The city has several initiatives and support entities to aid the growth and development of startups in Dubai
StartUp
Latest in StartUp
Funding
Revealed: 2025 predicted to be a break-out year for startup funding in UAE
Rising investor confidence, market stability and growth prospects are to act as major drivers for investments
BNPL
Saudi fintech JeelPay raises $6.6mn in Pre-Series A funding
Joa Capital, AlJazira Capital, and other angel investors participated in the startup’s latest funding round
Dubai International Airport
Youth-led ‘Emirati District’ debuts at Dubai International Airport
This initiative aims to position Emirati youth as global role models while supporting their access to international markets
digital economy
Mastercard and Boost join forces to drive MSME growth and cash digitisation in FMCG networks
The partnership will benefit FMCG distributors and retailers that use Boost’s digital commerce platform
Abu Dhabi Masdar City
UAE lottery guide; 2025 holiday planner; Riyadh Metro open; Dubai real estate off-plan sales – 10 things you missed this week
UAE holidays in 2025, national lottery essential information, the Riyadh Metro starts operations, Dubai real estate latest and more
Abu Dhabi business
Startups in Abu Dhabi’s Hub71 secure $1.9bn in funding
Hub71 startups in Abu Dhabi have achieved revenues of $1.1bn
Abu Dhabi Masdar City
UAE free zone offers new startup packages with visa for company lifetime and easy launch perks
Masdar City in the UAE has introduced custom startup packages for businesses with visa support and simplified set up
Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy
Dubai Chambers supports expansion of 485 digital startups; AI and Fintech lead growth
Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy sees massive 380 per cent increase in startup support
Ajman
New UAE free zone offers visas within 24 hours and business licence in 120 minutes
A UAE free zone is enticing entrepreneurs with fast-track visa applications and simple startup offerings
Al Salam Bank-Bahrain
Al Salam Bank’s new Workspaces eases financial management for MSMEs
Portal introduces three new features in Bahrain – switch functionality; Admin User and flexible payment execution
Entrepreneur
UAE startup funding to triple to $2bn by end of 2024 as region sees entrepreneur boom
Venture capital (VC) and private equity (PE) funding in the UAE are expected to surpass $2 billion by the end of 2024, marking a more than threefold increase
Saudi businesses
Saudi entrepreneurs: 42% of adults plan to launch a business despite a fear of failure
Saudi Arabia’s entrepreneurial drive is at an eight-year high according toa new report
India
VC funding in Indian startups falls 11% in October 2024 despite keeping billion-dollar levels
Total venture capital funding for the first 10 months of 2024 recorded an increase of over 8 per cent, reaching $11.7 billion
Abu Dhabi Investment Office
Abu Dhabi invites bidders for car wash business tender
Abu Dhabi Investment Office is looking for businesses to run car wash and service centres in the emirate
Entrepreneurs
Gulf region poised to rival Silicon Valley as next global tech hub, ‘unicorn factory’, tech investor says
Unicorn Hunters co-founder Silvina Moschini, speaking at FII in Riyadh, outlined plans for the Gulf to become a ‘unicorn factory’ through Latin American partnerships
Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange
Dubai real estate supply; Emirates named ‘World’s Best Airline’; $100m startup boost; Best Arab universities; Saudi expat job skill tests – 10 things you missed this week
Dubai real estate supply, ‘World’s Best Airline’, $100m startup boost, Saudi expat job skills and more of the top news stories this week