With the announcement of Dubai observing 2015 as the Year of Innovation, the city aims to position itself as a leader in the space. It set yet another example with the launch of a tech hub powered by Google called the AstroLabs Dubai. The tech hub is a first for Google in the MENA region which partnered with Mohammed Mekki and Louis Lebbos, founding partners of the incubator AstroLabs.
During AM’s visit to the tech hub which is located at the DMCC Free Zone, the vibe and energy, and the sense of so many brilliant minds at work, was palpable. The space is purpose-built, designed from the ground up to meet the needs of tech entrepreneurs. “We have a quite work area, called the Coding Cave, which is designed for those who would like to fully focus. It is outfitted with noise absorbing sound panels and is secluded from the rest of the space,” informed Mr Mekki.
There are five meeting rooms – two large rooms and three videoconferencing rooms that double up as 1:1 meeting areas. There is also a training room that hosts community events and AstroLabs Academy workshops on a regular basis. The co-working space has many startups brainstorming together that includes Abweb Consulting, Morocco; Air Crew Club, Spain; Anthisis, Jordon; Beneple, UAE; Chomp, India among others.
“The attraction of Dubai as an international startup hub is definitely growing. We witness this every day with applications from global startups who want to access the emerging markets from their base at AstroLabs. We are also working on increasing this profile by holding the Google For Entrepreneurs Exchange program, hosting 12 travel technology startups from across the world and introducing them to the leaders of the travel industry in Dubai,” shared Mr Lebbos.
“A unique element is the Device Lab that was designed with the same architects that did the Google Ventures office in Silicon Valley. The Device Lab, co-designed with Google for Entrepreneurs, features a variety of mobile phones and tablets for startups to test their apps before releasing a version to the public,” added Mr Mekki.
And to keep the young entrepreneurs energized late nights is the in-house café, 59 Degrees, that serves coffee and tidbits. “We designed the space to be 24×7, accessible via access control cards issued to all the members, since entrepreneurship isn’t a 9-5 gig. We even have a shower so that our members can take advantage of our beautiful parkside location to exercise during the day”, said Mr Mekki.
Five qs to Mohammad Mekki and Louis Lebbos on initiatives that foster innovation and allow entrepreneurs to flourish.
1. How many startups are working under AstroLabs Dubai?
We currently have 42 startups which were selected from a pool of over 250 applicant companies from around the world.
2. Is there any kind of marketing, advertising or communication tool present?
Many of our startups are experts in this field. Also, we run a variety of digital marketing and analytics programs at AstroLabs Dubai through AstroLabs Academy. Some of our mentors are the leading practitioners in this space in the MENA region. We offer all of our members free credits on Google Adwords to extend their marketing reach.
3. Why was Dubai chosen as the location for AstroLabs new tech hub?
We have been running AstroLabs Academy programming across MENA for the last two years, from Cairo to Riyadh, and have found the most serious startups basing themselves out of Dubai. Effectively, Dubai is already the hub for the regional entrepreneurial ecosystem, benefitting from top talent, access to the lucrative and relatively untapped Gulf market, and access to capital. We have chosen to set up AstroLabs in Dubai in order to attract top global startups to expand into MENA. Combining the Google-partnered Tech Hub environment with the business license platform provided by our partners in the DMCC Free Zone, a company can get setup here and have a team assembled within weeks from all over the world. The entire cost of the license is subsidized in the first year to make it very easy to get started.
4. What are the different programs provided for young entrepreneurs for their startups to grow and thrive?
We host a variety of learning programs at AstroLabs Dubai, through Academy. These workshops are great ways to learn the essentials to grow a startup. In November we are participating in the YouthConnect program run by the Expo2020 Committee. Our program will be in partnership with Google and entitled: “Bring your startup idea to life!” AstroLabs member startups will be participating as well, mentoring the youth as they come with an idea and leave the event with an action plan on how to take it forward.
5. How will the Google partnership benefit them to take advantage of the Google for Entrepreneurs’ global network and resources?
Members of AstroLabs Dubai have the opportunity to work from any of the 20+ Google-partnered Tech Hubs around the world through the global Passport Program. They also have many opportunities to connect to Silicon Valley, sponsored by Google. One such program is called Blackbox Connect, which selects AstroLabs members for a fully subsidized two week immersion program in Silicon Valley. Finally, we are lucky to have access to global experts from Google through a Hangouts series, which we screen in the Academy training room on a regular basis for our members and the community. Most recently, we hosted a program called “CTO in a Box: A crash course in the essentials of a tech startup”, led by a Google Developer Relations expert from Silicon Valley.
