Creative Zone, the leading business setup company in the UAE, together with Wio Bank and the University of Birmingham in Dubai has announced the launch of its Start-up Academy programme this May. This 32-week intensive series of masterclasses and workshops running until the end of the year aims to support the development and growth of over 1,000 start-ups and entrepreneurs in the UAE per cycle each year.
The Start-up Academy, scheduled to run over eight-months has a strong lineup of 16 renowned industry expert mentors who will train, coach, and provide real-life case studies for entrepreneurs and business owners covering the A-Z in launching and running a successful business. The programme has outlined a comprehensive coverage of topics including ideation, execution, strategising, managing teams, working on personal branding, understanding legal frameworks, creating business decks for investors, fundraising, and more.
Wio Bank, the region's first platform bank, and the University of Birmingham Dubai are headline partners for this programme and will be extending their support towards engaging the mSMEs, SMEs, and the young future entrepreneurs at the universities to reap the benefits of this workshop series.
"Entrepreneurs in the UAE face many challenges when starting and growing their businesses, including navigating complex regulations, securing funding, and finding the right talent. The Start-up Academy program is a free platform designed to address these challenges by providing entrepreneurs with access to expert guidance, resources, and a supportive community of fellow entrepreneurs", said Lorenzo Jooris, CEO, Creative Zone.
"At Wio Bank, supporting businesses is at the core of our DNA. Our digital banking application Wio Business is designed to enable start-ups to grow their businesses further and contribute to the development UAE economy. With numerous incentives being offered by the government of the UAE in making the business landscape increasingly favourable, it is important for entrepreneurs to stay informed and leverage what the region has to offer in terms of ease of doing business, opening bank accounts, pitching to investors, and more. Start-up Academy acts as the right platform to gain this knowledge; and we are excited to be part of this promising initiative", commented Prateek Vahie, chief commercial officer at Wio Bank.
"We are excited to offer our students the opportunity to be part of Start-up Academy and gain in-depth practical knowledge from leading industry experts throughout the course of the programme. It is highly crucial in this day and age to link students directly with the industry and not just limit themselves to classroom learnings. This programme offers the right proposition that will add value to their curriculum," added Dr Mona Mustafa, programme director - MSc HRM at the University of Birmingham Dubai.
The programme would see global coaches and leaders including Omar Al Busaidy, Nathan Farrugia, Humaira Ali, Kelly Lundberg, Dr Corey Block, Edward Matti, to name a few and would cover topics on leadership, personal branding, start-up and work life balance, e-commerce 101, and more.
Start-up Academy's motto - 'Accelerating and Empowering a 1000 Entrepreneurs' itself speaks volumes on how the partners intend to increase the reach of this programme.
This is a free initiative, and encourages entrepreneurs, start-ups, and future entrepreneurs, to enroll and get the needed support and advice to start their business journey in the UAE.
Interested candidates can apply to Start-up Academy by registering here: https://startupacademy.ae/