Dubai Future Accelerators (DFA), an initiative of the Dubai Future Foundation (DFF), has announced that the second phase of the eighth edition of its flagship programme is well underway to position Dubai as a leading city of the future.

Being hosted at the DFF’s innovation ecosystem, AREA 2071, the Fall Cohort’s participating entities include Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), Dubai Health Authority (DHA), Etisalat Digital and Dubai Municipality. The programme tackles challenges around the future of transport, energy, healthcare, and digital technologies with a focus on solutions and new business models for a post-COVID-19 world.

The first phase of the two-phase programme ran virtually for four weeks between 1st and 26th November, 2020, culminating in the entrepreneurs pitching their customised proposals to a panel of expert judges. Twenty start-ups and companies advanced to Phase 2 and they come from 11 different countries, including Canada, Estonia, France, Singapore, Germany, the USA, the UK, Ireland, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.

In Phase 2, the cohort entities work closely with the start-ups to further understand the technologies and design and implement pilots that will allow them to explore these new business models in the context of their industries. The start-ups will also get the opportunity to showcase their innovations.

Abdulaziz AlJaziri, Deputy CEO of the Dubai Future Foundation, said, “Hosting the Fall Cohort following an unprecedented year of challenges is a proof point to the Foundation and specifically the Accelerator Programme’s commitment, level of resilience and adaptability. The participation has been top-notch this year, despite the exceptional circumstances, and we look forward to witnessing the pilots that will once again underscore the strategic advantage of Dubai as a global test-bed for cutting-edge ideas that shape tomorrow’s world.”

Also, the DFA is uniquely positioned to offer start-ups the most efficient access to decision-makers in the Government of Dubai to showcase and experiment with their innovative solutions. On top of that, the DFA is a zero-equity programme and selected start-ups are fully sponsored for the entire duration of the programme.

Much like Dubai, the DFA offers start-ups the opportunity to access a potential market of two billion people to scale up their solutions. While working with the entity partner to solve the specific challenges, start-ups can explore the business potential of Dubai and weigh the opportunity to set up locally. Also, the programme helps start-ups with business development and networking, connecting them with business councils and investors, and offering them access to AREA 2071’s ecosystem partners.

By the end of the programme, the DFA will host a demo day where the start-ups showcase their pilots and proof of concepts. Investors, potential clients, partners and other ecosystem stakeholders would be able to attend, witness and network with the start-ups.