DIFC Innovation Hub expands Global South network

The DIFC Innovation Hub has announced a partnership with The Foundation Hub, based in Slemani, to create a direct pathway between Dubai and Kurdistan’s startup ecosystem. The collaboration will begin with two dedicated workshops in Kurdistan to evaluate and shortlist high-potential startups, and will prioritise FinTech and Artificial Intelligence as initial focus sectors. Selected founders will receive mentorship, access to venture capital and institutional investors, and opportunities to showcase on international DIFC platforms.

"The Global South represents some of the world’s most dynamic and high-potential innovation markets. Dubai’s unique infrastructure, regulatory environment, and capital concentration enable us to serve as a launchpad for founders across emerging economies," said Arif Amiri, CEO of DIFC Authority. "Our partnership with The Foundation Hub creates a practical, high-impact bridge between Dubai and Kurdistan, bringing talented entrepreneurs into our ecosystem while opening up new cross-border growth avenues."

The agreement is positioned as an execution-focused initiative intended to move beyond networking and towards tangible program delivery, founder support and commercial scaling. Program activations will start with the two Kurdistan workshops to identify startups best suited for cross-border expansion. From that cohort, founders will be offered structured mentorship from industry experts and corporate leaders, alongside introductions to the DIFC Innovation Hub’s network of venture capital funds and institutional investors.

Participating entrepreneurs will also gain exposure on DIFC’s major international stages, including the Dubai FinTech Summit, the Dubai AI Festival and the DIFC Innovation Hub Investor Day. The collaboration will include curated ecosystem visits to Dubai where founders can meet enterprise partners, potential customers and investors to scale their operations.

Programme components

• Two initial workshop activations in Kurdistan to evaluate and shortlist startups
• Structured mentorship from industry experts and corporate leaders
• Direct access to venture capital funds and institutional investors within the DIFC network
• Showcase opportunities at Dubai FinTech Summit, Dubai AI Festival and DIFC Innovation Hub Investor Day
• Curated ecosystem visits to Dubai for enterprise engagement and scaling

HE Qubad Talabani, Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, welcomed the tie-up and described it as a new channel for Kurdistan’s startups to reach regional and international markets. "The partnership agreement between Dubai’s DIFC Innovation Hub and The Foundation Hub connects Kurdistan’s startups with Dubai. Through this collaboration, UAE investors and DIFC partners will provide support to companies driven by innovative ideas and high growth potential," he said. Talabani added that the agreement "provides a new opportunity for Kurdistan’s entrepreneurs and creative youth to develop their businesses to compete at both regional and international levels, while further establishing Slemani as a prominent regional hub for innovation."

While the initial activations prioritise founders based in Kurdistan accessing Dubai’s ecosystem, the partners describe the longer-term ambition as a two-way Dubai‑Slemani Innovation Corridor. That corridor is intended to enable UAE and DIFC participants — including investors, enterprise partners and scale-ups — to discover, evaluate and capitalise on emerging opportunities within Kurdistan’s evolving tech landscape.

By structuring the initiative around workshops, mentorship, investor access and showcase platforms, the DIFC Innovation Hub and The Foundation Hub aim to translate early-stage engagement into measurable growth outcomes for participating startups and to deepen commercial ties between Dubai and Kurdistan.