Market Exploration Program UAE
Explore the Vibrant United Arab Emirates With Us
Explore the vibrant UAE with our Market Exploration Program. It’s a four-phased program spread across eight weeks, which helps startups deep dive into the UAE market and validate their business model in the region.
This hybrid program allows participation from anywhere globally, offering a pivotal one-week, in-country experience in Dubai for an authentic immersion into the local ecosystem.
With the MEP program, you’ll not only develop a thorough understanding of the regional business landscape but also actively cultivate promising business opportunities.
Pre-Registration Is Open Now!
Program Dates:
January 18 – February 22, 2024
In-Country Part:
February 14–22, 2024
This opportunity is brought to you by our partners on-ground:
What’s in for Your Startup
Deep Dive into UAE
Feel the pulse of the market. Understand business culture and the scope of your growth potential in the region.
Industry Expert Mentoring
Get individual coaching and guidance from dedicated market experts from your company’s focus industry during one-on-one mentor sessions.
Business Development Support
1:1 meetings with selected potential clients, distributors, peer startups, and more.
About the UAE Market
UAE is all set to be the new global scaleup nation of the world. With its strategic location, world-class infrastructure, and dynamic business environment, the UAE offers an enticing ecosystem for aspiring entrepreneurs. Dubai is UAE’s startup and scaleup city. The emirate’s forward-thinking policies, tax incentives, and access to a diverse and well-connected market continue to attract foreign startups.
Their Economic Agenda ‘D33’ aims to double their economy and foreign trade within 10 years. Attracting and supporting local and foreign scaling startups lies at the core of their agenda, e.g. by
- “Raising” 30 global unicorns by 2031 through specific scale-up support
- Being the leading IPO market in the world and strengthening the VC ecosystem with Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs). Currently, Dubai ranks as the world’s fastest-growing VC ecosystem.
- Becoming the major global innovation hub for testing and commercializing new technologies (“Sandbox Dubai”), growing their digital economy to over US$140 billion (from today’s US$38 billion), attracting 300 new digital economy startups in 2024 alone
- Establishing Dubai as a global hub for higher education and increasing its population by 250.000 inhabitants p.a.
What You Will Work On
Unlocking the UAE Business Landscape
Gain insights into market dynamics, opportunities, and potential challenges through interactions with your mentor, industry experts and peers.
Navigate Legal and Technical Entry Best Practices
Understand the essential legal and technical aspects for market entry and business setup, guided by best practices.
Harness Diverse Support Systems
Receive guidance on navigating the multifaceted support systems, including opportunities to engage with and pitch in front of the most important ecosystem players.
Gain Investor Perspectives
Learn from local investors about their criteria and preferences, meet them 1:1, and discover distinctions from European investor expectations.
Business Development
Dive into business development with 1:1 face-to-face meetings, connecting with potential clients, partners, and peers to fine-tune your strategies based on real-world interactions.
Timeline
It’s a four-phased hybrid program spread across eight weeks.
Phase 1: Kickstart
Connect with your industry expert mentor and initiate a comprehensive market exploration through virtual 1:1 mentoring sessions complemented by diverse workshops covering business practices, ecosystem overviews, and more.
Phase 2: Preparation
Dive deep into refining your market entry strategy and constructing a robust sales funnel during a focused six-week period, setting the stage for impactful face-to-face meetings in the final phase.
Phase 3: In-country Immersion
Get to know the vibrant UAE ecosystem during a week of immersive experiences. Engage in workshops, personalized 1:1 sessions with experts, strategic sales meetings with potential clients, and participate in roundtables and networking events.
Phase 4: Wrap-up & Next Steps
Conclude the program with a comprehensive review meeting alongside your mentor and the program team. Consolidate the insights gained and collaboratively strategize for the next steps in your journey.
Costs & Conditions
- We do not take any equity.
- The program is partly funded by German Entrepreneurship GmbH and our on-ground partners Dubai Internet City, In5 Innovation Centers, Dubai Silicon Oasis, and Sandbox by Dtec. A fee of 5,000 € per startup will cover the rest of the costs.
- The program fee does not cover travel and accommodation costs.
- Up to 3 participants can be part of the cohort.
Interested to Know More Details?
Get the program deck now for free:
Pre-Register Now!
Divotsna
Global Scaling Advisor