Future100

What Future100 does

Future100 is a UAE government-backed national initiative launched on December 6, 2022, that annually identifies and accelerates 100 promising UAE startups and scaleups operating in future-economy sectors. It is co-founded by the UAE Ministry of Economy and the Minister of State for Government Development and the Future and is headquartered in Abu Dhabi. The program targets SMEs (fewer than 250 employees and turnover under AED 250 million) across 17 future-industry verticals — including Advanced Manufacturing, Agritech, Biotechnology, Creative Industries, Cybersecurity, Edutech, Fintech, Health Tech, Intelligent Mobility, PropTech, Renewable Energy, Space, and Sustainability — and 7 future-technology areas spanning 3D Printing, AI-based Service Optimization, Blockchain, IoT, On-demand Economy, Robotics, and Web 3.0. Initiative leadership is anchored by H.E. Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri (UAE Minister of Economy) and H.E. Ohood bint Khalfan Al Roumi (UAE Minister of State for Government Development and the Future).

The program's core offerings are an annual curated list (the "Future 100 List"), the "Future 100 Label" with a high-profile award ceremony, structured acceleration support covering funding, legal, commercial, and capacity-building assistance, and facilitated access to investors and regulators. Applicants are evaluated against four pillars: creative capacity, market potential, business model viability, and ESG impact. The platform supports both direct applications and nominations from a network of 50+ authorized nominators — including Hub71, DIFC, DMCC, Dubai Chamber, Emirates NBD, Microsoft, Antler, Khalifa Fund, in5, and Investopia — alongside 15 strategic partners and 20+ community partners. Two cohorts have been published (2023 and 2024), with the 2024 cohort revealed at Investopia 2025 in February 2025; annual reports (2023, 2024) are publicly available for download, and the 2025-2026 cycle opened on October 30, 2025.

Future100 is a publicly funded government program with no commercial revenue model; participation is free to eligible companies. The business is not transactional but programmatic — it operates on annual government budget allocations and in-kind support from its partner ecosystem. Distribution is run centrally via the future100.ae platform, with marketing carried through the official website (English and Arabic), annual reports, PR coverage in government and regional outlets (WAM, Entrepreneur Middle East, InCArabia, Economy Middle East), and high-profile annual ceremonies. The economic value Future100 generates is indirect — measured in ecosystem positioning, partner-network leverage, and honoree visibility — rather than top-line revenue.

Name

Future100

Legal name

Future 100

Website

https://future100.ae

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Future100 is a UAE government initiative that annually identifies and accelerates 100 promising startups and scaleups in future-economy sectors through recognition, investor access, and structured acceleration support across 17 industry verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Abu Dhabi

HQ country

United Arab Emirates

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Future100 is a UAE national government initiative that annually identifies, lists, and accelerates 100 promising startups and scaleups operating in future economic sectors such as AI, fintech, healthtech, agritech, cybersecurity, and sustainability. Its core deliverables are the annual Future 100 List, the Future 100 Label and recognition program, an Acceleration Support Program (funding, legal, commercial, capacity-building), fast-track access to investors and regulators, and a high-profile annual celebration event. The initiative is offered at no cost to eligible UAE SMEs and is supported by 50+ authorized nominator organizations.

Product overview

Future100 is a national initiative launched by the UAE Ministry of Economy in partnership with the Minister of State for Government Development and the Future. Rather than a traditional product company, Future100 operates as an acceleration and recognition program that identifies and supports promising UAE startups and scaleups. The core offering consists of the annual Future 100 List (a curated ranking of top future-economy companies), the Future 100 Label and Recognition program, Acceleration Support (funding, legal, commercial, and capacity building), facilitated Investor and Regulator Access, and an Annual Celebration Event with year-long publicity. The initiative targets SMEs in future industries including AI, fintech, healthtech, agritech, cybersecurity, and sustainability. Companies can apply directly or be nominated through a network of 50+ partner organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Future 100 List An annual curated list of the top 100 promising startups and scaleups in the UAE's future economic sectors, selected based on creative capacity, market potential, business model viability, and ESG impact. Target users: eligible UAE SMEs (fewer than 250 employees, turnover under AED 250 million) operating in future industries.
• Future 100 Label and Recognition A prestigious national label awarded to qualifying companies on the Future 100 list, accompanied by a high-profile award ceremony, providing brand visibility and credibility as UAE future-economy leaders. Target users: listed Future 100 SMEs.
• Acceleration Support Program Comprehensive acceleration services including funding access, legal support, commercial guidance, and capacity building to help listed Future 100 companies scale their operations. Target users: SMEs on the Future 100 list.
• Investor and Regulator Access Facilitated fast-track access to investors, regulators, and the broader business community to support growth and partnership opportunities for Future 100 companies. Target users: listed Future 100 SMEs.
• Annual Celebration Event
• Nomination Platform

