Dubai Future Accelerators Invites Applications from International Startups to Address Challenges in a Post COVID-19 World

Dubai Future Accelerators (DFA), an initiative of Dubai Future Foundation (DFF) and the Government of Dubai, has opened registration for The Fall 2020 Program. Now in its eighth edition, the Program aims to attract startups and tech enthusiasts from around the world to participate in an acceleration program that will this year take place both virtually and physically in Dubai, UAE.

As part of the ongoing government initiative that aims to transform Dubai into a knowledge-based, innovation hub, the DFA has opened registration for The Fall 2020 program following the success of the previous seven programs. Currently in the eighth cycle, this much-anticipated program expects full-scale participation from startups and tech-enthusiasts from across the world.

In its statement DFF said that the eighth edition would be held this year both in virtual and physical formats in Dubai, UAE. The earlier cycles, interestingly, had seen 14 government entities and 299 startups working in tandem to find solutions to over 115 challenges.

The fact that those cycles had enabled over 125 startups either to sign agreements with their partner entities to test their solutions through pilot projects or to implement them within their organizations underscores the success and popularity of this unique DFF initiative.

“This program provides startups with the opportunity co-create innovative solutions to future challenges in collaboration with Dubai Government partners. The program will have startups working on utilizing disruptive technologies to tackle the challenges facing the future Dubai in key sectors including transport, energy, health and digital technologies,” the press release said.

The eighth edition has been conceived as an intense 10-week program structured in two phases. The first phase of the four-week virtual program between November 1 and 26 would conclude with a virtual pitching session where each company would present its customized proposal to a committee. “This would be followed by an evaluation period and shortlisted startups later will advance to the second phase,” informed a DFF official.

The second phase – a six-week in-residence program – would be held in Dubai between January 17 and February 21 next year. This phase involves participants’ testing and running proof of concept (PoC) and pilots of their proposed solutions. The DFF official said, startups selected to join DFA’s in-residence program would receive a plethora of opportunities to partner with government entities and industry leaders all through the program.

“We will give them access to a series of workshops, provide them office hours with mentors and social and cultural activities and infrastructure support. In short, they would be exposed to an ecosystem that will help them scale up their solutions to a potential market of two billion people,” the DFF official said. Being a no-equity accelerator program, participants would be offered complimentary roundtrip airfare to Dubai besides accommodation during the course of their stay.

More information and registration procedure on https://www.dubaifuture.ae/initiatives/future-design-and-acceleration/dubai-future-accelerators/challenges/

The deadline for registration is September 20, 11.59pm GMT+4.

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