The UAE Cybersecurity Council and Amazon Web Services (AWS) have completed the first cohort of their joint cybersecurity accelerator, graduating 23 startups as part of a national strategy to scale more than 500 local tech companies.
Quick Facts
- First cohort graduated 23 founding teams.
- National goal to scale over 500 cyber startups.
- Partners include AWS, CrowdStrike, and e&.
Cultivating ‘Made in UAE’ Innovation
The multi-year initiative aims to build a robust pipeline of “Made in UAE” cybersecurity solutions capable of addressing global cyber threats. The inaugural six-week programme, run with strategic partners CrowdStrike and e&, selected its first batch of startups from a pool of 157 applications across five countries.
The participating founders are building solutions across critical sectors including cloud security, identity management, and the use of artificial intelligence for advanced threat detection. The program provided the startups with go-to-market support, technical mentorship, and valuable exposure to venture investment networks.
A Pathway to Enterprise and Investment
Founders received cloud infrastructure support from AWS and gained access to telecom giant e& to explore potential venture investment opportunities. At a closing ceremony in Abu Dhabi, five winning startups were selected by a senior evaluation panel after a virtual pitch session. The winners were assessed on customer value, competitive differentiation, and growth potential.
These top founders will now gain enhanced visibility with enterprise customers, investors, and key government stakeholders across the region.
“These 23 startups represent the next generation of ‘Made in UAE’ cybersecurity champions,” said Dr. Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, Head of Cybersecurity for the UAE Government.
“This programme has proven that the UAE has the talent, the ambition, and the ecosystem to become a world-leading cybersecurity innovation hub,” added Chris Erasmus, General Manager at AWS.
About the UAE Cybersecurity Accelerator
The UAE Cybersecurity Accelerator is a government-backed initiative led by the UAE Cybersecurity Council and Amazon Web Services (AWS), in partnership with CrowdStrike and e&. The multi-year program is designed to identify and scale promising cybersecurity startups, with a strategic goal of developing over 500 companies to strengthen the nation’s digital defenses and export locally developed innovations.
Source: Fintech News UAE
