Innovate For Tomorrow Impact Accelerator 2025 (AED 850,000 Total Cash Prize Pool Valued+ Exclusive perks)

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Applications are open for Innovate For Tomorrow Impact Accelerator 2025. The Innovate For Tomorrow Impact Accelerator is Dubai Holding’s flagship scale-up programme designed to empower innovators to unlock a better future. Now in its second edition, the 2025 accelerator champions circular economy innovation with a call to fundamentally rethink how we produce, consume and regenerate resources across the UAE’s most vital sectors.

In line with the strategic commitments of the UAE Vision 2071, UAE Net Zero by 2050 strategic initiative and UAE Circular Economy Policy 2031, this year’s programme challenges innovators to drive the critical transition to a more sustainable tomorrow.

‍They’re inviting visionary scale-ups to reimagine the lifecycle of critical resources, unlock new value and drive real-world transformation through inclusive, tech-enabled and regenerative solutions. We partner with you throughout the journey from your solution to implementation.

Innovate For Tomorrow Impact Accelerator Focus Areas

They’re looking for scale-ups that can reimagine consumption, ownership and production within our key Dubai Holding sectors. This includes everything from food and packaging to construction and electronic waste, with a focus on reuse, redistribution and inclusive models that create economic opportunity while reducing environmental pressure.

Ignite change across one or more of our three sub-thematic areas to tackle the most pressing circular economy challenges head-on.

Food loss and waste: Solutions that reduce food waste through smarter use, sharing or upcycling, from surplus redistribution to community-driven composting and expiry-based pricing.
Examples:
- Surplus food redistribution platforms
- Technology to extend shelf-life or price items based on expiry date
- Systems that support hotel and restaurant waste upcycling
Resource recovery and regeneration: Innovative reuse of materials across various applications, such as construction, packaging and electronics, aiming to reduce dependency on virgin resources and extend product lifecycles.
Examples:
- Conversion of electronic waste into raw material
- Construction material reuse
- Spare parts and component recovery
- Textile recovery solutions for uniforms and workwear
Digital innovation for sustainability: Digital innovations and smart technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) that transform how we design, track, manage and recover resources throughout their lifecycles – from intelligent systems that prevent waste before it happens to automated networks that capture and redirect materials back into productive use.
Examples:
- Digital “passports” that track materials from creation to end-of-life for easy recovery
- Smart sensors that identify when equipment needs maintenance
- IoT-enabled collection bins that optimise pickup routes and sorting processes

Innovate For Tomorrow Impact Accelerator Benefits

What you’ll receive as part of the programme:‍

The first-place winner will receive a fully funded opportunity to pilot their scale-up solution within Dubai Holding’s extensive ecosystem.
The winner and runners-up will share a total cash prize pool valued at AED 850,000.
Shortlisted applicants will have the exclusive opportunity to enroll in a 12-week accelerator programme, with mentorship support.
Shortlisted applicants will gain ecosystem exposure and networking opportunities with key investors.
Selected cohort applicants will gain one-year access to the in5 incubator programme.
Top scale-ups will receive a pitching opportunity to partners and investors at our Demo Day.
Shortlisted applicants will gain access to 250+ technology platforms and apps.

Prizes

1st Place
- AED 500,000
2nd Place
- AED 250,000
3rd Place
- AED 100,000

Eligibility Criteria for Innovate For Tomorrow Impact Accelerator

To participate, you must be a scale-up with one of the following:

A functional prototype or Minimum Viable Product (MVP) ready for validation.
Early customer validation or paying customers, or have raised pre-seed or seed funding (ideally pre-Series A). (dubaiholding.com)
At least one founder must commit full-time to the 12-week programme.
The programme is open globally, so African enterprises can apply — but selected scale-ups must be willing to operate or pilot within the UAE during and after the programme.