Dubai, UAE – IFZA, one of the world’s most dynamic Free Zone communities, today announced the results of its inaugural Scale360 accelerator cohort, culminating in a Demo Day in Dubai that graduated 14 international AI and sustainability startups, with pilots already live, market entry underway, and relocations to the UAE in motion.  

From 136 global applications, Scale360 selected a cohort representing 11 countries (Singapore, India, Egypt, Canada, the UK, the US, France, Germany, Slovakia, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE). At Demo Day, 11 startups pitched live to a room of investors, corporates, and key stakeholders, demonstrating solutions spanning enterprise automation, industrial AI, retail analytics, identity verification, climate and energy platforms, and sustainability technologies. 

The program is already showing strong visible commercial traction; eight startups are currently advancing their UAE licensing and company setup, two are relocating their global headquarters to Dubai, and IFZA has launched three AI and sustainability pilots partners. 

“At IFZA, we’re not just a host; we’re the Free Zone community founders rely on. From licensing and pilot facilitation to curated corporate and investor introductions, Scale360 removes barriers so companies can grow from Dubai into the region,” said Jochen Knecht, CEO of IFZA. “That practical support is central to the UAE’s innovation agenda, and we will keep investing in the infrastructure and relationships founders need to succeed here.” 

Strong deal flow: corporate access, investor engagement, and structured mentorship 

Across the cohort, participating startups completed: 

  • 33 commercial introductions with UAE corporates and government entities 
  • 49 investor meetings with 11 participating investors 
  • 50+ hours of structured mentorship, covering sales, business development, technical strategy, legal, and fundraising 

Global recognition and UAE expansion momentum 

Several cohort companies secured notable international and regional breakthroughs during the program: 

  • Synteza AI earned international visibility after being selected to participate in Dubai Police’s Innovation Sprint 2.0 at GITEX, showcasing its synthetic data platform to support advanced computer vision applications. 
  • Interloom was named one of 10 global winners of the Zurich Insurance Innovation Challenge, selected from 1,000+ applicants. Building on Scale360 momentum, one Interloom cofounder will relocate to Dubai in January to expand market presence. 
  • Tayar, an Egypt-based startup electrifying last-mile delivery fleets, signed a partnership with Talabat and entered advanced commercial discussions with Keeta and Amazon during the cohort. Tayar is also nearing the close of its current fundraising round, supported by investor introductions made during Scale360’s Investor Week. 
  • Nettle AI, a Slovakia-based company developing multilingual conversational AI for customer support and automation, was selected for the Microsoft GrowthX Accelerator Program, delivered in partnership with ADIO in Abu Dhabi. 
  • Power Dime, a Canada- and India-based AI platform connecting businesses with renewable energy projects and managing the lifecycle from planning to monitoring, was accepted into the C3 Companies Creating Change Program in Dubai. 

“Our startups proved that Dubai is where global AI and sustainability companies can build, partner, and scale quickly. The impact has been immediate, with pilots launched, investor engagement, and teams relocating to the UAE. This momentum aligns with national priorities such as the UAE National AI Strategy 2031 and the Net Zero by 2050 commitment and sets a strong foundation as we look forward to welcoming even more advanced AI startups in future cohorts.” said Sinéad O’Keeffe, Head of Scale360.   

The demo day attracted several representatives from organizations such as ENOC, Dubai Municipality, Abu Dhabi Ports Group, and Abu Dhabi Customs, alongside investors including BECO Capital, AngelSpark, and 100VP.  

Developed in partnership with Plug and Play, the world’s largest innovation platform, Scale360 combines global best practices with deep UAE market access, providing tailored mentorship, business setup support, corporate partnership opportunities, and curated investor introductions.  

Cohort companies:    

913 AI: Deploys AI-powered digital workers to automate core operations (legal, finance, HR, admin).  

BrandContext: Uses AI-powered in-store analytics to help retailers understand shopper behavior and increase sales performance.  

GlassHUB Uses AI to automate compliance reporting and verify supply-chain documentation for regulated industries.  

Groundup AI: Delivers AI solutions that detect machine anomalies early to prevent downtime and improve industrial safety.  

Interloom: Offers AI-driven workflow automation tools that streamline operations across enterprise teams.  

ISTINA AI: Deploys an orchestrated team of autonomous AI agents that fully manage customer service and core business operations end to end.  

Nettle AI: Builds multilingual conversational AI systems that automate customer support and business interactions.  

Power Dime: Connects businesses with renewable energy projects through an AI-powered platform that manages everything from planning to monitoring.  

Organized Matter AI: A geospatial AI platform that turns satellite, drone & IoT data into actionable, location-based insights.  

RELAYTO AI: Transforms static documents into interactive, AI-enhanced content experiences.  

Sensgreen: Optimizes indoor air quality and energy consumption through AI-powered environmental sensors.  

ShareID: AI-powered identity verification platform using computer vision to authenticate documents, detect fraud, and confirm user identity in real time.  

Synteza AI: Generates high-quality synthetic datasets to accelerate and improve AI training for computer-vision  

About Scale360 

Scale360 by IFZA is a premier startup launchpad designed to attract, support, and scale high-potential startups in Artificial Intelligence and Sustainability. As Dubai’s gateway for the next generation of global innovation, Scale360 empowers entrepreneurs to establish their presence, access mentorship, build strategic partnerships, and accelerate growth in the UAE and the wider MENA region. Through tailored programming, networking opportunities, and connections to corporate and investment ecosystems, Scale360 helps startups turn ambition into tangible impact while showcasing Dubai as a leading hub for innovation and sustainable development. 

For details contact:
Mohammad Al Mahasneh
Head of Corporate Communications, IFZA
malmahasneh@ifza.com
M: +971 56 415 3075