His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, has launched Dubai Founders HQ, a flagship initiative that aims to consolidate and strengthen Dubai’s startup and small and medium enterprise (SME) ecosystem.
Dubai Founders HQ is a joint initiative by the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) and the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, and is the first-of-its-kind ‘phygital’ platform, combining a dynamic physical campus with a comprehensive digital ecosystem. The initiative brings together founders, investors, corporates and enablers under one roof to foster collaboration, innovation and business growth.
More than 25 leading public and private sector partners, spanning venture capital, financial services, government entities, telecommunications, and innovation hubs, have already joined the platform, reinforcing its role as a central platform within Dubai’s innovation ecosystem.
During the visit to Dubai Founders HQ located in the 25Hours Hotel at One Central, Dubai World Trade Centre, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed said the new campus will play a key role in unifying and strengthening Dubai’s entrepreneurship ecosystem. His Highness underlined the importance of joint efforts between the public and private sectors to further empower entrepreneurs and innovators to succeed.
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy PM and Minister of Defence UAE, Chairman – The Executive Council Dubai
“In Dubai, entrepreneurship is considered a key engine of comprehensive and sustainable development and a vital force shaping the future. We are committed to fostering an environment that embraces creativity, encourages new ideas and transforms them into success stories that enhance Dubai’s position as a global center for innovation and creativity. Supporting entrepreneurs is an investment in human potential and in our society’s capacity to innovate and move confidently towards a more prosperous future. Many startups have begun their journey in Dubai and grown to reach global markets, and our aim is to make the city a platform where bold ideas can flourish and scale up.”
Empowering founders with unparalleled resources to launch, scale and thrive, Dubai Founders HQ is a landmark initiative launched under the Dubai Economic Agenda D33, advancing key objectives such as scaling 30 unicorns, startups valued at over $1 billion, from Dubai and enabling 400 SMEs to grow by 2033.
Through partnerships with leading local and global ecosystem players, it reaffirms Dubai’s commitment to fostering innovation and accelerates the development of the entrepreneurial landscape in strategic sectors aligned with D33.
The new initiative serves as a transformative approach to ecosystem-building, consolidating resources and creating a streamlined entry point for entrepreneurs, and delivering end-to-end enabling services to founders across all stages of growth. Through its hub-and-spoke model, Dubai Founders HQ acts as the gravitational center of Dubai’s innovation landscape, while seamlessly connecting with free zones, accelerators, and incubators across Dubai.
