The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has quickly become one of the top up-and-coming destinations in the world for emerging startups, with entrepreneurs and businesses flocking to the region in search of opportunity and support.
With favourable regulations, great tax incentives and immense support from both the public and private sectors, it’s no wonder so many people are choosing the UAE as a location to start a business.
One of the many aspects of business support these days is the presence of accelerators and incubators, organisations that are designed for the specific purpose of helping and guiding young companies through their entrepreneurial and professional journies.
They do so by means of financial assistance – often funding in exchange for equity – as well as the provision of mentorship from other experienced and successful business owners, access to important networks, training programmes and more.
Due to its position in the world as an increasingly popular destination for emerging startups, it’s no surprise that plenty of accelerators and incubators have popped up in the UAE. Providing support to startups in the region, these organisations are making significant contributions to growing both the economy and general entrepreneurial spirit.
Top 12 Incubators and Accelerators in the UAE
With such an exciting and fast-growing business environment in the UAE, it’s no surprise that the country is seeing more and more accelerators and incubators popping up over time.
Here are some of the top incubators and accelerators (sometimes a combination of the two) based in the UAE.
1. DIFC Fintech Hive
Founded in 2021, the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Innovation Hub has become a catalyst for startups in not only fintech and regtech, but all types of tech. The hub offers support for growing startups by means of mentorship, networking opportunities, accelerator programmes and more.
Furthermore, the DIFC Innovation Hub helps startups find funding by means of creating connections between emerging companies and the UAE investor base, including angel investors, venture capital firms and institutional backers.
Focusing on early-stage and growth-stage startups, the primary goal of the hub is to help position Dubai as a leader in global finance and technology.
2. Sandbox
Sandbox, established under Oraseya Capital, is one of the UAE’s leading accelerator programmes that is specifically geared towards pre-seed and seed-stage tech startups and entrepreneurs.
The accelerator invites candidates to participate in a five-month programme during which they will receive training to ensure that they’re ready to run their businesses in the competitive UAE business environment and attract investment.
During the programme, entrepreneurs will receive guidance and mentors from experienced entrepreneurs, gain access to VCs and receive plenty of hands-on support from figures in the startup environment.
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3. Faster Capital
Based in Oud Metha in Dubai, Faster Capital is an accelerator firm that invests in a broad variety of industries including health tech, fintech, edtech, artificial intelligence, agritech, insurance tech, biotech, entertainment, media, software, cryptocurrency, cybersecurity and more.
The accelerator was founded in 2015 and has made nearly 500 investments so far, with another 200-off exits in their books.
4. Flat6Labs
Flat6Labs is a Cairo-based accelerator that was founded in 2011, with additional offices in Abu Dhabi, Beirut, Jeddah, Manama and Tunis.
So far, the organisation has made just under 600 investments and has successfully completed 200 exits. Flat6Labs’ focus is on big data, transportation, mobile and virtual reality sectors.
5. In5
In5 is a Dubai-based incubator that was founded in 2013 and has since made investments in a variety of companies in a range of sectors, including media technology, information technology and B2B commercial services.
Some of these recipients include companies like PeriCare, BaggageTAXI and most recently, Detectiome.
6. Intelak Hub
Originally launched in 2016, Intelak Hub is a Dubai-based accelerator whose main focus is on travel and aviation services. Its mission is to contribute to driving innovation in not only aviation and travel but tourism more broadly.
A few of its most prominent partners include Microsoft, Emirates Group and Dubai’s Department of Tourism, and it supports startups at various stages, as not only an accelerator but an incubator too.
Intelak Hub’s incubator offers equity-free funding, mentorships and workshops, while the accelerator is more focused on maturing startups that can scale in Dubi and beyond.
7. Krypto Labs
Krypto Labs was founded in 2017 in Masdar City Abu Dhabi, UAE. Since its inception, the organisation has become a leading accelerator and incubator that focuses on supporting global startups in industries including sustainability, AI and advanced technology.
The accelerator offers equity-based funding to startups along with access to co-working space, mentorship programmes and more. Krypto Labs also holds regular competitions that award decent seed investments to up-and-coming startups while simultaneously introducing them to industry experts and relevant professional networks.
8. Wamda
Wamda Capital is a venture capital and accelerator firm that supports tech startups primarily in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA region).
By means of its Wamda X programme, this organisation provides funding, resources and mentorships to startups by means of three phases: X START, X SOLVE and X SCALE.
Startups involved in Wamda X receive grants, attend workshops and are given access to a large network of industry experts. The programme ends with a pitch event at which startups hope to secure follow-up investment.
9. Grow Valley
Based in the UAE, GrowVally is an accelerator that focuses on venture building, offering support for startups in everything from ideation and validation to growth and eventually, exit.
By working with early-stage ventures, GrowValley aims to create sustainable, revenue-driven businesses, providing them with resources including strategy building, expertise in operations, engineering, talent recruitment and more.
GrowValley’s core focus is on ensuring product-market fit (PMF), scaling and long-term growth. The accelerator is designed to reduce risk for new companies to give them a better chance to secure investors and partners going forward and ultimately, foster growth.
10. Turn8
Turn8 is a Venture Capital as a Service (VCaaS) firm that is based in Dubai, UAE and was founded in 2012.
With a focus on making investments in startups based in the technology sector, the firm also has additional offices in parts of the United States including San Francisco and Denver. It invests in startups mostly in the MENA region.
Turn8 provides funding to startups that already have a minimum viable product (MVP) and are ready for the market. In addition to financial support, they also provide mentorship and business development over a four-to-five-month period.
So far, Turn8 has funded and supported more than 70 different startups all around the world.
