A new talent partnership has been announced between the the Oxford Saïd Career Development Centre and the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Launchpad.
This partnership with the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Launchpad, a global venture building programme launched to promote the growth of innovative start-ups and scale-ups in the region, will create a talent bridge to connect 'DIFC Launchpad' members with Saïd Business School's world-class talent and expertise.
Joy Bussell, Director of the Career Development Centre at Oxford Saïd, said: 'This partnership opens up a fresh world of opportunity for our students to engage with cutting edge innovative ventures, bring their corporate strategy, innovation and technology know-how to solve complex problems and gain exposure to all areas of this exciting new business.'
The DIFC Launchpad programme expects to support the launch of more than 200 new ventures, with over 100 of them being scale-ups that will collectively create over 8,000 new jobs and attract over US$544 million (AED2 billion) in venture capital.
The programme is supported by multinational experts specialised in new venture creation, corporate innovation and emerging technologies. They will work closely with DIFC’s corporate partners Mashreq, Mastercard and Commercial Bank of Dubai to create and launch the next generation of global fintech start-ups in Dubai.
Arif Amiri, CEO of DIFC Authority said: 'Innovation is at the centre of transformative change. The DIFC Launchpad presents a unique opportunity for entrepreneurs, venture studios and corporations from around the world to access the support and resources they need to grow and succeed, powered by DIFC Innovation Hub. DIFC Launchpad is creating a platform that leverages our unique position in the ecosystem to help members identify and structure impactful partnerships, investments, and co-creation opportunities.'
To scale venture building activities across a range of verticals, ‘DIFC Launchpad’ has attracted some of the world’s leading venture studios to Dubai, including R/GA Ventures, Antler, BIM Ventures, and Futurelabs.