The Atlantic Council’s WIn Fellowship hosted a workshop on “Venture Funding in the UAE: Evaluating the Gender Gap and the Role of Women-Specific Programs”. The event was held Monday, July 17th, from 11:00 am-12:00 pm ET/7:00-8:00 pm UAE Time.

The WIn Fellowship, a collaboration between the Atlantic Council’s empowerME Initiative and Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, is generously supported by the US Embassy in Abu Dhabi. Our UAE in-country partner is Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM).

Running from June 2023 to March 2024, this year-long program will equip thirty Arab women entrepreneurs in the UAE with the resources to expand their networks, gain practical knowledge, and develop people-to-people and business ties between the US and UAE. This will ultimately help them scale their businesses at local, regional, and global levels.

In addition to the program, the Atlantic Council will produce insightful publications featuring case studies and policy recommendations.

Welcome remarks

Amjad Ahmad
Chairman, empowerME
Atlantic Council

Opening remarks

Daleya Uddin
Head of Public Affairs and Outreach
The United States Embassy to the UAE

Keynote discussion

H.E. Yousef Al Otaiba
Ambassador
The United Arab Emirates to the United States of America

Featuring

Alifia Doriwala
Co-Chief Investment Officer
RockCreek

Huda Al-Lawati
Founder & CEO
Aliph Capital

Zahra Rabih El Zayat
Chief Commercial Officer
evision e&Life – e& group

Moderated by

Lynn Monzer
Associate Director, WIn Fellowship, empowerME
Atlantic Council

Speakers’ Bio

Explore the WIn Fellowship

Venture funding in the UAE: Evaluating the gender gap and the role of women-specific programs

Jun 14, 2023

The WIn Fellowship 2023-2024 cohort

Building on the success of its inaugural cohort, the Women Innovators Fellowship (WIn) is expanding to Bahrain and the UAE, in addition to Saudi Arabia, as it continues to empower more women entrepreneurs from the Middle East. The program is thrilled to announce this year’s eighty-six recipients of its 2023 WIn Fellowship. The participants will receive a year-long program of executive education, mentoring, and networking opportunities in collaboration with Georgetown McDonough School of Business and with the support of the United States embassies in the three target countries and PepsiCo.
Venture funding in the UAE: Evaluating the gender gap and the role of women-specific programs

Feb 24, 2023

2023 WIn Fellowship Roadshow

The WIn Fellowship roadshow is led by the Atlantic Council’s empowerME Initiative in cooperation with Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business with support from US Embassy Riyadh, UPS, and PepsiCo. The WIn Fellowship Roadshow participants, chosen from a highly competitive cohort of more than thirty applicants, receive a fully sponsored trip to the United States for leadership training at Georgetown and meetings with US business and government leaders.
Venture funding in the UAE: Evaluating the gender gap and the role of women-specific programs

Jun 14, 2023

WIn Fellowship 2023-2024 UAE

Meet our 2023-2024 WIn fellows from United Arab Emirates: a group of dynamic women entrepreneurs poised to expand their leadership and executive skills. They are on a mission to scale their startups to new heights, setting new benchmarks for success.

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Sponsors & in-country partner

empowerME

empowerME at the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East is shaping solutions to empower entrepreneurs, women, and youth and building coalitions of public and private partnerships to drive regional economic integration, prosperity, and job creation.

Explore the initiative