It will move to its locations in “Future City” this year

The ambition of the "Dubai Expo" is embodied in reality.. 85 companies join the "District"

  • District seeks to empower regional and global startups to expand and grow from Dubai.

    From the source

  • Tala Al Ansari: "What we have achieved is an achievement that confirms the commitment to continue the legacy of (Expo Dubai), to enhance the emirate's position as a global destination for innovation."

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The "District 2020" team (the future vision of the "Expo Dubai" site) announced yesterday the first group of 85 startups and small companies, selected within the global entrepreneurship program "Scale2 Dubai", to join the various companies that "District" will be based in before end of this year.

This announcement represents a milestone to achieve the future plans for the World Expo site, and the lasting impact it aims to create. Within days, the doors of the “Dubai Expo” will be closed, and work will begin to re-purpose the site, as more than 80% of the buildings of the international event will be reimagined, and work will be restarted. It is necessary to establish a flexible and mixed-use environment that allows people to live, work and explore, and represents an ecosystem for global technological innovation, so that the first companies take over their sites in this city of the future with the advent of autumn.

Empowering Startups

The human-centred city will continue the aspirations of the "Dubai Expo" to gather pioneers of thought and creativity to collaborate and devise solutions for a smarter and more sustainable future.

The system that stimulates innovation in the city will seek to establish a system that brings together government agencies and major international companies, academic institutes, project accelerators and incubators, research laboratories, investment capital, small and medium companies, as well as startup companies.

District seeks to play a pivotal role in enabling regional and global startups to expand and grow from Dubai, which provides them with an ideal starting platform and gateway to the Middle East and North Africa region.

District 2020 adopts Expo Dubai's approach to empowering innovative companies with the potential to create a long-term positive economic and social impact.

global presence

Scale2 Dubai attracted 3,200 applications from 129 countries, an indication of Dubai's position as a preferred destination for start-ups looking to expand their global presence.

Thanks to one of the most conducive environments in the world for a wide range of sectors, the UAE has gained a global reputation, as a supportive and promising environment for start-ups in particular, aiming to become a leading global ecosystem for start-ups by 2031.

SMEs and start-ups in the UAE represent 95% of the total companies, employ 42% of the workforce, and contribute more than 40% of the GDP.

Dubai, as one of the most connected cities in the world, and a leader in the Arab region in innovation rankings, provides opportunities for innovation in technology-based fields, as well as networking with partners and potential customers around the world.

Entrepreneur Support

Tala Al-Ansari, Director of the Innovation System Department and "Scale2 Dubai", said: "What we have achieved so far is a very important achievement, confirming the commitment to continuing the legacy of (Expo Dubai), to enhance Dubai's position as a global destination for innovation," noting that the first group of 85 people was chosen. A promising company from 27 countries will be awarded a space in District 2020 from a shortlist of 628 applications that met our program criteria, and the applications were subjected to a comprehensive evaluation by three experts from a technically qualified pool of 50 professionals.

Al-Ansari confirmed that only 50% of startups reach their fifth year, expressing her pride in designing a program that supports these companies on this journey.

"We intend to host a new group every year at District 2020 and look forward to moving our second group by April 2023," she said.

sustainable future

The major companies in District, namely DP World, Siemens, Siemens Energy, and Terminus Technologies, will play a major role in developing technology-based solutions for the city, as global leaders in the field, and will collaborate with selected start-ups through the “District” program. Scale2 Dubai”, which will in turn contribute to new ideas and innovative solutions to support the city of the future, in addition to creating real cooperation that will create a smarter and more sustainable future.

• The first group includes start-ups and small companies, within the global entrepreneurship program "Scale2 Dubai".

• 3200 applications attracted by "Scale2 Dubai" from 129 countries.


• District 2020 will enhance the well-being of its community by providing flexible spaces for living, working and exploring.