Dubai SME, part of the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), has launched Founders of Tomorrow, a national programme in partnership with INJAZ UAE aimed at transforming Emirati university entrepreneurship into scalable, market-driven businesses.
The initiative connects talented Emirati students with real-world challenges from government, semi-government, and corporate entities, creating a direct bridge between academia and enterprise. By grounding innovation in sector-specific realities, the programme ensures entrepreneurship is outcome-focused and aligned with Dubai’s economic priorities under the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33), which seeks to double the size of the city’s economy by 2033.
Ahmad Al Room Almheiri, Acting CEO of Dubai SME, highlighted that the programme reflects Dubai’s collaborative approach between government and private sectors, nurturing a new generation of resilient Emirati entrepreneurs and supporting a globally competitive SME ecosystem. Razan Bashiti, CEO of INJAZ UAE, emphasized that the initiative channels youth innovation into tangible economic impact through hands-on guidance, mentoring, and challenge-based learning.
Participants work in multidisciplinary teams to develop solutions for priority challenges, with the most promising concepts entering the Dubai SME ecosystem for incubation, mentorship, funding facilitation, market access, and government procurement support. The programme empowers entrepreneurs to scale sustainable businesses, contribute to Dubai’s SME growth, and support long-term economic diversification.
Leading national entities provide mentorship, operational challenges, and sector expertise to enrich the programme and ensure practical, impactful outcomes.
