- What
- AED 500,000 to the winner plus a funded UAE pilot; runners-up AED 250,000 and AED 100,000.
- Who
- Pre-seed to pre-Series A scale-ups with an MVP willing to pilot in the UAE.
- Latest
- Last cohort 2025 — 2025 edition: 15 scale-ups shortlisted for the acceleratorNewest dated item on its own site · checked Oct 2026
Checked · October 2026 · innovate-for-tomorrow.dubaiholding.com · How we check ↗
In detail
Innovate For Tomorrow (Dubai Holding) is a corporate impact accelerator in the UAE. Dubai Holding's flagship impact accelerator for circular-economy scale-ups. In the 2025 edition, 15 shortlisted scale-ups were chosen from over 1,400 submissions across 93 countries; the winner received AED 500,000 plus a fully-funded pilot inside Dubai Holding's ecosystem.
- Amount
- Winner AED 500,000 + funded pilot · runners-up AED 250,000 and AED 100,000 (2025 edition)
- Terms
- No equity (prize + pilot)
- Eligibility
- Scale-ups with MVP/traction, pre-seed to pre-Series A, willing to pilot in the UAE
- Sectors
- Circular Economy — food loss and waste, resource recovery and regeneration, digital innovation for sustainability
- Benefits
- Funded pilot in Dubai Holding ecosystem
- Mentorship
- 12-week hybrid accelerator
- Free of charge
- Status
- 2025 edition concluded — register interest for the next edition
What the source says
“The winning scale-up received AED 500,000, in addition to a fully-funded opportunity to pilot its solution”
“Final selection of top 15 candidates benefit from the 12-week hybrid accelerator programme.”
“The Innovate For Tomorrow Impact Accelerator is Dubai Holding's flagship scale-up programme, empowering innovators to unlock a better future. In its second edition, the 2025 accelerator championed circular economy innovation”
“The 2025 cohort was selected from over 1,400 submissions across 93 countries.”
“The first runner-up was awarded AED 250,000, while the second runner-up received AED 100,000.”
“Is there a fee to participate? No. The programme is completely free of charge.”
Closing soon on the map
No published deadline in the next 30 days · All published deadlines →
Compare accelerators & incubators in the UAE
| Cost | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Innovate For Tomorrow (Dubai Holding)AED 500,000 to the winner plus a funded UAE pilot; runners-up AED 250,000 and AED 100,000. | AED 500,000 | No equity | Closed |
| 500 Global UAEEquity investment of US$100,000+ through the Sanabil Accelerator by 500 Global. | US$100,000+ | Equity; Phase 1 programme fee US$35,000 | Closed |
| CatalystSeed funding as SAFE notes, pre-seed and seed. | not published | Convertible | Active |
| Disrupt.comVenture builder that co-founds AI-first ventures and funds them from its own balance sheet. | not published | Equity | Open |
| Hub71AED 250K in-kind plus AED 250K cash via SAFE note; AED 250K top-up for high performers. | AED 250K | Equity | Open |
| in5 DubaiSubsidized business licence and coworking workspace. | not published | No equity | Active |
| IntelakAED 50K equity-free grant. | AED 50K | No equity | Active |
| NQubatorIncubation and acceleration programmes; Digital Commerce Cohort. | not published | Equity | Active |
| SheraaEquity-free ERF grants from an AED 5M fund plus programmes. | not published | No equity | Active |
| DIFC Innovation Hub — Fintech AcceleratorRegulatory sandbox access and programme support for fintech startups. | not published | No equity | Closed |
| Hamdan Innovation Incubator (Hi2)Free 16-week tech incubator with mentoring and investor introductions; no cash amount. | not published | No cost to join | Closed |
| Plug and Play Abu DhabiAccelerator programme with potential VC investment. | not published | Not published | Active |
| Presight AI AcceleratorSix-month accelerator with a $50K in-kind SAFE note; no working application link today. | $50K | SAFE | Active |
| startADNo direct investment published; corporate pilots via sprint accelerators. | not published | No equity | Active |
No programmes match these filters.
Highest amount in each programme’s own “What” line. Other currencies converted for sorting only (Gulf pegs; KWD, EUR, GBP approximate).
All accelerators & incubators in the UAE → · Across the Gulf →
More programmes that take no equity →
Questions founders ask
What does Innovate For Tomorrow (Dubai Holding) offer?
AED 500,000 to the winner plus a funded UAE pilot; runners-up AED 250,000 and AED 100,000.
Does Innovate For Tomorrow (Dubai Holding) take equity?
No equity — prize plus funded pilot.
Is it open now?
No — it is currently closed. The status on this page follows the programme’s own site.
How do I apply?
No application form is published. Its website is the way in.
Sources
Primary source · innovate-for-tomorrow.dubaiholding.com · Checked October 2026