From Inc Arabia 

Dubai Future Accelerators has launched its third cohort with 46 startups from 14 different countries.

Forty-six startups from around the world have been selected from a list of over 1000 applications to form the next cohort at Dubai Future Accelerators (DFA), it was revealed today.

Taking up their places for the nine-week program at the DFA’s headquarters in Emirates Towers, entrepreneurs with cutting-edge technologies will be partnering with various government-run entities, including Dubai Police, Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), Etisalat, Emirates, and more.

“In total, we have 150 entrepreneurs this round, 30 different nationalities from 14 countries. Small startups are working along big multinationals such as IBM, Nokia, and LG. And our oldest participant is 70 years old. This is a truly international and diverse program,” says Vera Futorjanski, communications head at Dubai Future Foundation.

Run by the Dubai Future Foundation (DFF), DFA is a unique program, in that it is not an incubator but rather a platform for entrepreneurs to use the city as a living testbed to further develop their products and services and get them to that next level of solving global problems.

If successful, they might also win the opportunity to sign MoUs with the Dubai government.

“The program offers an ideal platform to forecast and plan for the future as it gathers the world’s brightest minds and most innovative companies to join hands with government and semi-government entities in the UAE,” Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of Dubai Future Accelerators, tells Inc. Arabia.

“We are proud to see local companies among the participants; this underlines the great progress that the local tech scene has achieved, placing it on par with major global competitors.”


This year, a special humanitarian accelerator program has been added to run alongside the main cohort. This inaugural program focuses on empowering refugees through education and employment opportunities.

Ustad Mobile (UAE)

On the humanitarian front, Ustad Mobile is an open source app designed from the ground up to work where others struggle. The app connects learners wirelessly with each other and to educational content, even when they are not connected to the Internet.

Lamsa (UAE)

Another one for the Humanitarian accelerator is Lamsa,  a leading Arabic-language Edutainment app, on a mission to spread the love of learning through engaging, fun and interactive stories, games and videos. They provide a safe and ad-free environment for kids aged 2 to 8 through local and international content that adheres to Arab values and culture.

Tembo Education (USA)

Tembo aims to transform early childhood education for the world by making high-quality education more accessible and affordable for millions of children worldwide. One of the Forbes 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneurs, Tembo educates 0-6 year old children, via text messages. Tembo sends one activity per day, to parents, via text messages.

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