DUBAI — Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry has announced the successful conclusion of the first-ever Dubai Tech Tour, a virtual trade mission joined by 15 Indian scale-ups specializing in fintech and healthtech, as several delegates are now one step closer to securing business partnerships in the Dubai market.

Organized by Dubai Startup Hub and Dubai Chamber’s representative office in Mumbai in partnership with Startup India and Mumbai Fintech Hub, the Dubai Tech Tour familiarized participating scale-ups with Dubai’s economy, business environment and competitive advantages.

During the three-week mission, the scale-ups took part in more than 160 meetings with public and private sector stakeholders from the UAE, while they also pitched their businesses to prospective investors and business partners.

A total of 7 virtual events were organized as part of the Dubai Tech Tour, which were attended by over 600 participants, including 30 UAE entities.

Six high-potential scale-ups were selected to participate in the third cohort of Market Access, a Dubai Startup Hub program that fosters business partnerships between corporates and startups.

The Indian scale-ups were shortlisted from a pool of 200 candidates who applied to take part in the trade mission. During the mission, the delegates connected with relevant UAE stakeholders, including investors, corporates, and peer scale-ups, pitch their businesses and participate in business matchmaking sessions organized by Dubai Chamber.

Omar Khan, director of international offices at Dubai Chamber, said the Dubai Tech Tour is a prime example of how Dubai Chamber’s international offices are attracting promising global startups to Dubai that offer cutting-edge solutions that support the emirate’s innovation strategy.

He noted that the virtual trade mission created new channels of collaboration between business communities in Dubai and India, adding that there is tremendous potential for bilateral business partnerships in the fast-growing fintech and health-tech sectors.

For her part, Natalia Sycheva, manager of entrepreneurship at Dubai Chamber said the Dubai Tech Tour achieved its objectives as it provided an ideal platform for Indian scale-ups to explore business prospects in the UAE and make meaningful connections with government entities and businesses investing in fintech and health-tech.

The benefits for the participants scale-ups are far reaching, she said, as participants are able to take advantage of the various programs, initiatives, support and resources offered by Dubai Startup Hub.

The Dubai Tech Tour is a continuation of the combined efforts of Dubai Chamber’s Mumbai office’s and Dubai Startup Hub to attract Indian scale-ups and startups that can support Dubai’s vision to become a global innovation hub and knowledge-based economy.

These efforts began last year when Dubai Startup Hub organized a roadshow to New Delhi and Bangalore in cooperation with Dubai Technology Entrepreneur Campus (Dtec), the largest hub of its kind in the region and wholly owned by Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA), where two Indian startups were selected as part of a competition and awarded office space at Dtec.

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 hub has been designed to emphasis the value of public and private sector collaboration and embodies the aim of encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship as a main driver of the economy of Dubai and the UAE. — SG