The third cycle of Startupbootcamp FinTech Dubai’s industry-focused accelerator programme has successfully concluded during the annual Demo Day, with 11 start-ups pitching ideas to investors, corporate partners, mentors, experts and general audience.
Startupbootcamp FinTech Dubai was launched in 2018 in partnership with Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), VISA, Mashreq bank and HSBC and to date has successfully graduated more than 30 fintech start-ups in the fields of payments, lending and Islamic digital banking across three cohorts.
The 11 start-ups graduating from the programme have benefitted from mentorship and access to comprehensive resources, insights, technology and world-leading expertise during the three months of the programme, enabling them to secure proof-of-concepts to validate their business models. With the start-ups predominantly at seed stage, raising between $250,000 and $1.8 million and the programme’s strong focus on developing partnerships between start-ups and corporates and building investor relationships, the Demo Day provided a solid springboard for start-ups to commence 2021.
Ranging from financial wellness app for Gen Zs to an Insurance-as-a-Service platform that allows them to purchase insurance in less than eight seconds – all startups have the ability and ambition to make the finance and banking sector in MENA smarter, more innovative and agile.
Mohamad Sabouneh, the Managing Director of Startupbootcamp FinTech Dubai commented: “Over the past 12 weeks the startups have perfected their business models, implemented new go-to-market strategies, streamlined the operations, among many other growth areas. I’m confident in their continued success and we, at Startupbootcamp FinTech Dubai, are very excited for the journey ahead for this cohort.”
The 11 startups include:
- Absolute Collateral (UK): a securitised trading platform for financial institutions.
- Aura Technologies (UAE): an enabler for non-insurance businesses to distribute insurance to their customers.
- Compliance as a Service (UK): a RegTech firm providing compliance management software to fintechs and challenger banks.
- Finllect (UAE): a financial wellness app for Gen Zs to build credit, automate their finances, and prequalify for financial products.
- Flaist (USA): a digital toolkit of APIs and SDKs fast-tracking banks and digital institution’s digital experience.
- Kilde (Singapore): a regulated private debt investment platform raising debt capital for digital lenders from investors.
- Open CBS (Hong Kong): an agile cloud-based core banking system for financial institutions.
- Raseed (USA): an investment platform that makes it easy and simple for millennials in GCC to buy and sell shares in US stock markets.
- Singular Capital (Malaysia): an active investment management app that’s looking to give users superior market returns.
- Stornest (UAE): a digital legacy planning tool designed to share information with your loved ones that you would like to keep private while you are alive.
- Tajjir (Jordan): a white-labelled online trading application that helps stock brokers increase trade volume
Raja Al Mazrouei, Executive Vice President of FinTech Hive at DIFC, said: “Startupbootcamp FinTech Dubai’s programme has attracted hugely ambitious and innovative FinTech start-ups from around the globe since launching in 2018. Congratulations to the 11 participating start-ups graduating from the current cohort who join over 100 likeminded businesses who have been through one of the three programmes we currently offer through DIFC FinTech Hive. They all have the potential to help us shape the future of finance in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia region.”
