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Startupbootcamp FinTech Dubai concludes third cycle by accelerating 11 start-ups

Dubai - Startupbootcamp FinTech Dubai was launched in 2018 in partnership with Dubai International Financial Centre.

The third cycle of Startupbootcamp FinTech Dubai’s industry focused accelerator programme has successfully concluded during the annual Demo Day, with 11 start-ups pitching ideas to investors, corporate partners, mentors, experts and general audience.

Startupbootcamp FinTech Dubai was launched in 2018 in partnership with Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), VISA, Mashreq bank and HSBC and to date has successfully graduated more than 30 FinTech start-ups in the fields of payments, lending and Islamic digital banking across three cohorts.

Supporting Dubai’s 2021 plan to become a pivotal global hub for financial services, innovation and technology and the program partners’ vision to drive the future of finance, Startupbootcamp FinTech Dubai’s Demo Day has swiftly become one of the most highly anticipated events on the industry calendar for founders and entrepreneurs as well as corporate partners seeking to discover the next generation of financial innovation firms.

The Demo Day was exclusively live-streamed from the recently launched PwC Experience Centre located in Dubai; providing attendees with an unforgettable immersive hybrid experience. The Demo Day concludes an annual intensive three-month growth programme to support the business growth of the participating start-ups and prepare them for operations and future scaling.

The event launched with an opening note from Lars Buch, CEO of Rainmaking in MENA & Russia, providing inspiration and anecdotes from his tenure at one of the world’s most active industry-focused startup accelerators. This was followed by a keynote from Moussa Beidas, Director of Ideation at PwC Dubai who shared words of wisdom with the founders of the 11 firms participating in Demo Day.

The 11 start-ups graduating from the programme have benefitted from mentorship and access to comprehensive resources, insights, technology and world-leading expertise during the three months of the programme, enabling them to secure proof-of-concepts to validate their business models. With the start-ups predominantly at seed stage, raising between USD 250,000 and USD 1.8 million and the programme’s strong focus on developing partnerships between start-ups and corporates and building investor relationships, the Demo Day provided a solid springboard for start-ups to commence 2021.

Ranging from financial wellness app for Gen Zs to an Insurance-as-a-Service platform which allows to purchase insurance in less than eight seconds - all startups have the ability and ambition to make the finance and banking sector in Mena smarter, more innovative and agile.

Mohamad Sabouneh, the Managing Director of Startupbootcamp FinTech Dubai commented: “Over the past 12 weeks the startups have perfected their business models, implemented new go-to market strategies, streamlined the operations, among many other growth areas. I’m confident in their continuous success and we, at Startupbootcamp FinTech Dubai, are very excited for the journey ahead for this cohort.” — business@khaleejtimes.com