The UAE Cybersecurity Council and Amazon Web Services (AWS) have completed the first cohort of their cybersecurity startup accelerator, advancing a strategic goal to scale more than 500 companies.
This initiative provided 23 founders with go-to-market support and exposure to venture investment networks.
Run in partnership with CrowdStrike and e&, the six-week programme selected its first batch of startups from 157 applications across five countries.
Participating founders developed solutions spanning cloud security, identity management, and artificial intelligence for threat detection.
Backed by the government, this multi-year initiative aims to foster ‘Made in UAE’ cybersecurity innovations designed to address emerging global cyber concerns.
Selected startups received technical mentorship and cloud infrastructure support. Founders also gained access to e& to explore potential venture investment opportunities.
At a closing ceremony in Abu Dhabi, a senior evaluation panel announced five winning startups following a virtual pitch session. Judges evaluated the candidates on customer value, competitive differentiation, innovation, and growth traction.
Winning founders will now gain visibility with enterprise customers, investors, and government stakeholders across the region.
“These 23 startups represent the next generation of ‘Made in UAE’ cybersecurity champions,”
said Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, Head of Cybersecurity for the UAE Government.
“This programme has proven that the UAE has the talent, the ambition, and the ecosystem to become a world-leading cybersecurity innovation hub,”
said Chris Erasmus, General Manager at AWS.
Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News UAE, based on image by AWS
