Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry building in Dubai. Dubai Start-up Hub, an initiative of DCCI saw a trebling of start-up memberships in the first six months of the year, due to an uptick in digital solultions. Pawan Singh / The National
Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry building in Dubai. Dubai Start-up Hub, an initiative of DCCI saw a trebling of start-up memberships in the first six months of the year, due to an uptick in digital solultions. Pawan Singh / The National
Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry building in Dubai. Dubai Start-up Hub, an initiative of DCCI saw a trebling of start-up memberships in the first six months of the year, due to an uptick in digital solultions. Pawan Singh / The National
Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry building in Dubai. Dubai Start-up Hub, an initiative of DCCI saw a trebling of start-up memberships in the first six months of the year, due to an uptick in digita

Dubai Chamber start-up hub membership trebles on uptick in digital transformation


Sarmad Khan
  • English
  • Arabic

Dubai Start-up Hub, an initiative of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, recorded a trebling of membership in the first six months of this year, accelerated by the emirate’s push for digital transformation.

The 236 per cent surge was underpinned by growth in the number of start-ups in Dubai and abroad looking to capitalise on opportunities to bring more digital solutions to the emirate, the Middle East's business and financial hub, the DCCI said in a statement on Sunday.

Membership of the hub climbed to 1,568 at the end of June this year, from 466 recorded in the same period last year. It grew 13 per cent on average per month in the first half, the trade body said.

Some 1,200 entrepreneurs benefitted from the start-up hub’s support programmes during the first six months of the year, pushing the total number of beneficiaries to more than 8,200. Emiratis accounted for a quarter of all beneficiaries in first half.

About 30 Emirati entrepreneurs are now close to launching their own businesses after graduating from the first-ever Emirati Development Programme rolled out earlier this year, the DCCI said.

The performance reflects the strong entrepreneurial spirit that exists in the UAE, as well as the “crucial role” that start-ups are playing in bringing unique business concepts that fill market gaps, Hamad Buamim, president and chief executive of the trade body said.

In the wake of Covid-19’s impact on the business landscape, the DCCI has reshaped its support offerings and resources to meet the evolving needs of start-ups.

Despite new challenges posed by Covid-19 the “pandemic has created an opportunity for technology start-ups”, in particular, Mr Buamim said.

The hub also collaborated with more than 70 business incubators across the world during the first half of 2020, including India, the US, the UK, Russia, Hungary, Germany and China. More than 50 per cent of applications for its core programme were from international start-ups. The trade body is coordinating its international offices to attract more high-potential businesses to the Dubai market, it said.

Among new members, the start-up hub attracted a large volume of high-potential business ventures specialising in FinTech, HealthTech, education, e-commerce, sustainability, wellness and supply chains that emerged in response to changing market conditions, signalling a resurgence in entrepreneurial activity.

Earlier this month, the Dubai Start-up Hub rolled out a programme to help start-ups expand into new markets. Called Scale-Up Dubai, the initiative is an extension of the hub's existing Market Access programme that facilitates partnerships between start-ups and corporates in the emirate.

Selected start-ups that have already developed viable businesses and have benefitted from the Market Access programme have joined the initiative.

Thank You for Banking with Us

Director: Laila Abbas

Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum

Rating: 4/5

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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The specs

Engine: 4 liquid-cooled permanent magnet synchronous electric motors placed at each wheel

Battery: Rimac 120kWh Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2) chemistry

Power: 1877bhp

Torque: 2300Nm

Price: Dh7,500,00

On sale: Now

 

ANDROID%20VERSION%20NAMES%2C%20IN%20ORDER
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Jigra
Director: Vasan Bala
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Rated: 3.5/5
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Left Bank: Art, Passion and Rebirth of Paris 1940-1950

Agnes Poirer, Bloomsbury

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Xpanceo

Started: 2018

Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov

Based: Dubai, UAE

Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality

Funding: $40 million

Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)

Five famous companies founded by teens

There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:

  1. Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate. 
  2. Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc. 
  3. Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway. 
  4. Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
  5. Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
THE SPECS

Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine 

Power: 420kW

Torque: 780Nm

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Price: From Dh1,350,000

On sale: Available for preorder now

Getting there

The flights

Flydubai operates up to seven flights a week to Helsinki. Return fares to Helsinki from Dubai start from Dh1,545 in Economy and Dh7,560 in Business Class.

The stay

Golden Crown Igloos in Levi offer stays from Dh1,215 per person per night for a superior igloo; www.leviniglut.net 

Panorama Hotel in Levi is conveniently located at the top of Levi fell, a short walk from the gondola. Stays start from Dh292 per night based on two people sharing; www. golevi.fi/en/accommodation/hotel-levi-panorama

Arctic Treehouse Hotel in Rovaniemi offers stays from Dh1,379 per night based on two people sharing; www.arctictreehousehotel.com

Washmen Profile

Date Started: May 2015

Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: Laundry

Employees: 170

Funding: about $8m

Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

THE BIO

Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979

Education: UAE University, Al Ain

Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6

Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma

Favourite book: Science and geology

Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC

Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.

While you're here
Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE

Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:

• Buy second hand stuff

 They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.

• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres

 Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.

• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.

Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.

• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home

Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

if you go

The flights

Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.

The hotel

Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.

The tour

Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg