New Delhi [India], November 28 : Five Indian start-ups have secured a fully sponsored soft landing in the United Arab Emirates after emerging as winners of the UAE-India CEPA Council's Start-Up Series.
The announcement followed a two-day finale held on November 24 and 25 in New Delhi, marking a significant opportunity for Indian companies preparing to expand internationally.
According to the release, the competition drew more than 10,000 applications from across India, with 20 finalists selected to present their solutions in sectors ranging from artificial intelligence, fintech, sustainability, and health technology to manufacturing, agriculture, space, and next-generation mobility.
The finalists pitched before a high-profile jury comprising the UAE Ambassador to India Abdulnasser Alshaali, Hub71 CEO Ahmad Ali Alwan, V3 Ventures Co-Founder Arjun Vaidya, and Offline Founder Utsav Somani, supported by experts from the CEPA Council, DP World, Emirates NBD, and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
The five winners announced at the finale represent some of India's most promising early-stage innovation. Bioreform, selected by RAKEZ, is a Hyderabad-based sustainable packaging company producing biodegradable and compostable alternatives to single-use plastics using a proprietary biopolymer blend.
Emirates NBD selected Data Sutram, a Kolkata regtech intelligence platform that processes more than 250 data sources to deliver real-time insights for fraud prevention, underwriting, and customer personalisation.
DP World chose DocketRun, a Hubballi industrial safety platform that uses edge AI and vision analytics to detect and prevent hazardous events before they occur. Endimension, selected by Hub71, is a Mumbai-based AI radiology start-up supporting more than 800 hospitals and diagnostic centres by accelerating and improving the accuracy of X-ray, CT, and MRI analysis.
The fifth winner, SBNRI, selected by First Abu Dhabi Bank, is a Gurugram fintech platform offering non-resident Indians a unified digital ecosystem for global banking, investment management, and taxation.
Each of the winning companies will now receive a comprehensive soft landing package in the UAE, including incubation support, assistance in establishing a business presence, trade licence facilitation, and regulatory guidance.
Hub71 has further committed to integrating all five winners into its newly launched Immersion Programme, which provides virtual onboarding, in-person sessions in Abu Dhabi, curated knowledge workshops, mentorship, and direct access to the emirate's expanding tech ecosystem.
UAE Ambassador to India Abdulnasser Alshaali noted that the programme stemmed from the remarkable innovation he had observed across India's start-up hubs, adding that the strong response underlined the deepening economic and people-to-people ties between the two nations.
"The Start-Up Series was inspired by the remarkable innovation I witnessed across India's start-up communities. As I travelled through different states and engaged with founders working in diverse sectors, the sheer scale of talent became undeniable. The strong response to this programme reflects the growing momentum in our economic and people-to-people ties," he said.
CEPA Council Director Ahmed Aljneibi emphasised that this initiative is the first to move Indian start-ups from application to a fully sponsored UAE landing within such a short timeline.
"This is the first programme to take Indian start-ups from application to a fully-sponsored UAE landing within such a short period. The quality of the finalists speaks for itself, and the UAE is committed to helping these companies scale internationally," he said.
Hub71 CEO Ahmad Ali Alwan highlighted the growing interest of Indian entrepreneurs in using the UAE as a global springboard, noting Endimension's strong traction and disciplined deployment of AI in radiology workflows.
"India's depth of talent continues to impress, and we see growing interest from Indian founders looking to the UAE as a global gateway for growth. This was reflected in the shortlisted startups, all of whom demonstrated strong potential and clear relevance to the UAE market. For Hub71, Endimension distinguished itself through strong traction and a disciplined approach to applying advanced AI to radiology workflows. We are also pleased to welcome all finalists to Abu Dhabi for soft-landing support and to embed within the Hub71 ecosystem," the CEO noted.
RAKEZ Group CEO Ramy Jallad praised Bioreform's heat-durable, food-safe, biodegradable polymer technology.
"BioReform impressed us with a polymer technology that is biodegradable, heat-durable, food-safe, and significantly more affordable than existing alternatives. Its ability to scale customised products positions it well to support the UAE's transition away from single-use plastics. We are pleased to back a company that aligns so strongly with Ras Al Khaimah's sustainability ambitions," Jallad said.
DP World's Hemant Kumar Ruia commended DocketRun's clarity of vision and scalable engineering.
"DocketRun distinguished itself through clarity of vision, disciplined engineering, and a platform built for scale. Supporting its entry into the UAE innovation ecosystem reflected our shared commitment under the CEPA to encourage entrepreneurship and strengthen the start-up ecosystem that can in turn support the economy," Ruia said.
First Abu Dhabi Bank's India CEO, Nimesh Karwanyun, emphasised that SBNRI's strong regional understanding and commercial focus positioned it well for global growth.
"The Start-Up Series enabled us to engage closely with founders who are shaping solutions for a rapidly evolving financial landscape. We were impressed by the teams' deep knowledge of the region and strong product-market fit. FAB's support reflects our commitment under CEPA to championing founders who demonstrate commercial discipline and the capability to scale globally," he said.
The Start-Up Series reflects the UAE-India CEPA Council's agile, innovation-driven approach to strengthening bilateral ties. Launched in January 2024 during Vibrant Gujarat by UAE Minister for Foreign Trade Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi and India's Commerce and Union Minister of Commerce Piyush Goyal, the council has rapidly expanded its programming to build bridges between the two countries' innovation ecosystems.
With their upcoming UAE soft landing, the five winning start-ups now stand on the cusp of a transformative new phase, poised to tap into the Gulf region's fast-growing technology landscape and expand their ambitions across the Middle East.