The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) has launched its venture building programme ‘DIFC Launchpad’ to promote the growth of innovative startups and scale-ups in the region.
The DIFC Launchpad programme expects to support the launch of more than 200 new ventures, with over 100 of them being scale-ups that will collectively create over 8,000 new jobs and attract over US$544 million (AED2 billion) in venture capital.
The programme is supported by multinational experts specialised in new venture creation, corporate innovation and emerging technologies.
They will be working closely with DIFC’s investor bases and corporate partners Mashreq, Mastercard and Commercial Bank of Dubai to create and launch the next generation of global fintech startups in Dubai.
To scale venture building activities across a range of verticals, ‘DIFC Launchpad’ attracted some of the world’s leading venture studios to Dubai including R/GA Ventures, Antler, BIM Ventures, and Futurelabs.
The Career Development Centre at Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford is the Talent Partner of ‘DIFC Launchpad’. This talent bridge between Oxford and Dubai will connect ‘DIFC Launchpad’ members with the world-class talent and expertise that exist within Saïd Business School.
The financial centre had also announced the ‘DIFC Venture Studio Regulations’ which is a legislative framework for venture building. The new regulations will facilitate the ease of doing business within the venture studio model and help create a tailored ecosystem for venture building, entrepreneurs, startups and investors.
Arif Amiri, CEO of DIFC said,
“Innovation is at the center of transformative change. The DIFC Launchpad presents a unique opportunity for entrepreneurs, venture studios and corporations from around the world to access the support and resources they need to grow and succeed, powered by DIFC Innovation Hub.
DIFC Launchpad is creating a platform that leverages our unique position in the ecosystem to help members identify and structure impactful partnerships, investments, and co-creation opportunities.”
