You can be on Entrepreneur’s cover!

10 Startups From The UAE And Africa Selected To Participate In GBF Mentorship Program Ten startups from the UAE and Africa have been selected to participate in the Global Business Forum (GBF) Mentorship Program by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

By Megha Merani

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You're reading Entrepreneur Middle East, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

graphicstock

Ten startups from the UAE and Africa have been selected to participate in the Global Business Forum (GBF) Mentorship Program by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The GBF Mentorship Program is an initiative of the Dubai Chamber that aims to foster cross-border cooperation between the two startup communities by pairing entrepreneurs with mentors and helping participants expand their global presence.

The five UAE startups –members of Dubai Chamber's entrepreneurship initiative Dubai Startup Hub– selected to take part in the three-month program are: Evolvin Women, a startup helping unemployed women from developing countries; ORENDA+Bloom, a gender balance consultancy; Tuitify, a startup using AI and virtual reality to improve employee training and productivity; Designhubz, a SaaS platform that enables retailers and brands to sell their products in 3D; and Pixel House, a production agency offering video production, photography and branding solutions.

Related: Evolvin' Women's Assia Riccio On Starting A Social Enterprise (And How Dubai Startup Hub Helped)

Meanwhile, five other startups from Africa will join the program: FarmGate Africa, a startup using advanced technologies to connect international buyers and farming clusters; quip.link, an online marketplace for renting and selling construction equipment; Complete Farmer, a crowd-farming platform focused on building sustainable farms; Engineering Hub Ltd, a provider of IT services and solutions for mobile and banking integration platforms; and RideSafe, an mobile application offering real-time health solutions.

على هامش تنظيمنا الدورة الخامسة من المنتدى العالمي الأفريقي للأعمال بدبي في 18 و19 نوفمبر المقبل، يسرنا أن نعلن عن انطلاق المرحلة الثانية من "برنامج تدريب المشاريع الناشئة الإماراتية الأفريقية" حيث سننظم دورات تدريبية مكثفة حول أهم عناوين تطوير وتنمية المشاريع الناشئة بين الإمارات وأفريقيا على مدى 3 أشهر. قم بالاطلاع هنا على الشركات الناشئة من الإمارات المشاركة معنا وتشمل شركة "إيفولفن ومن" وشركة "اوريندا بلس بلوم" وشركة "تويتيفاي" وشركة " ديزاين هابز" وشركة "بيكسل هاوس". وستحظى هذه الشركات، بالإضافة إلى الشركات الناشئة الـ 5 المتأهلة من أفريقيا وتشمل شركة "فارم جايت أفريقيا" وشركة " كويب لينك" وشركة " كومبليت فارمر" وشركة "إنجينيرينغ هب ليمتد" وشركة " رايد سايف"، فرصة للتحدث خلال المنتدى واستعراض أفكارهم ومنتجاتهم في نوفمبر القادم. ابق على تواصل مع وسم #GBFAfrica2019 للمزيد من التحديثات حول المنتدى. . . As part of our preparations for the 5th Global Business Forum (GBF) on Africa in Dubai (November 18-19), we have started with the second phase of our "Chamberthon' programme which involves 3 months of intensive training and mentorship sessions for the selected startups. Here are our winning startups from the UAE; @evolvinWomen, @orendaandbloom, @Tuitify, @Designhubz, and @pixelhouseae. These startups, as well as the 5 winning startups from Africa @farmgateafrica, @quipdotlink, @completefarmer, Engineering Hub Ltd, and RideSafe will be given an opportunity to participate in a session at #GBFAfrica2019 and exhibit during the high-level business forum in Dubai. Stay connected on #GBFAfrica2019 for more updates. #Africa #UAE #mydubai #Dubai

A post shared by DubaiStartupHub (@dubaistartuphub) on

The selection marks the start of the second phase of the program, which involves intensive training and mentorship sessions. Following the three-month period, selected startups will be given an opportunity to participate in a session at the fifth Global Business Forum on Africa in November 2019, as well as exhibit during the high-level business forum in Dubai.

H.E. Hamad Buamim, President and CEO of Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry said the program is an important step forward in establishing bridges of communication and cross-border cooperation between UAE and African startups. He pointed out that many of the selected startups specialise in advanced technologies, smart solutions, artificial intelligence, and fintech, paving the way for mutual benefit and growth in key sectors for both business communities.

He said: "Startups are playing an active role in fostering innovation as they leverage and test out cutting-edge technologies that improve the way we live and work. The GBF Mentorship Program provides an ideal platform for high-potential startups to develop their business concepts, benefit from collaboration, access new growth opportunities through the Global Business Forum on Africa platform, and build valuable partnerships."

The 10 shortlisted startups also participated in the first-ever Chamberthon which took place in Kigali, Rwanda earlier this year. During the Chamberthon, 20 startups from the UAE and Africa worked together to develop the structure and criteria of the GBF Mentorship Program.

This article was originally published on Dubai Startup Hub and has been reposted on Entrepreneur Middle East based on a mutual agreement between the websites.

Related: Building Bridges: Dubai Startup Hub's New Mentorship Program To Foster UAE-Africa Cooperation

Megha Merani

Independent Journalist

Megha Merani is an independent journalist based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Her stories have made headlines across a number of publications including Reuters, Associated Press, Entrepreneur Middle EastBloomberg Middle East, Arabian Gulf Business Insight, Arabian Business, and former local daily 7DAYS.

Megha also produces editorial for government platforms including the World Government Summit and World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting of the Global Future Councils. She has been a grant winner of the Thomson Reuters Foundation and The Global Initiative Against Organized Crime funded by the government of Norway to report on the online trade in illegal wildlife.

Megha is also an Associate Fellow (AFHEA) at Murdoch University in Dubai and leads its Digital Newsroom course unit. In addition, Megha serves as a United Nations Women mentor to support equal opportunities for women entrepreneurs, and supports various other programs including TIE Women, 60 Day Startups, and the Watt Inc. Business Incubator.

Thought Leaders

How To Improve Your Soft Skills and Emotional Intelligence in 7 Easy Steps

Using these simple but effective approaches will help a person in their business, life and relationships.

Women Entrepreneur™

Rayne Founder Sarah Jones On How To Build Solutions That Address Real Market Needs

"Embrace failure as a learning opportunity- because not every idea or decision will lead to success, and that's okay."

Side Hustle

The Remote Side Hustle a 43-Year-Old Musician Works on for 1 Hour a Day Earns Nearly $3,000 a Month: 'All From the Comfort of Home'

Sam Ziegler wanted to supplement his income as a professional drummer — then his tech skills and desire to help people came together.

Business News

Mark Zuckerberg Says This CEO Is the 'Taylor Swift' of Tech

Meta's CEO posed with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on Instagram Wednesday.

Business News

Tim Cook Was Reportedly Rejected From Applying For an Apple Card

The card officially launched in the U.S. on August 20, 2019, and features perks such as no late or over-limit fees.

Business News

Mark Zuckerberg Told Meta Engineers to 'Figure Out' Snapchat's Privacy Protections: 'We Have No Analytics on Them'

Recently unsealed court documents detail "Project Ghostbusters," Meta's project to work around Snapchat's end-to-end encryption to intercept data.