Dubai
Founders Network · Dubai

Dubai Startup Community

Founders Network is a peer mentorship community of 600+ vetted tech founders in cities around the world. Founders in Dubai join the full program from their first week: weekly peer roundtables, live sessions with experienced operators, the member forums, and introductions to founders and investors in any city.

Members in Dubai start in our Virtual chapter. A local chapter opens once enough founders here join.

Dubai chapter

Start the Dubai chapter

Every Founders Network chapter began with a few members who wanted to meet in person. When enough Dubai members join, we start local dinners and roundtables led by volunteer members. Members who want to lead it can apply here.

A Founders Network member speaking at an event

The Dubai startup scene

UAE startups closed 231 venture deals in 2025, according to MAGNiTT data reported by Khaleej Times. Across the Middle East, venture funding rose 89% to $3.43 billion over a record 581 deals.

MAGNiTT counted a record $1.4 billion raised by UAE startups in the first nine months of 2025, up 188% year on year, with about 82% of that capital coming from investors outside the UAE, per EnterpriseAM. Dubai is the commercial centre of that market, and Founders Network's Dubai chapter connects its founders with peers across a global network.

Founders Network in Dubai

Founders Network started in San Francisco in 2011. Members are founders of tech startups, from a first company to serial founders who have exited, and each one is nominated and approved.

Most of the program runs online, so it works the same from Dubai as from San Francisco. Members bring a hiring, fundraising or product problem to a facilitated roundtable of peers, ask the forums, and get introduced one-on-one to members who have solved it. Each year they meet in person at fnIRL in San Francisco and at fnSummit. The Virtual chapter has its own leadership team and online events, so Dubai members have a peer group from day one.

Founders listening at a Founders Network sessionFounders talking at a Founders Network eventA Founders Network roundtable
600+
Vetted tech founders
$50B+
In exits by members
55%
Serial founders
100+
Events a year
Next step

Join from Dubai

Membership is by nomination and approval. Request an invitation and we'll review your background. If it's a fit, we arrange a nomination and invite you to the Nominee Preview Q&A, a 30-minute Zoom where current members walk through how Founders Network works and take questions. The next one is Thursday, November 19 at 9:30 AM PT.

Request an invitation

Already nominated? RSVP to the Nominee Preview.

Frequently asked questions

What startup events can I attend in Dubai before joining?

The Dubai chapter doesn't have a regular local meeting yet. Members here join the weekly online program and the annual conferences, and local events start once there are enough members to host them. Request an invitation if you'd like to help get one going. Chapter events in other cities are open to guests by invitation, and your first one is on us with a one-time guest pass. Dates are on the events page.

How do I get a feel for the members before I apply?

Listen to our podcast. It features the network's most successful members telling the story of how they built and sold their companies. Most members are somewhere along that journey, from first-time founder to serial founder, and the episodes show the kind of founder they are learning from.

Is Founders Network a Dubai group or a global one?

Global. Founders Network started in San Francisco in 2011 and now has city chapters and sector groups around the world, with the largest concentration of members in San Francisco and Silicon Valley. Most of the program is online and runs every week: facilitated peer roundtables, live expert sessions, moderated founder forums, and 1-1 introductions to members in any city. Members meet in person at the annual conferences, fnIRL and fnSummit. Everything above is open to Dubai members from day one, and local meetings come as the chapter grows. The full program is on the mentoring tracks page.

Who are the members?

Founders of tech startups at every point on the journey, from a first company getting to market to serial founders who have exited. Each is nominated and approved, and what we select for is alignment with the network's values and vision rather than stage or sector. Members join to find customers, raise their first rounds, hire co-founders and early teams, and work through the hard parts of running a company with peers who have done it.

Can Founders Network help me raise money?

Founders Network can make you a more competent and better-connected fundraiser. It can't guarantee funding. The Scale plan is built for founders getting to market and raising seed: 1-on-1 pitch mentoring from VCs, a curated investor directory with warm opt-in introductions, and a pass to fnIRL, the annual San Francisco conference. On every plan you can ask the forums and get introduced to members who have raised at your stage. Plan details are on the membership page. Pricing is shared on approval.

How do I join Founders Network in Dubai?

Membership is by nomination and approval. Request an invitation and we'll review your background. If it's a fit, we arrange a nomination and invite you to an info call with current members. All memberships are annual, and we never take equity.

Not a member yet?

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