Code Story
Minting Unicorns - Blockchain, AI and Dubai, with Mohammad Albalooshi, CEO, DIFC Innovation Hub
Wed, 05 Feb 2025
Today, we are releasing another episode in our series entitled Minting Unicorns - Blockchain, AI and Dubai, sponsored by the City of Dubai. Dubai is the new global center of gravity, connecting the world in a way few places can. As a hub for trade, tourism, innovation, and finance, Dubai offers the ideal environment for startups and scale-ups to thrive. Entrepreneurs find a home here, whether in health-tech, fintech, AI, or renewable energy, supported by SME-focused programs that empower high-potential companies to scale globally. From flexible regulations to tax incentives, world-class infrastructure to access to global investors managing $1 trillion, Dubai understands what businesses need to scale fast. For today’s episode, we are speaking with Mohammad Albalooshi, CEO of the DIFC Innovation Hub, a driving force behind Dubai’s innovation ecosystem and a key player in empowering startups and scaleups across the MEASA region.Questions: Tell me and my audience a little bit about you.What is the DIFC Innovation Hub, and what role does it play in driving innovation in Dubai and the broader region? How did it come to be, and what vision does it fulfill?Can you tell us more about the Dubai AI Campus? What is its mission, and how does it support the development of AI-driven innovation?So I’m an entrepreneur looking to build the next big thing in fintech — how does the DIFC Innovation Hub support startups and scaleups in this space? Can you share some examples of companies that have benefited from your ecosystem?Dubai is positioning itself as a global hub for fintech and innovation. How does the DIFC contribute to making this vision a reality?Is it necessary for entrepreneurs to be physically located in Dubai or the MEASA region to join the DIFC Innovation Hub and its programs, or can global innovators participate from anywhere in the world?What are the Dubai AI License and the DIFC License? How do these frameworks support entrepreneurs and businesses within the innovation ecosystem?How is DIFC planning to expand its role in the innovation ecosystem over the next 5-10 years?What new programs or initiatives can we expect to see from the DIFC Innovation Hub to attract global talent and businesses?What advice would you give to startups and entrepreneurs, particularly those from outside the UAE, who are considering Dubai as a base for their operations?Linkshttps://www.linkedin.com/in/mohammad-alblooshi-2499b54a/https://blockchaincenter.ae/https://dubaiaicampus.com/https://www.difc.ae/ https://www.investindubai.gov.ae/en/why-dubai/d33-agendaOur Sponsors:* Check out Kinsta: https://kinsta.com* Check out Vanta: https://vanta.com/CODESTORYSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/code-story/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Full Episode
Hello listeners, today we are releasing another episode in our series entitled Minting Unicorns, Blockchain, AI, and Dubai, sponsored by the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, or DET. Dubai is the new global center of gravity, connecting the world in a way few places can.
From flexible regulations to tax incentives, world-class infrastructure to access to global investors managing a trillion dollars in investment money, Dubai understands what businesses need to scale fast.
For today's episode, we are speaking with Mohamed Albulushi, CEO of the DIFC Innovation Hub, a driving force behind Dubai's innovation ecosystem and a key player in empowering startups and scale-ups across the MISA region. Well, Mohamed, thank you for being on the show today. Thank you for being on CodeStory. Well, thank you for having me, Noah. Absolutely.
I'm excited to talk about the DIFC and all the things going on there. But before we move into that topic, tell me in my audience a little bit about you.
So, of course, currently I run the DIFC's Innovation Hub. DIFC stands for Dubai International Financial Centre, which is a very unique financial centre in the Middle East and North Africa markets. It has its own legal and regulatory infrastructure. It's based on English common law, has its own court system.
it kind of acts like a city within a city and within that city i am responsible for its innovation ecosystem which technically is is the largest of its kind in the entire region but by background i'm a banker so i did about the first eight years of my career i was in banking so i did some corporate banking and some private banking in about 2016 end of 2016 i i moved to the government and i
I joined the IFC and ever since I've been driving the innovation mandate at the IFC. So for fun these days, if I get some time off, I just try and watch some TV. It really helps me, you know, take a break and shift my mind from everything else. So But apart from that, these days I hang with friends. And back in the day, of course, there was a lot more activity.
But these days I don't have much time.
Well, cool. I appreciate that. Let's move into our topic then. So what is the DIFC Innovation Hub and what role does it play in driving innovation in Dubai? Which is there's a lot of innovation going on. There's a lot of focus on tech and technology.
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