This research was presented at the Smart SMB Summit and Awards 2019 in Dubai. It highlights the UAE efforts to grow tech entrepreneurs and the digital startup ecosystem in the UAE. It provides insight into the UAE competitiveness in Entrepreneurship and initiatives the country has taken to grow the digital startup ecosystem.

1. The Digital Start-up
Ecosystem in the UAE:
How to Grow Tech
Entrepreneurs?
By
Dr. Saeed Aldhaheri
Chairman of Smartworld L.L.C
@DDSaeed
Smart SMB Summit & Awards, 11 September 2019, Dubai

2. My Expert Assessment
Invited to participate at the 2019/2020 National Expert Survey
of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor GEM for the state of
entrepreneurship in UAE.

3. UAE Leadership Philosophy
• Vision: best country in the world by
2071
• Speed is the name of the game - Agility
• Technology is to improve quality of life
– happiness
• Human capital and talent are the
future of the country
• Future-focused
7. Dubai –A land for talent
“We must build the best environment in
Dubai for the world’s leading minds
The 8 Principles of Dubai
The Fifty-year Charter
Article 3: Setting up the first virtual commercial city
“We are seeking to house 100,000 companies in the virtual
zone and our end goal is to make setting up a company
easier than creating an email account”
Article 6: Free economic and creative zones in universities
“the end goal is not only graduating students but also
graduating companies”

4. Digital Start-ups
Definition
• Start-ups that are technology-driven
• UAE Tech Start-ups:
• e-commerce (amazon.ae, noon.com)
• Marketplaces (propertyfinder.ae)
• Fintech (Beehive, yallacompare)
• IaaS/PaaS/SaaS
• Using online platforms and apps
• Technologies:
• Cloud, AI, Blockchain, IoT,,,etc

5. Why digital Start-ups
• Key engine for wealth and job creation
• Use new technology to better serve
community
• Rising Deep Tech
• UAE 2021 vision: transitioning into
knowledge-based economy
• 45% of start-ups created globally are
now in Deep Tech related sub-sectors
Developing the digital job market in the region has the potential to
create 1.3 million additional digital jobs in the GCC by 2025.
Strategy& and LinkedIn report 2017
Impact of Tech Entrepreneurs on society
• Innovation
• Creating jobs
• Emergence and growth of industries

6. UAE
Entrepreneurship
and Start-ups by
Numbers
UAE is 26globally and 3rd regionally in the Global
Entrepreneurship Index. GEI 2018
UAE is 1st in Innovation in the Arab world and 36 Globally. GII 2019
UAE is 11th in the world in the ease of doing business. World bank 2019
20% of the Arab world 100 most promising Tech start-ups
are in the UAE. The 100 Arab Start-ups shaping the 4IR, WEF and BEDB
30% of the country’s GDP is from SMEs. Wamda
76% of the MENA $650 million invested in digital startups in
2017 were in the UAE.
35%of all start-ups in the Arab world have HQs in the UAE,
and made 28% of all deals in 2018. MAGniTT

7. UAE ranking:
The Global
Competitiveness
index 4.0 2018
Global Competitiveness Index 4.0
• Integrating the notion of 4IR into the definition of competitiveness
• Emphasize the role of human capital as a defining feature of economic success in the 4IR
• Calls for better use of technology for economic leapfrogging
Enabling environment 9
ICT adoption 6
Financing of SMEs 19
VC availability 9
Innovation ecosystem/Bus. dynamism/ Entrepreneurial culture 16

8. Entrepreneuriship
ecosystem
• Strong areas ( 80< %)
• production innovation (100%)
• Networking (100%)
• High growth (90%)
• Internationlization (90%)
• ICT Infrastructure
• VC availability
• Culture (84%)
• Medium
• Institution quality (75%)
• Weakness:
• Technology absorption (18%)
• startup skills (29%)
• Risk acceptance (32%)
GEI 2018 Score

9. Government programs for
Entrepreneurs
• Strong commitment to develop entrepreneurial ecosystem:
• National Program for Small and Medium Enterprises
• Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development
• Dubai SME, an agency of DED
• Policy: allocate 20% of gov tenders to SMEs
• index for the cost of doing business for SMEs
• Dubai SME100
• Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sherra)
• Youth Hub – Federal Youth Authority
• Entrepreneurship Awards & competitions
• Mohammed bin Rashid Award for young business leaders
• PITCH@PALACE UAE
• Dwak App
• SmartPreneurs competition
• Dubai Young Entrepreneurs Competition

10. Innovation Parks: Educating and
helping tomorrows Entrepreneurs
• UAEU Science & innovation Park
• Partnership with industry in R&D
• Building start-up skills
• Production & commercialization of products
• Ex: patent to recycle carbon residues using
nanotechnology
• HCT 4.0
• First uni economic FZ
• Graduating companies and entrepreneurs
• Help students to establish high-tech companies
• Khalifa Innovation Center
• Business incubator
• Partners: Khalifa Fund, Mubadala, Tawazun, Sandooq
Al Watan,

11. Tech Start-ups
ecosystems in UAE
• Abu Dhabi Hub71
• $145 million Abu Dhabi Ghadan Venture Fund
• Dubai Startup hub
• Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sherra)
• AREA2071
• Crypt Lab – Masdar City
• Dubai Future accelerator
• Other accelerator programs
• Dtec (Silicon Oasis)
• Techstarts
• Astrolabs
• Supporting female entrepreneurs
• Womentum

12. UAE a center for
FinTech startups in
the region
• Dubai among the top 10 Fintech
locations of the future
• DIFC FinTech Hive
• DIFC's $100 million FinTech start-ups
fund
• 70+ registered start-ups
• Unique experimental license
• ADGM
• Reglab
• A hub for Fintech events
• Fintech Abu Dhabi - MENA’s leading FinTech
festival
• Fintech Abu Dhabi Awards & Innovation
challenge

13. 100 Arab Start-ups
shaping the 4IR
• WEF and BEDB initiative
• 20 startups from the UAE
• Transforming the region social
and economic fabric
• Long-term visa scheme (5-years)
• Good investment opportunities
• Speeding up adaption to 4IR
• WEF inviting these startups for
discussion how to shape regional
agenda

14. examples
• The AI app that’s interpret health reports
• Medicus ai
• Uses AI to explain and interpret medical reports, blood tests and health
data
• Founded in Dubai and has 4 international office
• The AI note taking app
• Wrappup
• Founded in 2015 at Dubai Silicon Oasis
• Acquired by Silicon Valley’s Voicera
• The app that predicts traffic accidents
• Derq
• Uses AI, V2V and V2I communication technology to help predict and
prevent vehicle collisions, tracking drivers behaviour and warn them of
potential dangers.

15. recommendations
Bring Entrepreneurship to the classroom: Investment in
education at all levels in building the skill sets of
tomorrow’s entrepreneurs.
Focused government policies on supporting Innovation,
Tech SMEs, specific financing instruments for tech start-
ups
Work to improve the competitiveness and ranking of
UAE in GEI, GII, GCI
Continue to improve regulations to accommodate new
technologies and provide good business environment
for Tech start-ups and Entrepreneurs
Increase government investment and funding to
local start-ups and entrepreneurs