# Dubai Future District Fund — Direct Startup Investments

- **Type:** grant
- **Status:** evergreen
- **City:** Dubai
- **Operator:** Dubai Future District Fund
- **Equity:** Direct equity
- **Cost:** No fee to apply
- **Duration:** Evergreen fund process
- **Apply:** https://form.jotform.com/223316366403046
- **Page:** https://www.dxbstart.com/programs/dfdf-direct-investments

Dubai Future District Fund’s direct startup investments are equity cheques from an AED 1 billion-class evergreen vehicle anchored by DIFC and Dubai Future Foundation. The public path is a Jotform plus a written deal-lifecycle page — not a cohort. They have published a count of direct investments in the low twenties. You are pitching a fund, not joining an accelerator. Expect the usual fund process: thesis fit, diligence, board. If you want a workshop and a photo, this is the wrong object.

## Desk take

A real cheque if you fit their mandate. The Jotform is a front door, not a promise. Write like you are sending a data room, not a grant essay.

## Eligibility

Dubai's AED 1bn evergreen fund-of-funds also invests directly into startups via an open application form.
- Early to growth-stage technology startups (Pre-seed to Series C)
- Must be innovating in "Future of Finance" or "Future Economies" sectors
- Currently prioritising startups with presence and operations in Dubai/UAE (or concrete plans to build them)
- Founders apply through the application form linked from dfdf.vc; leads are screened against the investment mandate, then evaluated through to IC decision

## Questions

### Is this a grant?

No. It is equity from a government-anchored fund.

### Do I need to be in DIFC?

They sit in the Future District / DIFC story. Incorporation there helps; it is not a published hard gate on the form.


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Source: DXBStart — the working index of the UAE startup ecosystem. Canonical page: https://www.dxbstart.com/programs/dfdf-direct-investments
More machine-readable resources: https://www.dxbstart.com/llms.txt
Startups can request a listing at https://www.dxbstart.com/submit — free, editorially reviewed.