The Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, one of the three chambers operating under the umbrella of Dubai Chambers, announced its support and contribution towards the establishment and expansion of 1,690 startup digital companies in 2025, reflecting an annual growth of 39.7%. This initiative underscores the chamber’s commitment to enhancing Dubai’s position as a global hub for digital businesses and entrepreneurial ventures.
Artificial intelligence accounted for approximately 15% of the specialties among the supported companies, while fintech represented 12%. The combined share of companies focused on mobility technology, software as a service, and e-commerce reached 20%.
International companies represented 75% of the total firms supported by the chamber last year.
In October, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, inaugurated the “Dubai Entrepreneurs Hub,” a leading platform aimed at unifying and enhancing the ecosystem for startups and small to medium-sized enterprises in the emirate.
This hub is a collaborative initiative between the Department of Economy and Tourism in Dubai and the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, designed to serve as a comprehensive platform to foster innovation and support entrepreneurial growth in Dubai.
His Excellency Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications, and Chairman of the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, stated that in line with the vision and directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the chamber is committed to accelerating the transition towards a fully integrated digital economy based on advanced infrastructure, flexible regulations, and a business environment that promotes innovation. This effort will enable digital companies to grow and expand from Dubai, developing a digital ecosystem that adapts to global changes and supports entrepreneurship, thereby bolstering Dubai’s competitiveness and attracting investments and talent across various future sectors.
The “Business in Dubai” platform, which offers a range of institutional services in collaboration with multiple partners, includes business matchmaking services aimed at helping companies seeking to launch or expand their operations in the emirate to find suitable partners, investors, and clients. In 2025, 48% of the total supported companies benefited from business establishment services along with opportunities to participate in accelerators and incubators in Dubai, while 31% took advantage of various business support services provided by the platform.
In April 2025, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed honored the winners of the “Apply in Dubai” Challenge, organized by the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, as part of the “Apply in Dubai” initiative launched in March 2023, aimed at solidifying Dubai’s global position in the digital technology and smart applications sector.
Last November, the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy launched the third edition of the “Apply in Dubai” Challenge, which saw significant participation from innovators and digital entrepreneurs, attracting over 5,800 registration applications during its first two iterations. This challenge has effectively contributed to the development and launch of more than 55 smart applications in the market, showcasing its pivotal role in empowering tech talent, providing a nurturing platform for innovative ideas, and enhancing the digital economy ecosystem.
The third edition introduced a new feature called the “Participant Support Program,” aimed at high-potential teams participating in the challenge. This program is designed to assist these teams in further developing their projects by joining an accelerator program, with a goal of launching 50 additional fully developed applications into the market. Additionally, this iteration featured a dedicated hub for participants to receive training, mentorship, and insights into best practices to expedite the growth of their ideas and projects.
The competition offers funding packages exceeding AED 2.5 million to support the development and market launch of winning applications.
In October 2025, the tenth edition of the “Expand North Star 2025” exhibition took place, organized by the Dubai World Trade Centre and hosted by the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy. This exhibition reflected record success, underscoring Dubai’s critical role in shaping the future of digital entrepreneurship and its prestigious standing as a global center for developing cutting-edge technologies and a platform for promising investment partnerships in the digital economy sectors.
The tenth edition attracted participation from over 2,000 startups and more than 1,200 investors managing assets exceeding $1.1 trillion, including 40 unicorn companies with a total valuation of $900 billion.
Over the past year, the chamber organized 36 events to foster partnerships and support the digital economy sectors, along with 17 informational tours in global markets showcasing Dubai’s digital economy capabilities and exploring collaboration and partnership opportunities with relevant stakeholders to attract digital companies to the emirate. These tours included Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Portugal, Singapore, the UK, the USA, Vietnam, and South Korea, during which the chamber met with representatives from more than 2,500 digital startups and various business ecosystem partners and government and private entities.
Last year, the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy released eight reports, including a guide on artificial intelligence for entrepreneurs aimed at educating business leaders about the tools and mechanisms needed to launch and expand their ventures effectively and efficiently, alongside a report on foreign direct investment destinations in technology sectors.