets and reconciling the till.
The founders and leadership
According to its website, Fortis was founded in Dubai in 2022. The site lists Alberto Caruso as co-founder and Zarubenko as executive vice president, with Sandeep Gomes as CEO for the Middle East and North Africa and Eugene Shilnikov as global chief product officer. Caruso was described as chief executive and founder when the company announced its Series A round in 2024.
Funding and investors
Fortis raised $20 million in a Series A round led by Opportunity Venture (Asia), a Singapore-based venture capital firm, in April 2024, as reported by Wamda and FinTech Futures. Wamda reported at the time that the company had relocated its headquarters to the UAE in 2024. Philip F. Ma, managing partner at Opportunity Venture, said Fortis’s approach to fintech and retail technology aligned with the firm’s investment thesis, according to the 2024 statement.
Traction and market
Fortis says it secured a strategic partnership with Network International, which it describes as one of the leading payment providers in the region, in 2023, and its website states that it serves more than 90,000 merchants and 10 million customers globally. It does not break those figures down by country or disclose revenue.
The company is targeting a crowded food service market. The statement cited a projection that the UAE food service market will reach $50.21 billion by 2033, more than tripling from its 2024 size, and said around 2,336 new food establishments opened in the first half of 2025. It also cited a 2025 YouGov survey in which 31% of UAE residents said they were eating out less often than a year earlier, while 34% said loyalty points or rewards would encourage them to dine out.
What’s next
Fortis says it is working to secure more partnerships with banks and payment providers, launch new products and expand across the wider Middle East and North Africa region. When it raised its Series A, the company said the funds would go toward new services, omnichannel tools, brand building, regional expansion and hiring.
This series earlier profiled CapQuest, the Dubai-based equity management platform for start-ups, and Databuddy Analytics, the Dubai-based developer of an AI analyst for product teams.
