# Dubai Founders HQ Accelerator (Plug and Play)

- **Type:** intake
- **Status:** closed
- **Cycle:** Emirati accelerator (last posted)
- **City:** Dubai
- **Equity:** No equity (may consider investment after)
- **Cost:** Free
- **Duration:** 3 months
- **Apply:** https://www.plugandplaytechcenter.com/innovation-services/challenge-offerings/emirati-accelerator-program
- **Page:** https://www.dxbstart.com/programs/dfhq-plug-and-play

The Dubai Founders HQ accelerator run with Plug and Play was a fee-free, equity-free three-month programme: government and corporate access, PoCs, investor-readiness, Downtown campus. Completers might be considered for investment. The public challenge page we verified reads as a closed cycle, so the record is closed. The slug stays for the next run. This programme has been aimed at Emirati-linked teams on the posted page — read the nationality line before you write in. It is not the Antler academy.

## Desk take

Closed until they post a new cycle. If you are not in the nationality / ownership box they advertised, do not wait for this page to save you. Use Hub71 or in5 instead.

## Eligibility

For Emirati-founded startups and SMEs that want to scale from Dubai.
- Must be Emirati-founded, with founders committed to growing the business in Dubai and beyond
- Stage: post-revenue startups to commercially proven, tech-enabled SMEs with operational readiness
- Sector: open to all, with preference for D33-aligned areas (fintech, trade and logistics, edtech, sustainability)
- 3-month hybrid format: in-person onboarding week, 10 virtual focus weeks, in-person graduation/Expo Day; full commitment required — no parallel accelerators
- Interviews conducted in English

## Questions

### Is this the same as the Antler academy?

No. Academy is six weeks, idea-to-app. This was a three-month accelerator with Plug and Play.

### Will it reopen?

Likely, as a seasonal government accelerator. We will date the next window on this same URL.


---

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