The map·All programmes·UAE

Startup funding in the UAE

Every funding programme in the UAE on the GulfPitch map — 67 in total, 16 taking applications today. Each one checked against its own website.

Accelerators & incubators in the UAE · 12

Hub71

Accelerator · UAE
AED 250K in-kind plus AED 250K cash via SAFE note; up to AED 250K more via Access.
Equity — via SAFE note

in5 Dubai

Accelerator · UAE
Subsidized business licence and coworking workspace.
No equity — service or permission

Sheraa

Accelerator · UAE
Equity-free grants plus programme support.
No equity — grant

500 Global UAE

Accelerator · UAE
Equity investment pre-seed to Series A.

Catalyst

Accelerator · UAE
Seed funding as SAFE notes, pre-seed and seed.
Convertible — converts to equity

DIFC Innovation Hub — Fintech Accelerator

Accelerator · UAE
Regulatory sandbox access and programme support for fintech startups.
No equity — service or permission

Innovate For Tomorrow (Dubai Holding)

Accelerator · UAE
AED 500,000 to the winner plus a funded UAE pilot; runners-up AED 250,000 and AED 100,000.
No equity — prize plus funded pilot

Intelak

Accelerator · UAE
AED 50K equity-free grant.
No equity — grant

NQubator

Accelerator · UAE
Incubation plus referral into the Oraseya Capital co-invest pipeline.
Equity

Plug and Play Abu Dhabi

Accelerator · UAE
Accelerator programme with potential VC investment.
Equity — varies; ADGM track is equity-free

Presight AI Accelerator

Accelerator · UAE
Six-month accelerator with a $50K in-kind SAFE note; no working application link today.
SAFE — $50K in kind, no discount or cap

startAD

Accelerator · UAE
No direct investment published; corporate pilot budgets via sprint accelerators.
Equity

VC funds & investors in the UAE · 21

BECO Capital

VC fund · UAE
$820M+ AUM across five funds, investing Pre-Seed to pre-IPO; cheque size not disclosed.
Equity

MEVP

VC fund · UAE
Equity investment from seed to Series B, via a $150M fund (Fund IV).
Equity

Oraseya Capital

VC fund · UAE
Equity investment from an AED 500M fund, pre-Seed to Series B.
Equity

Plus VC

VC fund · UAE
Equity investment from pre-seed to Series A.
Equity

Shorooq Partners

VC fund · UAE
Equity investment, stage-agnostic.
Equity

VentureSouq (VSQ)

VC fund · UAE
FinTech and ClimateTech thematic funds active.
Equity

Access Bridge Ventures

VC fund · UAE
Equity investment from a $35M fund.
Equity — direct stake taken

Bunat Ventures

VC fund · UAE
Equity investment.
Equity — direct stake taken

BYLD

VC fund · UAE
Pre-seed and seed equity, leading rounds.
Equity — direct stake taken

COTU Ventures

VC fund · UAE
Pre-seed and seed equity investment.
Equity

Further Ventures

VC fund · UAE
Co-founder-style equity from formation to Series A, with reserved follow-on.
Equity — common stock as co-founder

Global Ventures

VC fund · UAE
Equity from a $400M AUM fund, seed to Series B.
Equity

Iliad Partners

VC fund · UAE
Equity from a $50M Fund I, pre-Series A and Series A.
Equity — direct stake taken

Lunara Partners

VC fund · UAE
Equity investment from pre-seed to pre-liquidity.
Equity — direct stake taken

MSA Novo (Novo Capital)

VC fund · UAE
Multi-stage equity investment.
Equity — direct stake taken

Mubadala Capital

VC fund · UAE
Equity investment from a $755bn+ asset manager.
Equity

Nuwa Capital

VC fund · UAE
Equity from seed to Series B.
Equity

Phoenix Venture Partners

VC fund · UAE
Equity from its maiden fund (PVPIF).
Equity

Salica Oryx Fund

VC fund · UAE
Equity from a $50M fund, pre-seed to Series A.
Equity — direct stake taken

TVM Capital Healthcare

VC fund · UAE
Healthcare growth equity.
Equity

Wamda Capital

VC fund · UAE
Equity investment at seed and early stage.
Equity

Grants & prizes in the UAE · 2

TiE Women MENA

Grant · UAE
Pitch competition with US$50,000 in equity-free cash prizes.
No equity — cash prize

