Source and image courtesy of Dubai Chamber
Startups in the UAE need a practical guide to help them navigate the UAE’s funding landscape along with access to a wider network of investors who are eager to finance new business ventures, a new whitepaper published by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry has said.
The report, titled ‘Helping Startups Access Funding’ and published in collaboration with Roland Berger, was released during Dubai Startup Hub’s Entrepreneurship Advocacy Series event at Dubai Chamber’s head office in March.
The event also saw banking and finance leaders, industry experts, and entrepreneurs, shed light on the key funding challenges faced by startups in the UAE, building on the findings of a previous whitepaper released last year that focused on obstacles first-time entrepreneurs face when opening a bank account in the country.
The whitepaper also called for allocation of more investment for startup incubators and accelerators, as well as for closer cooperation between universities, government agencies and investment funds to expand the scope of investments, to support the growth of startups in the UAE.
Navigating the complex local funding ecosystem, high hurdle rates to qualify for equity capital, and insufficient risk appetite of debt lenders were listed as key challenges for startups in the UAE. In addition, many banks still require startups to have an established company track record of at least three years before they can qualify for funding. The report also found that investor appetite is limited to only a select number of business models, technologies and sectors.
Meanwhile, although the UAE has successfully attracted a diverse set of investors, interest in startups as an asset class is still relatively new, the whitepaper noted, with the bulk of investment still primarily directed towards other asset classes such as real estate and commodities. The document added that a lack of reliable market data adds complexity, cost and uncertainty when it comes to due diligence.
Proposed solutions
Building sector and technology specific ecosystems is the way forward to further elevate the role of startups in the economy, the report said.
This in turn would help drive the UAE forward in its mission to be a world leader in innovation, and develop an entrepreneurial ecosystem where startups, SMEs, and major corporations can promote the use of modern technology, leading to the diversification of the economy, and the creation new job opportunities.
