UAE is a sprawling country. It is marked by vibrancy in its economic, technological, scientific and socio-cultural fields. The country has been fortunate to have leaders who believe in providing a conducive environment for its people. Amongst the areas that they have been strongly focusing upon is to provide a nurturing ecosystem for Startups and for those with an entrepreneurial vision.  As a result of which resources for entrepreneurs are increasing at a rapid rate

Today we have a number of business accelerator and incubators located across the country. If you haven’t heard about these terminology before they are basically an organization designed to accelerate the growth and success of entrepreneurial companies through an array of business support resources and services that could include physical space, capital, coaching, common services, and networking connections. Although there is a slight difference between accelerators and incubators, they can be understood as “if an accelerator is the startup equivalent of kindergarten then an incubator is a sort of entrepreneurial preschool” as put by  NYUAD’s Startupedia. If you’re in and around UAE and plan on starting up a business here are some details that you could benefit from :

The In5

In5 a business incubator located in Dubai Internet city platform for entrepreneurs and startups, fostering innovation and helping new ideas reach the marketplace. Launched by TECOM Group, in5 offers five key benefits, which comprise a robust business set-up framework, training and mentorship, networking, investment opportunities, and cutting-edge prototyping labs, studios and creative workspaces. They have well equipped and comfortable offices, they have near 70% discounts on registrations, licensing and visa fees. And most importantly they offer you a vibrant network of companies.

TURN8

TURN8 is a remarkable collaboration between enterprise and innovators launched by DP World  (Dubai Port, one of the biggest port owners and managers in the world)to foster a global entrepreneurial and innovation culture. They focus on startups in the logistics and supply chain sector. They have 3 stages of acceleration namely – Growth Design, Product Development and Attracting Clients and Post- Accelerator Support Series and A Funding. During the early months of the accelerator program, they think of it as warm-up laps on a race track. Everything is tested and analyzed: the team, business model, solution, etc. Startups also receive training in leadership instruction, scale-oriented business models, customer validation and adoption, product development roadmaps and building internal teams. After which the technology continues to be developed as information about the market is gained. They help manage this process with a growth scorecard, support business development and marketing efforts while seeking the perfect product-to-market fit. This helps the startups to gain more insights. Concluding the round, startups demonstrate their success through a private demo day pitch event for local and international investors from our network. After the event, teams are supported with business development, fundraising and mentorship for 12 months.

Dtec

An initiative by Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority, it has been established for  startups and entrepreneurs looking for a flexible place to start their tech business in the heart of Dubai, it offers a nurturing, supportive community from which to grow. It has the largest technology innovation hub in the MENA region, the 5,000 sqm creatively designed space hosts an integrated ecosystem. Dtec is designed for business convenience.  From 100% business ownership, visa processing, 24/7 access, high speed wifi, a range of creative meeting and events spaces.

Flat6Labs

Located in the capital city of Abu Dhabi, is a regional startup accelerator program that fosters and invests in bright and passionate entrepreneurs with cutting-edge ideas. They provide seed funding, strategic mentorship, a creative workspace, a multitude of perks, entrepreneurship-focused business training, and directly support our startups through an expansive network of partner entities, mentors and investors. They have more than 100 companies and have succeeding in creating over 700 jobs with the aid of 200 plus mentors.

AstroLabs

AstroLabs located in Dubai is specifically a tech lab launched with the partnership of Google. The space features a Google-supported mobile device development lab, a training facility, meeting rooms, etc. The AstroLab community members are incredibly diverse, hailing from over 50 countries. They have partnered with the largest free zone in the UAE and top-ranked zone globally, DMCC, to provide their members with a unique subsidized company licensing program.  The space, they believe is  built for entrepreneurs with open plan, bookable meeting rooms, casual cafe, training/events venue, a heads-down “coding cave,” device lab to test your apps, and even a shower so that you can practically live here and its open 24/7.

For more details check out their websites:

https://infive.ae/ (In5)

https://turn8.co/ (TURN8)

https://dtec.ae/ (Dtec)

https://www.flat6labs.com/ (Flat6labs)

https://astrolabs.com/ (AstroLabs)