Dubai Startup Hub, a Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry initiative, has announced the successful completion of Market Access 2021, which saw three leading corporates team up with six tech startups that were selected for new pilot projects.
After three virtual matchmaking meetings this year, Dubai Chamber, Germany-based DHL, and Emirates NBD invited six startup founders to explore collaboration opportunities. Dubai Chamber will collaborate with ZPOOL, Value Grid, Digital Falcon; while DHL has chosen Ottogee ENBD has selected IN-D-AI and Openturf.
The startups were selected from a pool of 13 shortlisted candidates that offered business concepts and solutions which addressed existing challenges for corporate members related to procurement opportunities.
All finalists will be granted access to the Dubai Startup Hub’s Scale-Up Dubai program, which offers further assistance to startups in growing their businesses in the Dubai market, as well as in the countries of Dubai Chamber’s presence through the network of 11 international offices.
More than half of the startups that have participated in Market Access cycles thus far have come from overseas, where many of them do not have such an advanced incubation ecosystem as in Dubai. In addition, 73 percent of previous cycle participants had never been exposed to any professional accelerator or incubator.
Ms. Natalia Sycheva, Senior Manager of Entrepreneurship and Special Projects at Dubai Chamber stated that the 2021 cycle of Market Access identified an increasing trend among corporates that are embracing new technologies as they expand their digital presence. She added that the chosen startups offer cutting-edge solutions that address current corporate difficulties as well as the changing needs of their respective customers.
Ms. Sycheva remarked that “Market Access provides an ideal platform to explore collaboration opportunities between leading corporates in the UAE and innovative startups from around the world. Yet, it is only the starting point, and startups that have gone through the program are continuing their growth journey through Scale-Up Dubai, which offers them access to tailored support, partnership opportunities, and mentorship, helping them take their businesses to the next level.”
