Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy opens financing track for seven start-ups via Orasia Capital
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The Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, in partnership with the venture capital fund Orasia Capital, opened a direct financing and mentorship track for seven tech start-ups based in Dubai, through a specialised pitch session that gives them access to investors’ assessments and potential funding opportunities. The initiative is delivered via Orasia Capital’s technology fund, valued at AED 500 million (about US 136.14 million), together with the SANDBOX investment programme. Saeed Al-Qurqawi, deputy chairman of the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, explained that the focus is on providing practical, efficient pathways that enable tech start-ups to connect directly with potential investors and obtain capital and expertise to support their growth and expansion into new markets.
The session featured presentations of business models, tech solutions and expansion plans from the seven local companies before the investment team, with the solutions covering artificial intelligence, automation and specialised digital infrastructure.YOUNEA presented a platform that enables organisations to deploy AI agents with a custom commercial identity via voice, chat and the WhatsApp app, while Cogniver uses independent agents to automate corporate workflow and operational processes.In the digital-sovereignty track, Avelin offered sovereign AI solutions delivered through cloud, on-premise environments and systems completely isolated from external networks, while Duno developed operational-AI technologies to help lenders assess small and medium-size enterprises. The lineup also included Arakan, which specialises in digital tools for compliance and corporate requirements; Riayatech, which provides healthcare-technology solutions aimed at clinical operations and the patient journey; and SENSI, which is developing sensory technologies for digital scents as part of an “Internet of Fragrances” concept.
After the pitches, the seven companies received detailed evaluations and feedback on the requirements for the next stages of the investment-due-diligence track, and several of them have already moved to the subsequent phase that qualifies them to compete for SANDBOX programme funding.Orasia Capital manages an AED 500 million fund targeting tech companies from the pre-seed stage through Series B, with potential SANDBOX investments ranging from US 150,000 (AED 550,000) to US 3 million (AED 11 million).These financial allocations are complemented by mentorship mechanisms, investment-readiness building and integration into Dubai’s broader business ecosystem, linking capital acquisition to operational discipline and tangible commercial development.
The track signals to tech leaders and founders in the Gulf and the Arab region a tangible shift in institutional-investor criteria; the focus moves beyond simple consumer-facing interfaces toward specialised solutions that possess technological sovereignty, can operate in isolated environments, or provide tools for automating compliance flows and credit assessment. If you are leading a tech venture in the region, access to institutional funding is now tied to passing audit committees that concentrate on operational readiness and commercial go-to-market capability before any liquidity is released. The next indicator we will watch is the number of companies that clear the final evaluation stages and sign actual investment deals within SANDBOX, which will determine how effective these tracks are at turning idea pitches into regionally scalable businesses.