Brandon Dawson: “The Middle East is the most progressive region in the world”

“The Middle East is unique from the standpoint that it’s run by leadership with a super long-term perspective,” Brandon Dawson told Arabian Business. “They’re the most progressive region in the world for putting their money where their intention is.”

Dawson is the builder and scaling specialist behind Cardone Ventures, the growth platform he co-founded with venture capitalist Grant Cardone. The business consulting firm manages over $2 billion in assets.

Their partnership, he says, works precisely because it is not a battle for control. “One of my commitments for the last 20 years has been to be the best partner anybody can ever have,” Dawson says, adding that broken partnerships remain one of the top reasons businesses fail. “Control equals income. When people don’t know who owns decisions, everything slows down.”

A system built to execute

At Cardone Ventures, Dawson leads strategy, direction and execution frameworks, while Cardone focuses on speed, influence and mobilisation. “He sees huge pictures and attacks them fast. I’m strategic and methodical. That’s where we complement each other,” Dawson says.

That operating model is now colliding with opportunity in the UAE. Dawson is spending increasing time in the region and points to leadership alignment, capital commitment and long-term thinking as decisive advantages. “This is a place that actually backs vision with action,” he says.

The UAE is already central to the Cardone ecosystem’s health ambitions. In late 2025, Abu Dhabi-based M42 partnered with 10X Health and REVIV Global to launch 10XREVIV, bringing precision nutrition, genomics and AI-driven personalisation to the local market.

For Dawson, it is not about noise or branding. It is about infrastructure. “Our superpower is being clear on who we are individually,” he says. “Collectively, that’s what allows us to move fast and without chaos.”

Cardone, famous for his 10X business strategy, owns and operates a number of privately held companies, including a private equity real estate firm, Cardone Capital.