Over the past 20 years, Dubai Internet City (DIC) has built a comprehensive ecosystem around fostering technology-related business and is now reaping the rewards of its efforts through the international tech start-ups it is attracting – with online payment solution Stripe the latest example – re-enforcing the quote “if you build it, they will come”.
The secret-sauce to the success of this ecosystem is not the offices and logistical facilities that DIC provides its clients, but rather the opportunities for collaboration that come out of the freezone’s environment, explained Ammar Al Malik, managing director of DIC.
“We focus on the bigger picture of how to solidify and make a sustainable system that is here for the next hundred years and this is done through developing the ecosystem with all the elements together, including the universities which educate our youth, the start-up incubators, the multinationals etc.,” said Al Malik.
With Phase One of DIC’s Innovation Hub completed last year, demand is high and is expected to go up to roughly 40,000 people working out of DIC once the hub is fully complete in 2026.
“The Innovation Hub is doing extremely well – the launch of Phase One brought in a lot of demand and we already have demand for the next phase. This is because Dubai is a hub for innovation and technology – this is what we have been building over the last 20 years,” said Al Malik.
“This is an important role to play because it’s not about the real-estate alone, but about building stories within the ecosystem,” he continued.
In an exclusive interview with Arabian Business, Al Malik talks about the importance of talent in the growth of the start-up ecosystem, touching upon the vital role the UAE is playing in attracting this talent.
How do the government’s recent initiatives around tech-innovation support the start-up ecosystem?
DIC plays an integral role in supporting the government’s initiatives on digitalisation. All of the clients that we have here today are playing a role in this transformation that Dubai is going through towards becoming a smart city.
Ammar Al Malik, managing director of Dubai Internet City (DIC).
What is going on with the Golden Visas and similar initiatives is extremely important and you will only see its results in time, but you will see it for sure. Even more talent is now excited to come to Dubai for work or to stay here long-term and get the Golden Visa. You will see the result of getting all these programmers, scientists, doctors into Dubai in a few years Inshallah as they integrate into the community and they start to shine.
What can the MENA region do to support the growth of start-ups and to attract more such businesses into the region?
There are two opportunities we can build on as MENA. One of them is trying to solve the fragmentation issue that we have. We need to look at how we can break down the barriers to enable start-ups and tech companies to grow within the region across different countries and jurisdictions easily. This is where incubators can play a role, by having these accelerator programmes between the different countries in the region working together, breaking down barriers and helping each other.
The other opportunity is regarding the 578 million people in the region and how we can develop them, meaning talent. At the end of the day, talent has always been the bread and butter for everything related to the future. Every single country in the world is fighting for and developing talent.
We are already seeing the UAE working on attracting talent through initiatives such as the National Programme for Coders or the golden visa for scientists, programmers, doctors etc.
Where does the MENA region stand in terms of attracting and creating talent?
Once you reach a certain stage as a start-up, you need talent to grow further so you need to be able to attract talent, but also have skilled talent within the ecosystem itself.
This is why I keep talking about the importance of having sustainable talent, a group of people who are able to deliver what you are trying to achieve over the next hundred years.
Dubai is well-connected geographically and that helps in making a regional hub for talent.
We have to develop our own talent in the MENA region – this needs to happen. There is a shortage of tech talent across the world and so there is an opportunity for us to develop this across the region and make sure that, in the next few decades, our youth has the opportunity to contribute to technology around the world. This is an opportunity for us more than anything.
Then you have the other part of attracting talent. Dubai is well-connected geographically and that helps in making a regional hub for talent, along with the other initiatives we discussed.
Where do the opportunities for MENA start-ups lie? From which sectors might the next unicorn emerge?
You can see that the region is still ripe with opportunities. From its people to its culture and interconnectivity, the Middle East has amazing potential and we just need to tap into it, there’s a lot we can do.
Post-Covid, globally, we’ve seen fintech and e-commerce shine as opportunities for start-ups, for obvious reasons. You’re hearing a lot about unicorns in these two fields and we are seeing a lot of funding go into these two areas.
More niche potentials for start-ups include food-tech and here we are talking not only about agritech but also about cloud kitchens and the food-service business in general, which has been growing over the past year.
Artificial intelligence and data science became especially relevant during the pandemic when everyone was working from home and had to use the cloud and data became even more important.
DIC is focusing on wellness through having attractive grounds and yoga classes for clients.
How do you envision the workplace of the future?
The future of the workplace is not just offices any more. This is why, in DIC, we are upgrading our external areas to create spaces for people to mingle and meet in nature.
We are also focusing on wellness through having attractive grounds, yoga classes for our clients etc. It is also about the community that surrounds us and that is why we are focusing on our retail spaces and facilities. We will be hosting a lot of conferences and events.
In short, making sure this is the best place for talent to be in.
What role do GITEX, and similar events, play in fostering the tech-ecosystem?
GITEX has always been one of the most important events in the region for people to showcase and meet …the important thing is that this year it is happening during Expo 2020 Dubai and therefore you have that double opportunity.
For us, it is an opportunity to meet people and create bridges between them. It’s always about talent: if you have the right people on the team, the rest will follow.
Follow us on
