DUBAI: Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry will launch five new initiatives in 2017 to boost start-ups and entrepreneurs, while efforts to foster innovation and develop Dubai’s entrepreneurial ecosystem will remain a major priority for the chamber, a senior official said on Wednesday. “With the UAE’s focus on instilling a spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship among young people under the directives of our wise leadership, Dubai Chamber is committed to supporting Dubai’s entrepreneurial community, as their success is essential to the growth of the emirate’s private sector and the wider economy,” said Eisa Al Za’abi, Senior Vice-President, Institutional Support Sector, Dubai Chamber, and General Coordinator of Tejar Dubai.
The Dubai Chamber has stepped up its efforts to support the growth of startups and entrepreneurs in 2016 through a number of successful initiatives under the Tejar Dubai entrepreneurship development programme, as well as the DubaiStartUpHub platform and the Dubai Smartpreneur Competition. Tejar Dubai received 28 business ideas over the course of the year, of which 14 were approved by a panel of judges. Nine commercial projects were launched during the same period, bringing the total number of businesses established to date to 25. Under the programme, 20 workshops and training sessions were held in 2016, attracting 800 participants. Since its launch in 2013, Tejar Dubai has helped secure Dh10 million in funding for programme participants through partnerships and agreements with banks and financial institutions.
