The delegation of the Canadian Startup Association is intended to accelerate the development of relations in the region.
A group of 22 Canadian founders met with the Canadian Consul General to the UAE in October as part of a delegation to Dubai led by the Canadian Consul General to the UAE. Canadian Startup Association.
Tracy Reynolds, Consul General of Canada to the UAE, was joined by members of the Canadian Trade Commission and the Canadian Business Council of Dubai to share ideas for expanding their presence in the UAE market.
Lesson: Ditch what works at home.
“For many founders, this was the first time they witnessed how quickly ideas can scale when governments, corporations and venture ecosystems align,” said CSA President Tehmina Chaudhry.
In the Gulf countries, governments and venture capital funds often operate in tandem, with the UAE alone investing around US$3 billion annually in innovative projects. Capital is also moving quickly thanks to sound policies aimed at attracting investment.
A group of Canadian business leaders based in the region described ecosystems with faster funding cycles, relationship-based deals and the high value of a local presence. The takeaway was that success abroad depends not only on the scalability of the product, but also on mastery of the culture.
Chaudhry said the purpose of the trip was to show that contrast to Canadian companies, which are accustomed to longer funding cycles and slower public sector approvals.
Toronto Phase technologies was part of the delegation that took place from October 12 to 15 during the Expand North Star exhibition in Dubai.
The company became the only finalist of the event from Canada. SuperNova Challengewhere they demonstrated an artificial intelligence platform that predicts the performance of new metal alloys and composites.
For founder and CEO Fazal Mahmood, time spent in the Middle East provided an opportunity to evaluate his company's readiness for ecosystems built for speed.
Decision-making in the Gulf is fast, and access depends on presence and connections. Few Canadian startups get the opportunity to test themselves in such an environment.
Participating startups also met with funds and accelerators including Abu Dhabi tech organization Hub71, venture fund VentureSouq and the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy. Munawar Khan, founder and CEO of Markham-based TeachBuddyAI, said the meetings changed his understanding of how to build trust in the Middle East.
“One of my biggest takeaways was the importance of local presence and partnerships in the region, which was only possible through the support and facilitation of CSA,” Khan said. “This experience helped us build a local team in the UAE, complete key collaborations and gain direct feedback from educators, investors and policymakers in the UAE.”
According to Chaudhry, the goal of CSA was to put Canadian founders in spaces where deals are done quickly and familiarity matters.
“These exchanges provided valuable insight into how the global innovation ecosystem is thriving through strong integration between governments, private investors and global partners,” said Chaudhry.
The week coincided with the abrupt end of trade negotiations between Canada and the United States. After nearly a year of tense diplomacy between the two allies, CSA sees delegations like these as a sign that startups are starting to look beyond North America for opportunities.
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