Masdar City, Amazon Web Services to help UAE startups scale operations

Masdar City has partnered with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to offer startups acce­ss to AWS Activate, a programme that provides tools and resources to help startups innovate and scale faster. Startups in Masdar City Free Zone may receive up to $100,000 worth of AWS Activate credits, in addition to AWS Support credits.

Startups will also have access to technical support and architectural guidance from AWS Cloud support engineers, as well as technical and business training delivered by AWS experts.

Through AWS, these firms will gain a chance to optimise business performance while reducing technology costs.

A productive collaboration

Amier Alawadhi, the acting director of Masdar City Free Zone, said, “Masdar City’s accelerator programmes are committed to facilitating the growth of entrepreneurs in alignment with the UAE leadership’s strategic vision. Collaborating with AWS helps us serve businesses more efficiently and ensure that startups at Masdar City Free Zone operate in a highly secure and available space.

“AWS has more security certifications than any other cloud provider, bringing our customers a peace of mind that couldn’t be achieved with another cloud platform.”

In addition to its widely adopted cloud offering, AWS offers more than 200 fully featured services for computer, storage, databases, networking, analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), mobile, security, hybrid, virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR), and media and application development, deployment, and management.

Wojciech Bajda, the director of public sector Middle East and Africa at AWS, said, “Our collaboration with Masdar City Free Zone will strengthen its accelerator programme to provide high reliability and elasticity, helping start-ups achieve their business ambitions through technology innovation, and supporting their expansion and long-term growth. AWS Activate offers a world-class cloud infrastructure with personalised tools and resources to empower startups to scale seamlessly with their growth.”

The new collaboration follows previous partnerships, including a key MoU signed during COP27 to hold an International Exchange Sprint (IES) in the UAE as part of Amazon Web Services’ Clean Energy Accelerator 3.0. The MoU will deliver an AWS Clean Energy Accelerator 3.0 (CEA 3.0) IES to Masdar City in 2023, corresponding with COP28 in the UAE. CEA 3.0 is a fast-paced, non-equity dilutive accelerator program that supports clean energy technology innovation through a unique mentorship and co-innovation engagement.

Other developments

In recent news, AWS signed a Statement of Strategic Intent and Cooperation with the UAE Space Agency. The agreement aims to support the development of the space sector in the UAE.

The Space Industry Development Program, Talent for Space Program, and Open Data Sponsorship Program are three initiatives on which AWS will work with the UAE Space Agency and other related UAE government space organisations and institutions.

Read: UAE Space Agency signs strategic agreement with AWS