Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy supports establishment, expansion of 1,690 digital startups in 2025

Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, one of the three chambers operating under the umbrella of Dubai Chambers, has announced that it successfully supported the establishment and expansion of 1,690 digital startups in Dubai during 2025.

This represents an increase of 39.7 per cent compared to 2024, reflecting the chamber’s significant role in strengthening Dubai’s position as a preferred global destination for the growth of digital companies and entrepreneurial ventures.

Businesses specialising in artificial intelligence accounted for around 15 percent of the companies supported by the chamber, while fintech enterprises represented 12 per cent. The combined share of companies specialising in mobility tech, software-as-a-service (SaaS), and e-commerce amounted to 20 per cent of the total.

Global companies accounted for 75 per cent of all companies supported by the chamber during 2025.

In October last year, Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai, launched Dubai Founders HQ, a flagship initiative designed to consolidate and strengthen Dubai’s startup and small and medium enterprise (SME) ecosystem.

Launched as a joint initiative between the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) and Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, Dubai Founders HQ is a first-of-its-kind ‘phygital’ platform that combines a dynamic physical campus with a comprehensive digital ecosystem. The initiative brings together founders, investors, corporates and enablers under one roof to foster collaboration, innovation and business growth.

Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications and Chairman of Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, stated, “Guided by the vision and directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to cement Dubai’s status as a global hub for the digital economy, Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy remains committed to accelerating the shift towards a fully integrated digital economy built on advanced infrastructure, agile legislation, and a pro-innovation business environment.

At the same time, we are empowering digital companies to scale from Dubai by building an ecosystem designed for rapid growth that offers the infrastructure, regulation, and market access innovators need, enhancing the emirate’s competitiveness while attracting investment and talent across the industries of the future.”

Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy’s ‘Business in Dubai’ platform provides a suite of corporate services in collaboration with trusted partners, in addition to business matchmaking services. This supports companies seeking to launch or expand their activities in the emirate by helping them identify the right partners, investors, and customers to scale their operations quickly and efficiently.

As part of the chamber’s support in 2025, 48 per cent of the companies assisted received help with business set-up services and opportunities to participate in accelerators and incubators in Dubai. A further 31 per cent of companies benefited from the wide range of business support services offered through the platform.

In April 2025, Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum honoured the winners of the ‘Create Apps Championship’ organised by Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy. The championship forms part of the ‘Create Apps in Dubai’ initiative, which was launched by His Highness in March 2023 to accelerate innovation in smart application development and reinforce Dubai’s position as a global hub for the digital economy.

Since launching, the championship has attracted strong interest from innovators and digital entrepreneurs from around the world, with more than 5,800 registrations received across its first and second editions. The initiative has successfully supported the development and launch of more than 55 smart applications, reflecting the chamber’s role in empowering tech talent, nurturing innovative ideas, and strengthening Dubai’s digital economy ecosystem.

In November last year, Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy announced the third edition of the Create Apps Championship, together with the introduction of a new Participant Support Programme dedicated to high-potential teams. The programme is designed to help teams complete the development of their projects by joining a business accelerator programme and aims to support the launch of an additional 50 fully developed applications to the market.

The third edition also features a dedicated hub for participants to access training, guidance, and best practices to accelerate the growth of their ideas and projects. The championship offers funding packages exceeding Dhs2.5 million to support the development and launch of the winning applications.

October 2025 saw the 10th edition of Expand North Star 2025, organised by Dubai World Trade Centre and hosted by Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy at Dubai Harbour. The event’s record success underlined Dubai’s growing influence in shaping the future of digital entrepreneurship, reinforcing the emirate’s position as a global hub for advanced technology and a leading platform for high-impact partnerships and investment opportunities across the digital economy.

The landmark edition attracted participation from more than 2,000 startups and over 1,200 investors managing assets exceeding $1.1 trillion. The event also welcomed the founders of 40 unicorns with a combined valuation of $900 billion.

Throughout the year, the chamber organised 36 events to strengthen partnerships and support key digital economy sectors. In addition, it conducted 17 international roadshows to showcase Dubai’s digital economy strengths and explore new opportunities for cooperation with stakeholders across a wide range of industries. The roadshows also highlighted the scale and opportunities of Expand North Star, the world’s largest gathering of startups and investors.

The programme spanned Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Portugal, Singapore, the United Kingdom, the United States, Vietnam, and the Republic of Korea.

During these roadshows, the chamber met with representatives from more than 2,500 digital startups, as well as ecosystem partners, incubators, and other public and private sector stakeholders.

Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy published eight reports in 2025. These included The Entrepreneur’s AI Playbook, which aims to raise awareness of the AI tools available to help launch and scale projects efficiently and effectively, as well as report focusing on foreign direct investment destinations in the technology sector.

WAM