International investor and entrepreneur Dr. David von Rosen has announced the opening of 25 Degrees, a new high-end developer co-founded with a family office in Dubai, as well as the completion of its first opulent Palm Jumeirah villa.
Von Rosen claims that 25 Degrees will serve the increasing number of ultra-high-net-worth individuals coming to Dubai from Europe and the US. These individuals are looking for best-in-class, super prime homes that are built to high European standards, style, and specifications, which are currently in short supply. Von Rosen has invested more than AED 500 million ($136.13 million) of his private capital in 25 Degrees to date.
Dr. von Rosen is a German national who resides in Switzerland and Dubai and works as an international investor and entrepreneur. He is the founder of multiple gaming and gambling businesses with over $1 billion in annual revenue worldwide. He has also founded a large number of businesses in the fintech, fashion, and insurance industries.
Renovate and build a new
Taking its name from Dubai’s latitudinal position, 25 Degrees will create new homes for sale in addition to renovating current ones. To market its first project, the developer has teamed up with Sotheby’s International Realty.
The first property owned by 25 Degrees is a 5,800-square-foot private beach villa that was finished in January 2024 and is listed for $16.9 million. The developer plans to build two larger, 10,500-square-foot private beach villas as their next two projects.
Carter Hones Associates, a real estate project management and consulting firm, and 25 Degrees have formed a strategic alliance. Reputable local interior designers and architects have partnered with the developer as well.
Luxury beach villa
Imported furnishings and fixtures from renowned European brands, such as Minotti, Panzeri, Baxter, and Cattelan Italia, complete the first completed luxury beach villa.
High-quality stone with a variety of cuts and finishes that was imported from Brazil, Greece, and Italy was also incorporated into the building. These include the Italian white onyx with backlighting in the entry hall, the Italian oyster stone with backlighting in the bar area, and the Greek white Calacatta marble integrated into the kitchen with Gaggenau appliances.
The launch coincides with a spike in demand for opulent real estate in Dubai, where sales of properties valued at over $10 million have increased by 92.4% to 431 in 2023, according to a Knight King report (Zawya). According to the report, Dubai has sold twice as many homes priced at $10 million or more in the first nine months of 2023 than its closest rival, New York.
Dubai’s real estate market is expanding quickly, but a lot of the attention has been paid to creating new communities farther inland. According to Von Rosen, 25 Degrees will instead concentrate on apartments in developed, well-kept, and appealing neighborhoods with pre-existing infrastructure, like Palm Jumeirah, where residents feel truly connected to one another and won’t be surrounded by a lot of construction for some time.
Ambitious plan
While the Palm Jumeirah is 25 Degrees’ primary focus, von Rosen intends to quickly grow the company to develop ultra-prime properties in other strategic areas of Dubai, with an ambitious objective of selling 100 properties by 2030.
According to a 2023 report by Henley & Partners, the UAE became the second most sought-after country for the ultra-wealthy, after Australia, when 4,500 millionaires relocated there in the previous year. These high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs), who are described in the report as having investable wealth of at least $1 million, will be 25 Degrees’ primary target market.
Dr von Rosen said: “Dubai is the best place to be in the world right now, both in terms of lifestyle on offer and the business opportunities. That’s precisely why high-net-worths from across the globe are flocking here in increasing numbers.
“These elites, particularly those from the US and across Europe, are looking for spacious homes built in European style and to the highest specifications of European design. There’s a historic lack of this type of property in Dubai – and that’s the gap in the market 25 Degrees is filling.
Finest materials
“Each of our properties, whether a new build or renovation, is developed to the highest level of specification, using the finest materials imported from all over the world, finished and detailed to the highest level of luxury and specification. We’re bringing the highest level of European standards, craftsmanship, materials, and finish to our properties. This is what HNWIs have come to expect in other global cities but rarely find in Dubai.
“It’s also been a privilege to be partnered with local industry experts with distinguished track records who have been and will continue to be, instrumental in 25 Degrees’ success.
“Our first property, a private beach villa, hit the market in January 2024 and will be followed by two larger private beach villas later in the year. Our sole focus is now on scaling the business to hit our ambitious target of selling 100 homes by 2030 in the wider region.