Quantifiable outcome

• 100 companies listed annually as Future 100 companies

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Ministry of Economy and Government Development and the Future OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 December 2022Official launch of the Future 100 initiative on December 6, 2022, as a joint national initiative to identify and accelerate 100 promising UAE startups and scaleups.
• Ministry of Economy (UAE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Ministry of Economy is the founding government partner that co-launched the Future 100 initiative to identify and accelerate promising UAE SMEs in future economic sectors.
• Minister of State for Government Development and the FuturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founding government entity responsible for the initiative, working alongside the Ministry of Economy to nurture a dynamic economy and future-proof the UAE.
• Strategic Partners (15 organizations)majorOthers15 strategic partner organizations supporting the Future 100 initiative, visible in the partner logos section. Includes organizations from government, investment, and ecosystem development sectors.
• Acceleration PartnersmajorOthersAcceleration partners visible in the partner logos section, providing support services to listed Future 100 companies.
• Community Partners (20+ organizations)minorOthers20+ community partner organizations visible in the partner logos section, supporting the broader Future 100 ecosystem and networking opportunities.
• Authorized NominatorsmajorOthersOver 50 authorized nominator organizations including Abu Dhabi SME Hub, Ajman Chamber, Antler, Careem, DIFC, DMCC, DTEC, Dubai Chamber, Emirates NBD, Hub71, in5, Investopia, Khalifa Fund, Mashreq, Microsoft, and others that can nominate companies for the Future 100 list.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Startupbootcamp: Global accelerator with Dubai-based programs supporting fintech, digital health, and other future-economy verticals. Comparable as an established corporate/accelerator partner operating in the UAE ecosystem.
• Microsoft for Startups UAE: Microsoft's global startup program with UAE-specific operations, providing cloud credits, mentorship, and enterprise access to local founders. Comparable as a startup acceleration platform with UAE presence serving similar SME cohorts, though driven by a global corporate rather than a national initiative.

Direct peers

• DIFC Innovation Hub: Dubai International Financial Centre's innovation arm running Fintech Hive and vertical-specific accelerators serving UAE and regional startups. Comparable as a UAE-based, government/sovereign-backed startup acceleration and recognition platform targeting future-economy sectors.
• Hub71: Abu Dhabi-based global tech hub backed by Mubadala that provides equity-backed accelerator programs, venture building, and ecosystem access to UAE startups. Directly comparable as a UAE-based, government-affiliated SME/startup accelerator serving a similar cohort, though Hub71 deploys direct capital where Future100 is recognition-led.
• in5 (TECOM Group): Dubai-based technology incubator operated by TECOM that supports startups across media, tech, and science verticals with workspace, mentorship, and investor access. Directly comparable as a UAE-based government-affiliated startup support platform offering acceleration services.
• DTEC (Dubai Technology Entrepreneur Campus): Dubai Silicon Oasis-based tech incubator providing co-working, mentorship, and acceleration to UAE technology startups. Comparable as a UAE-located ecosystem platform serving similar future-economy SME cohorts.
• Antler UAE: Global early-stage venture capital firm with a UAE-resident program that invests capital and provides acceleration to UAE founders. Comparable as an authorized Future100 nominator and as a UAE-located accelerator targeting the same future-economy SME cohort.
• Abu Dhabi SME Hub (Khalifa Fund): Abu Dhabi government entity providing funding, capacity-building, and acceleration to UAE SMEs. Comparable as a government-backed UAE SME support program, though oriented more toward capital deployment than Future100's recognition-led model.

Others

• Magnitt: MENA startup data platform and investor community providing deal-flow, research, and ecosystem intelligence across the region. Comparable as an adjacent UAE/MENA ecosystem infrastructure provider supporting the same SME and investor base that Future100 serves.
• Wamda: MENA-based entrepreneur support platform providing content, community, and program support to startups across the region. Comparable as an ecosystem enabler targeting UAE and regional SMEs in future-economy sectors.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Future100