District 2020 has partnered with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to support startups across the region through its Scale2Dubai entrepreneur programme. The agreement aims to support the local and regional startup ecosystem. It recognizes the pivotal role of startups and small businesses in driving innovation-led ideas and growth.

District 2020 is bringing together regional and global entities comprising Fortune 500 companies, SMEs, startups, academic institutes, labs, accelerators, and venture capitalists to curate an ecosystem focused on innovating. Scale2Dubai is designed to facilitate a soft landing within Dubai through an easy setup within District 2020’s ecosystem. Additonally the programme will help startups overcome one of the most challenging aspects of growing a business: scaling.

“Together, we will stimulate the growth potential of the region and enable a start-up ecosystem to flourish,” said Dr Nayef Falah M AlHajraf, Secretary-General of the GCC. “We will do this by identifying the most promising companies and giving them District 2020 as a platform. With District 2020, they will be exposed to collaborative innovation across key industries and technologies, which will, in turn, stimulate job creation and drive competition in the wider economy.”

Scale2Dubai will offer successful applicants two years of free workspace, business setup support, and guidance needed to scale up, while also providing access to funding, deal flow, networking opportunities, and connections with big-name global players such as Siemens, DP World, and Terminus Technologies. The equity-free program is expected to support between 80 and 100 businesses yearly. The first cohort will be selected during Expo 2020 Dubai. 

Reem Al Hashimy, the UAE’s Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director-General of Expo 2020 Dubai said that building partnerships that will reinvigorate economies, fuel prosperity and create better lives for people across the UAE, the region, and the world is the main target of Expo 2020’s mission. This alliance between District 2020 and the GCC will foster entrepreneurship. Additionally it will give startups the opportunity to realize their full potential in a supportive, connecting ecosystem.