• DIEZ launches ‘Employee to Entrepreneur’ programme to empower employees to create startups, boosting innovation and entrepreneurship across Dubai’s economic zones.
• The initiative guides participants through idea development, business planning, and launch phases, connecting them with investors and growth opportunities.
• Programme leverages DIEZ’s ecosystem, including SANDBOX, Dtec, and Oraseya Capital, providing support, funding, and infrastructure for viable ventures.

DIEZ

The Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority (DIEZ) launched its  ‘Employee to Entrepreneur Programme.’ The initiative aims to empower employees of DIEZ and its affiliated economic zones to establish and expand their own startups.

The programme’s structure is three main phases:

• Idea Development Phase: Involves analysing the target market and assessing their product or service-based market needs.
• Planning and Model Building Phase: Includes developing a comprehensive business plan and identifying the resources and operational strategies.
• Launch and Expansion Phase: Connects participants with potential investors.

The programme aligns with the national campaign ‘The Emirates: The Startup Capital of the World.” With this initiative, it seeks to promote a culture of entrepreneurship across the emirate. Furthermore, this in in line with its commitment to accelerating Dubai’s economic growth and fostering innovation.

“The launch of the ‘Employee to Entrepreneur’ programme directly supports the strategic objectives of the national campaign ‘The Emirates: The Startup Capital of the World’. It also aligns with the Dubai Economic Agenda D33, which aims to position Through this programme, we aim to identify entrepreneurial talent within DIEZ’s workforce and transform their ideas into real, impactful ventures,” said Yousuf Behzad, Chief People & Strategic Transformation Officer of DIEZ.

Entrepreneurship 

The programme leverages DIEZ’s business support and development ecosystem. This includes its advanced infrastructure, tailored licensing packages, and business setup services. This is to support employees in turning their entrepreneurial ideas into viable ventures. 

This includes advisory and investment support from Oraseya Capital, DIEZ’s dedicated investment arm specialised in startup funding. This also includes opportunities for project development and prototype testing within the innovation-driven environment of SANDBOX, DIEZ’s accelerator programme for emerging tech companies.

The programme also provides access to services provided by Scality. This is a programme aiming to help local, regional, and global tech startups establish and scale their operations in the region. Additionally, participants will also benefit from the Dubai Technology Entrepreneur Campus (Dtec), a technology hub and co-working space.