HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, met today with 40 founders and CEOs from leading Indian unicorn companies during the World Government Summit’s Griffin Dialogue. In a post shared after the meeting, he underscored Dubai and the UAE’s commitment to cross-border partnerships, innovation, and collaboration in technology, AI, and entrepreneurship.
A forum focused on scale, speed, and cross-border collaboration
The conversation centered on deepening India–UAE ties in new-economy sectors. Sheikh Hamdan said the UAE remains focused on enabling partnerships that help founders build faster across markets, highlighting technology and AI as priority areas. He described Dubai’s business environment as “world-class,” adding that it “continues to attract high-quality investments,” reinforcing the city’s position as a global destination for billion-dollar companies and visionary entrepreneurs.
Why this matters for Indian founders?
The presence of 40 founders and CEOs from leading Indian unicorns signals strong engagement from India’s startup ecosystem with Dubai’s policy, capital, and talent infrastructure. For founders, the emphasis on cross-border partnerships and AI collaboration points to easier pathways for market entry, capital access, and co-development with UAE-based partners. Sheikh Hamdan framed the objective succinctly: empower a new generation of startups to become influential players in the global economy, “from Dubai, the city that shapes the future.”
Dubai’s pitch: a scaling platform for global ambitions
Sheikh Hamdan’s message positions Dubai as a practical springboard for founders aiming to expand beyond their home markets. The focus on innovation and entrepreneurship, coupled with encouragement for cross-border deal-making, suggests an ecosystem geared to help growth-stage companies professionalize, scale, and diversify. For Indian unicorns, many already testing new products and geographies, the signal is that Dubai wants to be the base where regional and global expansion strategies take shape.
Global Win
While today’s engagement was framed around partnership and opportunity, the throughline was clear: Dubai wants to convert interest from high-growth Indian companies into long-term presence and global wins built from the emirate.
When policy, capital, and founder drive move in the same direction, the UAE’s innovation push turns into real outcomes: new companies, fresh jobs, and wider markets opened up with India.
Also Read: Consuma Raises $1.3M to Transform Consumer Research with AI
