DSO Collaborates with India Innovation Hub to Promote Startups

Dubai, UAE – Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO) is partnering with India Innovation Hub to promote startups throughout the region. The announcement was made during a recent tour of Dubai Technology Entrepreneur Campus (Dtec) by Dr Aman Puri, Consul General of India in Dubai and Deputy Commissioner-General for India at Expo 2020 Dubai, and a delegation of six Indian start-ups with a focus on travel and tourism, who presented their ideas to be incubated at DSO. In the final weeks of 2021, UAE and India completed negotiations for a bilateral trade agreement aimed at increasing non-oil trade by at least $100 billion over the next five years.

India Innovation Hub is a project at the Indian Pavilion at EXPO 2020 Dubai, where the pavilion will showcase the top 500 most-reputed Indian start-ups. The project is overseen by Dr Aman Puri, Consul General of India in Dubai, and is supported by the Indian diaspora and prominent investor institutions. Through B2B events and activities such as pitching sessions, the project provides a platform for promoting Indian start-ups and innovators to the global investor community.

Over 60,000 DPIIT-registered start-ups from 628 districts across all 28 states and 8 union territories are now part of the Indian start-up ecosystem. According to the Global Innovation Index (GII), India ranks among the top 50 countries and is the world’s third most start-up-friendly country (leading in Asia). In 2021, 42 new unicorns came into existence in India, representing the true spirit of a self-reliant India, despite the extreme challenges posed by the global pandemic. This brings the total number of unicorns to 82. Today, India is the country that in 2021 is amongst the top three unicorn-creators in the world.

Dtec provides coworking spaces, business accelerators, R&D facilities, event spaces, and assistance with digital business setup, including licensing. It houses over 1,000 startups from 75 countries. Dtec, DSO assists entrepreneurs, startups, and innovators, particularly those working in technology, artificial intelligence, and digitalisation.

Stating that the UAE and India have deep bilateral relations and have been key trading partners for centuries, and that both nations concluded negotiations for a bilateral trade agreement in the last few weeks of 2021, Dr Juma Al Matrooshi, Director General of DSO, added, “In contribution to this ambitious plan, we aim to be a key enabler and incubator for start-ups and entrepreneurs from all over the world looking to expand into the region. Providing world-class facilities to streamline business set-up and operations, DSO is home to more than 1,000 companies from more than 75 countries.”

Highlighting that the Governments of India and the UAE are committed to working together to foster innovation between the two countries and contribute to a sustainable world, Dr Puri asserted, “India has emerged as an innovation hub with the world's third-largest startup ecosystem, with 42 Indian start-ups joining the Unicorn Club in 2021. The UAE is a global hub for expats and global businesses, which provides immense business opportunities for Indian talent. Innovation hub at India Pavilion, Expo 2020 Dubai, has featured over 190 Indian start-ups. Elevate pitching series and interactions with prestigious organizations such as Dubai Silicon Oasis, Dubai Technology Entrepreneur Campus, TiE Dubai among others, provided excellent opportunities for the Indian innovators to interact with investors, global counterparts for further networking and partnership.”

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