Zayed Sustainability Prize

Grant · UAE
Non-dilutive prize: US$1M per category winner, US$100K per finalist.
No equity — prize money

Government programmes in the UAE · 9

ADGM

Government · UAE
A RegLab regulatory sandbox; not a funding programme.
No equity — service or permission

ADIO

Government · UAE
Project-dependent incentive packages plus regulatory fast-tracking.
No equity — service or permission

CBUAE FinTech Sandbox

Government · UAE
Regulatory permission to test fintech and digital-banking products.
No equity — service or permission

DIFC

Government · UAE
100% foreign ownership in a dedicated free zone; not a funding programme.
No equity — service or permission

Dubai Future Foundation

Government · UAE
Programme support and co-creation opportunities.

Masdar City Free Zone

Government · UAE
100% foreign ownership free-zone setup.
No equity — service or permission

twofour54

Government · UAE
Creative Lab funding, licence-fee waivers and production-rebate access.
No equity — service or permission

UAE AI and Data Authority

Government · UAE
National AI incentive packages.

UAE Golden Visa — Entrepreneur

Government · UAE
5-year renewable residency for entrepreneurs with a qualifying project.
No equity — residency permission

Angel networks in the UAE · 8

AngelSpark

Angel network · UAE
From $100,000, with larger syndicates also led by the network.
Equity

Dubai Angel Investors (DAI)

Angel network · UAE
$100,000–$250,000 per company; up to $2,000,000 per round with member co-investment.
Equity

Keiretsu Forum MENA

Angel network · UAE
Angel investment.
Equity

AngelsDeck Global Ventures

Angel network · UAE
Angel investment from a network with $28.5M AUM (own site).
Equity — angel stake

ConsultantsInvest

Angel network · UAE
Angel equity investment.
Equity — angel stake

Emirates Angel Investors Association

Angel network · UAE
Angel equity investment.
Equity — angel stake

Falcon Valley

Angel network · UAE
Angel equity investment.
Equity — angel stake

Spade Ventures

Angel network · UAE
Syndicated angel tickets of $500,000–$2,000,000 via SPV.
Equity — via SPV

Corporate VCs in the UAE · 4

e& capital

Corporate VC · UAE
Equity tickets of USD 5–30M; around $500M under management and committed.
Equity — direct stake taken

Emirates NBD Innovation Fund

Corporate VC · UAE
Equity from a $100M fund, early to growth stage.
Equity — strategic stake

G42

Corporate VC · UAE
Builds and holds AI companies strategically; not an open-application funder.
Equity

NeoVentures (Mashreq)

Corporate VC · UAE
Strategic equity cheques; per-deal amount undisclosed.
Equity — strategic minority stakes

Loans & guarantees in the UAE · 6

Emirates Development Bank (EDB)

Loan · UAE
Up to AED 2M per startup with no assets required, tenors up to 72 months.
No equity — repayable finance

Khalifa Fund

Loan · UAE
Loans; amounts not published, vary by programme.
No equity — loan, repayable

MBRIF

Loan · UAE
Government-backed bank-loan guarantees; terms set case by case.
No equity — loan guarantee

Partners for Growth (PFG)

Loan · UAE
Growth debt; ticket size not published.
Loan — repayable

Ruya Partners

Loan · UAE
Private credit deals of $15M to $25M.
Loan — private credit, repayable

Stride Ventures

Loan · UAE
Venture debt averaging $4M, repayable over 6 to 18 months.
Loan — repayable, 6 to 18 months

Funds of funds in the UAE · 1

Dubai Future District Fund

Fund of funds · UAE
Commits LP capital to VC funds and also makes direct equity tickets.
Indirect — via funds, plus some direct equity

Support programmes in the UAE · 4

Endeavor MENA + Catalyst

Support · UAE
Catalyst co-investment plus a global mentor network.

AstroLabs

Support · UAE
UAE/Saudi setup, licensing and coworking services; no direct funding.
No equity — service or permission

Dtec (Dubai Silicon Oasis)

Support · UAE
One-stop free zone setup plus access to Oraseya Capital and accelerators.
Equity

VentureOne

Support · UAE
Government-backed venture building; not an open-application programme.
Equity — venture-building stake