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Dubai Startup Hub's Startup Panorama Edition 8.0: Funding Your Startup In Dubai A key contributor to the national economy, support for the ecosystem remains central to driving the nation's global competitiveness, increasing non-oil GDP and advancing economic diversification.

By Megha Merani

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

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

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An ambition to create, a maturing ecosystem, and a growing interest from investors, especially following the landmark exit of homegrown ride-hailing app Careem that was acquired by global giant Uber for $3.1 billion -the biggest ever tech deal for the Middle East– likely has every founder in Dubai dreaming big.

But convincing an investor to write you a cheque for capital to launch or scale up your startup takes incredible tenacity. In the latest edition of Dubai Startup Hub's Startup Panorama, Dubai-headquartered startups LoadMe and Transcorp International share lessons from their fundraising experiences, along with valuable tips from UAE-based investment platform VentureSouq and equity crowdfunding platform Eureeca to help entrepreneurs navigate their fundraising journey.

Also in the report: an infographic that rounds up some of the products and services startup-friendly banks across the Emirates have been introducing to empower entrepreneurs, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and new startups, which represent more than 94% of the total number of companies operating in the UAE, and employ over 86% of the private sector workforce. A key contributor to the national economy, support for the ecosystem remains central to driving the nation's global competitiveness, increasing non-oil GDP and advancing economic diversification.

To read/download a copy of this report, click here.

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: Dubai Chamber Launches New Emirati Development Program For UAE Nationals

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.

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