UAE gathers India’s top startup founders & prominent Emirati leaders to encourage partnerships
United Arab Emirates hosted the inauguralFounders' Retreat from 6 to 8 December. The Retreat brought together more than60 of India’s most prominent start-up founders and key UAE business leaders, investors, and policymakers to discuss new directions and opportunities in the bilateral investment partnership.
Co-organised by the UAE Embassy in Delhi, Offline, and the UAE-India CEPA Council, the event marked a significant milestone in the UAE-India partnership, showcasing the two countries’ shared commitment to fostering innovation and economic growth.
With participating retreat ventures averaging a valuation of USD 3.5 billion, alongside representation from founders of 13 Indian unicorn start-ups and five publicly listed companies,this first-of-its-kind platform facilitated transformative collaborations and highlighted the mutual benefits of closer investment ties between the two nations.
The retreat emphasised how the UAE complementsIndia’s start-up success story. Estimates suggest that UAE investors have injected close to USD 20 billion worth of capital into the Indian economysince 2000, significantlybenefiting the Indian start-up sector.Initiativessuch asthe UAE-India Start-up Bridge, established under the UAE-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), have only further strengthened this collaboration.
Commenting on the occasion, Abdulnasser Alshaali,UAE Ambassador to India, said, “TheFounders' Retreat is not just a celebration of entrepreneurial excellence but a commitment to deeper
