SME and Startup Fundraising 2022, organized by The Finance World magazine, took place on October 11, 2022, at Radisson Blu, Dubai Canal View Hotel, witnessing a LIVE pitch done by selected SMEs and start-ups. Prominent retail and institutional investors, banks, financial institutions, entrepreneurs, SMEs, and representatives from ministries and business associations were in attendance for the event.
Yasser Abdalla – Unit Head of Corporate & Contracting Trade Advisory, DNE -First Abu Dhabi Bank 
Walid Hareb Alfalahi from Order N Get 
Representative from The Private Office of HH Sheikh Ahmed Bin Faisal Al Qassimi 
Speaker Manoj Sureka, Managing Partner – Synergy Fin Consulting 
Representative from Radisson Blu 
Partner Space: Ahmed Al Maghribi 
Partner Felicitation 
Mohammed Al Qallaf – Executive Director (Trade Solutions & Advisory) – Corporate, MNC and Commercial -First Abu Dhabi Bank 
Mementos 
Manoj Sureka (speaker) and Kapil Dasani 
Isabelito Castilho 
Emcee Bassam Nader 
Breakfast Bay 
Breakfast Bay 
Audience 
Audience 
Audience 
Audience
Along with the SME & startup funding pitch representatives, the event also invited speakers such as branding and marketing expert Sarah Al-Sayegh, Global Executive Isabelita Castilho, the author of “All the Secrets of Getting a New Job in Dubai, Unleashed” and Manoj Sureka, Managing Partner, Synergy Fin. Consulting.
“The gathering was teeming with brilliant minds and concepts worth investing in. The people behind Finance World Magazine did a fantastic job of assembling such an incredible corporate community in one location,” says Isabelito Castilho.
With only eight selected, it is notable that over 1600 SMEs and startups had registered to be part of the fundraising and were given the opportunity to pitch for funding. AVISA Smart Hospitals, NexusMeentis, Toys we Loved, Quantl AI, Paisa, Settler, Dassani Connoisseur DMCC and Order N Get were the selected companies pitching for investments.
“This fundraising event is an initiative to offer opportunities to the SMEs and startups like that of mine, looking for business growth, to shape long-standing relationships with investors and enable us to explore new possibilities seamlessly,” said one of the companies pitching there.
As it gathered many high-level business representatives and investors to offer the selected SMEs and startups different funding options with the possibility to expand their businesses, SME and Startup Fundraising 2022 took place in conformity with HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s vision to set Dubai apart as a fast-paced and forward-looking metropolis, working to boost the emirate’s position as a business hub, drawing the most innovative businesses in the world.
“The event will be followed by many similar events in the future to offer entrepreneurs who aspire to lead the world of entrepreneurship and innovation different funding options. This event will focus on supporting SMEs and Startups in the UAE by allowing them to meet with the best investors and business leaders in the world,” states a spokesperson from The Finance World Magazine.
Building on already existing funding choices provided by the UAE’s wise Leadership, such as Mohammed Bin Rashid Fund for SME (Dubai Fund) and Mohammed Bin Rashid Innovation Fund (MBRIF), SME and Startup Fundraising 2022 aims for offering different funding options for SMEs and Startups in Dubai, which includes bridge finance, equity partnership, working capital, invoice discounting, and short & long-term loans & investments and other alternatives that may contribute to the seamlessness of business environment in Dubai.
“The best part of the event was how the organizer brought SMEs and investors in one location. What I like about this event is that the SMEs companies are in the right direction. They are coming with very innovative ideas and solutions based on some kind of AI, online or automated solutions that make other businesses’ lives easier and help the economy and the society to grow,” says Mr. Yasser Abdallah from First Abu Dhabi Bank. All these SMEs and startups “bring some value addition to the market,” adds Mr. Abdallah, expressing his joy to witness such a moment being granted for these developing businesses.
In addition to the latest regulations on cryptocurrency, the UAE has recently launched a new visa scheme intending to further improve personal security, safety, and social stability. SME and Startup Fundraising 2022 is also in line with the country’s efforts to facilitate the growth of already-existing businesses and the building of new businesses, as the event attempts to augment the UAE’s position as a magnet for SMEs and startups from all over the globe by creating a meeting point between SMEs and startups as well as a platform to build long-lasting business relationships between business world leaders and investors.
“We are enormously optimistic about what this event will contribute to boosting the UAE’s attracting position for new businesses,” added the spokesperson from The Finance World Magazine, “and we are sincerely delighted to be part of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s vision to augment the UAE’s position as a global hub for business and innovation.”
The event was powered by Finance World magazine and endorsed by the Private Office of HH Sheikh Ahmed Bin Faisal Al Qassimi. The major supporters of the event included Wasaya Investments, the venue partner, Radisson Blu Dubai Canal View, Ahmed Al Maghribi Perfumes, Al Wasl Printing, the Company Formation, and iFund Factoring and Forfaiting services, community partner ICAI Dubai and official advisory firm Synergy Fin Consulting, media partners Yalla TV, Talk 100.3, Big 106.2, and Mobi-shastra Technologies.
