Leaders of billion-dollar startups, known as unicorns, say Dubai is continuing to strengthen its position as a leading global hub for digital innovation and technology growth, backed by an integrated business ecosystem that combines future-focused regulation, advanced infrastructure, and openness to global talent.

According to these executives, Dubai has evolved into a unique global meeting point where companies, scientific institutions, and government entities work together in real harmony. They said the city stands out for its strong support of new ideas and its ability to help innovative businesses grow at speed.

Mohammad Ballout, Co-Founder and CEO of Kitopi, said Dubai’s digital business environment has been a key factor in supporting the company’s growth journey. He noted that the emirate offers a well-balanced mix of forward-looking legislation, world-class infrastructure, access to high-quality talent, and a flexible business environment that enables companies to build, test, and scale innovative solutions quickly.

Ballout added that Dubai’s strong links to regional and international markets also play an important role in expanding the company’s ambitions beyond the UAE. He said the city is not only defined by its agility, but also by its future-oriented mindset, combining speed, ambition, and an exceptional openness to innovation in a way that is difficult to replicate elsewhere.

Fernando Fanton, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Property Finder, said Dubai has moved beyond being simply a place to set up a business and has become an ideal base for shaping the future of industries. He said the city offers a rare combination of speed as a strategic approach and flexibility as a core part of its structure.

Fanton pointed to the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 and the city’s focus on digital solutions as key drivers behind a business ecosystem that offers clear frameworks, trusted partners, and integrated platforms that allow innovation to scale effectively.

He added that Dubai’s progress in areas such as its paperless transactions strategy, the growing adoption of artificial intelligence, and the use of Web3 technologies in real estate all reflect a broader commitment to building a more advanced digital economy. In his view, the city is not just making business easier, but also enabling companies, investors, and regulators to make data-driven decisions, expand their impact, and grow globally.

Fanton said Dubai’s digital ecosystem has been a real enabler for Property Finder’s expansion, supporting both the company’s business model and its innovation efforts. He added that innovation-friendly regulations, including Dubai Land Department rental market data and real estate tokenization initiatives, provide the clarity needed to develop digital property solutions with confidence. At the same time, the emirate’s advanced digital infrastructure and transparent regulatory environment make it easier to test, refine, and scale new tools efficiently.

In the same context, Roman Axelrod, Founder and CEO of EXPANSIO, said Dubai offers an exceptional mix of established strengths, including tax incentives, strong government support, and world-class infrastructure. However, he stressed that the city’s real advantage lies in its strategic commitment to deep tech, science, and artificial intelligence as central pillars of the economy.

Axelrod explained that this approach is especially important for companies working in highly complex fields, where success depends on a mature support system that includes smooth logistics, continued access to international talent, and close integration with academic institutions.

He said Dubai has become a unique global hub where business, science, and government come together in a way that creates fertile ground for scaling complex and high-impact innovation. He added that this is something his company experiences directly through its cooperation with Dubai Chambers, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre, and the University of Dubai, along with participation in major international technology conferences and direct access to global expertise.

According to Axelrod, these factors allow companies in Dubai to grow at a pace that could take years to achieve in other places. He also said the UAE is building a world-class digital ecosystem, while Dubai continues to move forward in establishing itself as a new global center for innovation, one that reflects the pioneering energy often associated with Silicon Valley while staying grounded in its own principles.

He added that Dubai has gone far beyond its traditional reputation as a global center for finance, trade, and logistics. Today, he said, it is increasingly seen as an advanced innovation ecosystem with a future-focused vision that attracts major technology leaders, top universities, and global companies such as Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI.