Angel investors in the UAE and Dubai

Founders find angel investors in the UAE mainly through organised angel networks, such as Dubai Angel Investors in Dubai and the Emirates Angels Investors Association in Abu Dhabi, and through startup hubs such as Hub71, which supports angel groups in Abu Dhabi. Expect most first meetings to come from a warm introduction, so the quickest route in is usually someone who already knows a network's members.

This guide covers the main UAE angel networks, what each one asks for, how to apply and how to get introduced. We checked each network's details against its own website, official announcements or, where a site was offline, an archived copy, in September 2026. If you already have paying customers, our guide to angel investors for revenue-generating companies in the UAE covers the metrics angels will test and what to prepare.

Where to find angel investors in the UAE

UAE angels are easiest to reach through angel networks, startup hubs and founder communities. Online investor databases also list UAE-based angels, but a listing will not tell you whether someone is still writing cheques, so use databases as a starting list and then look for a warm route in.

• Angel networks. Members review companies together and often invest together. Some, like Dubai Angel Investors, invest from pooled capital. Others, like Emirates Angels, connect founders with members who invest on their own account.
• Startup hubs. Hub71 in Abu Dhabi has an investor directory and supports angel networks through its Angel Investor Support Package. Sheraa in Sharjah offers membership and programmes with connections to government, corporate partners and investors.
• Founder communities. Founders who have already raised know which angels are active and how they like to be approached. Founder Connects Meetups are one place to meet them.

For names of individual investors, our directory of UAE angel investors lists angels with their investment sizes.

UAE angel networks and how to apply

The UAE angel networks with the clearest public entry routes are Dubai Angel Investors, the Emirates Angels Investors Association and Womena, plus the angel groups Hub71 supports in Abu Dhabi. They invest in different ways: DAI invests as one company, Emirates Angels is a route to individual angels, and Womena members invest together through its investment vehicle.

Dubai Angel Investors (DAI)

Dubai Angel Investors describes itself as a member-led micro-VC with more than 100 investors, including tech entrepreneurs, venture fund partners and senior executives. It invests in seed and Series A rounds of early-stage technology companies and says it is a fully capitalised investment company, not a fund.

According to its homepage, DAI typically invests $100,000 to $250,000 per company, and members often co-invest alongside it, so first-round investments by DAI and its members have ranged from $100,000 to $2,000,000. It prefers companies from Dubai and the wider Middle East, and sets aside one fifth of its capital for companies from outside the region that can show an opportunity in the region.

DAI asks founders not to apply unless they can answer yes to four questions. Are you a client or consumer-facing business in technology? Do you have a minimum viable product or prototype with proof of concept? Do you have initial traction with active paying or non-paying users? Do you have more than one full-time team member? Its criteria page goes further and mentions evidence of customer traction and some revenue, and it says it is very unlikely to invest if founders cannot present a defensible valuation.

To apply, you need a member of DAI's Investment Committee to sponsor your company. DAI suggests attending one of DAI's own pitch nights or emailing some information about you and your company to find one. Your sponsor reviews the application and passes it to the committee for screening. Selected companies pitch at a DAI pitch night, usually held on the second Tuesday of the month, with 20 minutes to present and 10 minutes of questions. Companies hear the decision within 24 hours, and an investment needs a two-thirds vote of the committee members present. Its application page says there are no pitch nights in July or August.

Sources: Dubai Angel Investors, its criteria, investment process and application pages.

Emirates Angels Investors Association

The Emirates Angels Investors Association is an Abu Dhabi-based non-profit, launched in 2020, that connects early-stage businesses with active angel investors. It is registered under the UAE Ministry of Community Development and supported by the Ministry of Economy.

The association says it does not invest directly. Its members are independent investors who invest individually or through funds, syndicates or side vehicles, so each angel you meet decides separately whether to invest and on what terms. Emirates Angels runs an app where companies submit a profile and member investors can ask for more information and an introduction, and it offers education on angel investing.

Womena

Womena describes itself as a UAE-based angel group whose members are women investors. Pre-screened entrepreneurs pitch at its monthly members' dinner meetings, and members invest together through Womena's investment vehicle. The companies it backs can be run by women or men.

Its page for entrepreneurs sets out what it looks for: companies based in the MENA region that are past the idea stage, have significant traction and are raising $150,000 to $750,000 to last 12 to 18 months. On occasion it considers rounds of up to $1,500,000 if half the round is already committed. Companies need to be registered, or registering as part of the round, in the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands or Delaware. Womena says it charges no upfront fees and takes a 3% success fee on funding that comes from Womena.

Angel networks around Hub71 in Abu Dhabi

Hub71, Abu Dhabi's tech ecosystem based in ADGM, supports angel networks directly. In December 2024 it announced an Angel Investor Support Package to help angel groups set up investment structures in Abu Dhabi, including a financial incentive of AED 150,000 towards setup and legal costs for investments into Hub71 startups.

In that announcement Hub71 named four angel networks already operating under the framework: Falcon Valley, UAE Angels Capital Investment, Qora71 and the Emirates Angels Investors Association. If you are a Hub71 startup, or applying to one of its programmes, ask the Hub71 team which of these groups are looking at companies at your stage. Hub71's investor directory also has a category for angel investors.

Source: Hub71 announcement, December 2024.

COREangels MEA

COREangels MEA is the Middle East and Africa group of COREangels, a global community of angel funds. It covers the whole region and is not a UAE network. It backs pre-seed tech startups focused on impact and invests as a single entity, which means one line on your cap table. You apply with a pitch deck, and selected startups present to the fund's investment committee and hear back within 10 days.

Sources: COREangels MEA and the COREangels FAQ for startups.

Quick comparison

• Dubai Angel Investors: Dubai. Invests its own pooled capital at seed and Series A, typically $100,000 to $250,000 per company, with members co-investing. Needs a product, traction and an Investment Committee sponsor.
• Emirates Angels Investors Association: Abu Dhabi. A non-profit that connects founders with independent angels and says it does not invest directly.
• Womena: a UAE-based angel group for women investors. Members invest together in MENA companies raising $150,000 to $750,000 that are past the idea stage, with a 3% success fee.
• Hub71 angel networks: Abu Dhabi. Falcon Valley, UAE Angels Capital Investment, Qora71 and Emirates Angels were named under Hub71's angel framework in December 2024.
• COREangels MEA: Middle East and Africa. An angel fund for pre-seed impact tech startups that invests as one entity.

Angel investors in Dubai

For founders in Dubai, Dubai Angel Investors is the obvious first network to research, because it publishes its criteria and process in full. You reach individual angels outside any network through founders, advisers and your existing investors.

Our guide to angel investors in Dubai covers the Dubai detail: company structure, SAFEs or priced equity, ticket sizes and how to close a round.

Angel investors in Abu Dhabi

In Abu Dhabi, the two starting points are Hub71, which supports several angel networks through its Angel Investor Support Package, and the Emirates Angels Investors Association, which is based in the city.

For Abu Dhabi deal terms, legal preparation and an outreach sequence, read our guide to angel investors in Abu Dhabi.

How to get a warm introduction to a UAE angel investor

The most reliable warm introduction comes from someone the angel already trusts, such as a founder they backed or a co-investor. Find people one step away from the investor, then give them a short note they can forward without rewriting it.

• Map mutual connections. Check LinkedIn, and ask your investors, advisers and customers who knows the angels or network members you want to meet.
• Write a forwardable email. Keep it to a few sentences on what you do, your traction, what you are raising and why this angel fits.
• Use each network's own entry route. At DAI that means finding an Investment Committee sponsor. At Emirates Angels it means submitting a profile on its app, because member investors are the ones who request introductions. At Hub71 it means the programme team.
• Ask founders who have raised. At Founder Connects Meetups such as Pitch Night, ask other founders which UAE angels backed them and whether they would introduce you.
• Send updates before you raise. A short monthly update to angels you have already met keeps you in mind, so the meeting is easier to get when you open the round.

For a longer plan, see building relationships with angel investors over 12 months. For the meeting itself, read how to pitch UAE angel investors, and before you take money from anyone, our guide to vetting an angel before you take the money.

Which UAE angel network fits your stage

Match the network to your stage before you apply, because each one publishes different entry requirements. DAI asks for a product and traction, Womena wants companies past the idea stage, and COREangels MEA backs pre-seed startups.

• Idea or pre-MVP. Hub71's Initiate programme supports founders at the ideation or pre-MVP stage. Networks that ask for traction are unlikely to fit yet.
• Pre-seed with a product. COREangels MEA if you build for impact, Emirates Angels, which works with early-stage businesses, and founder communities.
• Seed or Series A with traction and some revenue. DAI, Womena for rounds of $150,000 to $750,000, and the Hub71 angel networks if you are in the Hub71 ecosystem.

Once you have revenue, our guide to angel investors for revenue-generating companies in the UAE covers the numbers angels test and what to have ready.

FAQ

Where can founders find angel investors in the UAE?

Through organised angel networks such as Dubai Angel Investors, the Emirates Angels Investors Association and Womena, through startup hubs such as Hub71 in Abu Dhabi, which supports several angel networks, and through founder communities. A warm introduction from someone who knows the angel usually works better than a cold email.

Which angel networks operate in the UAE?

Dubai Angel Investors is a member-led micro-VC in Dubai that invests at seed and Series A. The Emirates Angels Investors Association is an Abu Dhabi non-profit that connects founders with independent angels. Womena is a UAE-based angel group for women investors. Hub71 in Abu Dhabi supports angel networks including Falcon Valley, UAE Angels Capital Investment and Qora71.

How do I apply to Dubai Angel Investors?

You need a member of DAI's Investment Committee to sponsor your company, and DAI suggests finding one by attending a pitch night or emailing information about your company. Your sponsor sends the application to the committee, and selected companies pitch at a monthly pitch night, usually on the second Tuesday, with a decision within 24 hours.

Does Emirates Angels invest in startups directly?

Not according to its own website. The Emirates Angels Investors Association describes itself as a non-profit that does not invest directly. Its members are independent angels who invest individually or through funds, syndicates or side vehicles, and each one decides on their own terms.

How much do UAE angel networks invest?

It depends on the network. Dubai Angel Investors says it typically invests $100,000 to $250,000 per company, with members often co-investing. Womena looks at companies raising $150,000 to $750,000, and Emirates Angels members invest individually, so amounts vary by angel.

How do I get a warm introduction to an angel investor in Dubai or the UAE?

Find someone the angel already trusts, such as a founder they backed or a co-investor, and send them a short email they can forward. Use each network's own entry route, such as an Investment Committee sponsor at Dubai Angel Investors, and ask founders who have already raised which angels they would introduce you to.

Meet founders in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and beyond

Founder Connects runs founder Meetups in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Nairobi, Beirut and Cairo, and 1,000+ founders attended Meetups in the last few months. The Founder Connects Residency puts founders into Squads of 8 to 10 at a similar stage, and our WhatsApp community has 500+ vetted founders, who apply and are screened (we accept 23.3% of applicants). Find a Founder Connects Meetup or apply for the Residency.