Dubai Startup Hub, an initiative of Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, recently hosted a roundtable entitled “Entrepreneurship in Dubai: The Big Picture 2020” which brought together several public and private sector entities to identify new ways of aligning efforts to expand and enhance support to startups in Dubai.

The roundtable, held at Dubai Chamber’s headquarters, was joined by representatives from Startup Bootcamp, the Dubai Department of Economic Development (DED), STEP Conference, Dubai Technology Entrepreneur Campus (Dtec), Singaporean Business Council, Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), Nook, The CoWorking Popup, Expo 2020 Dubai, Consult and Coach for a Cause (C3), GITEX and LetsWork, who shared their plans for 2020 and participated in a brainstorming sessions where they highlighted synergies and collaboration opportunities.

Dubai Startup Hub revealed its achievements for 2019, including its successful collaborations with 10 ecosystem partners during the year, enabling it to serve a wider network of startups and entrepreneurs through various programmes, initiatives and events.

Participants were briefed on main services and benefits available to members of Dubai Startup Hub, the role of Dubai Chamber’s representative offices around the world and other Dubai Chamber-related events and activities which both startups and entrepreneurship ecosystem enablers can benefit from.

During the brainstorming session, participants elaborated on the missed opportunity of promoting Dubai as a preferred hub for startups and agreed to collaborate to provide reliable data related Dubai’s startup landscape which can be used by entrepreneurs and investors in the UAE and abroad. In addition, several entities proposed a new form of cooperation between co-working space and licensing authorities.

Addressing the participants, HE Majid Saif Al Ghurair, Chairman of Dubai Chamber, explained that the roundtable supports Dubai Chamber’s comprehensive entrepreneurship strategy and ongoing efforts to nurture and develop Dubai’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

“We are working closely with our partners in the public and private sectors to create and identify new ways to better serve startups in Dubai and help entrepreneurs unlock new growth opportunities. We look forward to seeing many more ecosystem partners come on board for future roundtables and building on the progress we have already achieved,” said HE Al Ghurair.

In addition, Dubai Chamber’s Chairman revealed that more than 3,600 entrepreneurs have been supported by Dubai Startup Hub in the UAE and abroad in 2019, adding that he expects this figure to increase further in 2020 amid increased efforts to collaborate with entrepreneurial ecosystem enablers in Dubai.

Established by Dubai Chamber in 2016, Dubai Startup Hub is the first initiative of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa region. The initiative aims to provide clarity and guidance for entrepreneurs throughout their journey, while it also leverages public-private sector partnerships to promote innovation and develop Dubai’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.