For press-related inquiries:
Contact Nihal S.
Marketing and Communications Manager
ns148@nyu.edu
startAD Impact Report
Anchored at NYU Abu Dhabi and powered by its partner Tamkeen, startAD began its journey in September 2016 as a new model for entrepreneurship education and innovation for the region. startAD supports Abu Dhabi and the UAE’s goals of becoming a knowledge-based economy by equipping students, startups, and corporates with the necessary tools to build innovative new products that serve a global need, collaborate across organizations, and develop entrepreneurial capacity.
We are proud of our impact to date, directly contributing to the UAE economy through new business development, job creation, and homegrown innovation.
Download our impact report to see how much of a difference we’ve made!

Battle for tech dominance: China has appropriated the US economic playbook. Can the US reclaim it?
The US historical playbook is no secret and emphasises technology as the key driver of economic success. China appropriated it and now seems to be following it more closely than its former users
Shaping The Workforce Of The Future: How AI Contributes To The Workplace
With AI set to take over thousands of jobs not only in the region but across the world, many are asking the obvious questions of what this means for workers, and if workers are at risk of losing their job in the near future.
UAE leads Arab region in AI adoption
The UAE is leading the Arab region when it comes to the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) solutions, which is set to see an annual growth rate of 33.5%, a new report has revealed.
StartAD’s Beyond The Pitch Is Looking For Projects Solving Environmental Issues
Are you a startup with ideas to solve environmental and climate issues? Then this opportunity is for you.
Include artificial intelligence in school curricula, say experts
The UAE government is making sure that all educational institutions have started using artificial intelligence.
Khalifa Fund, startAD invite Emirati entrepreneurs to apply for Ibtikari
The fourth edition of Ibtikari will be an intensive six-month incubator aimed at helping UAE nationals advance their technology startups.
Khalifa Fund and startAD launch incubator to support Emirati tech start-ups
Ibtikari, or My Innovation as the programme is called, launches on September 30 and will be based at the New York University Abu Dhabi and is open to start-ups with at least one local partner.
Business Extra podcast: startAD’s Ramesh Jagannathan on innovation in the UAE
Ramesh Jagannathan, the Vice Provost for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the Managing Director of startAD, the innovation and entrepreneurship platform at NYU Abu Dhabi, is dedicated to providing the necessary tools for start-up creators here.
startAD keen to boost local entrepreneurial ecosystem
"NEURAi" annouced as the winning startup of the Hardware Venture Launchpad, an immersive 10-day program which recently drew to a close.
Runner-up Docswallet seeks to enable everyday government transactions to operate online by combining advances in Digital Identity and Electronic Signature
The program attracted over 200 teams from the UAE and globally to participate. The culminating demo day event provided the top 10 teams from the program with the opportunity to showcase their startups to investors, corporate partners and the UAE startup community.
startAD’s Fintech Venture Launchpad Demo Day propels startups into global ecosystem
WaveX, Docswallet and uHONCHO were declared the first, second and third place winning teams at the startAD Fintech Venture Launchpad demo day on Thursday, September 14. The winning teams will receive up to $120,000 in IBM Cloud credit for a year.
StartAD Fintech Launchpad to give a boost to the startup industry in the UAE.
UAE exchange is looking to support startup firms through mentorship and will also consider investing if it makes sense for the growth of its business.