DUBAI, 7th November, 2026 (WAM) -- Startups and entrepreneurs will showcase innovative projects, prototypes and future-focused ideas through The Pitch, one of the main platforms at Dubai Future Week, taking place from 18th to 21st November at Emirates Towers and the Museum of the Future.
Organised by Dubai Future Foundation (DFF) under the theme, “For the Human of the Future”, Dubai Future Week will bring together more than 10,000 experts, inventors, innovators and future-makers from the UAE and around the world.
The Pitch will focus on six main sectors: heat- and climate-adaptive infrastructure; food and supply-chain resilience; human development and learning; urban living systems; longevity and preventive health; and energy and water resource systems.
The platform is open to Dubai-based startups with a viable product, prototype or promising idea addressing market needs in the UAE and globally, as well as research-backed projects and university spin-offs.
Applications will be assessed against a range of criteria to select the most promising startups, which will have the opportunity to present their ideas and prototypes over three days and connect with investors, experts, strategic partners, government entities and industry leaders.
The leading startups will advance to the Shark Tank Dubai finale on the final day of The Pitch, where they will present their projects before a panel of prominent figures from Dubai’s entrepreneurship ecosystem for the opportunity to secure investment.
The judging panel comprises Abdullah Al Ashram, CEO of AMA Group; Mohammed Al Zaabi, CEO of OBK Investment Group; Mona Ataya, CEO and founder of Mumzworld; and Abdullah Abu Sheikh, founder of Mal.
Abdulaziz Al Jaziri, Deputy CEO of DFF, said The Pitch goes beyond live startup presentations by offering workshops, roundtables and other activities designed to strengthen communication and collaboration across the entrepreneurship ecosystem.
He added that entrepreneurs will pitch directly to investors, companies, government entities and strategic partners, helping build a sustainable innovation network centred on the real needs of the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Al Jaziri said The Pitch will also involve entrepreneurs in anticipating future transformations and designing solutions that can shape the future of humanity and vital sectors in the coming years and decades, in line with DFF’s vision of harnessing innovation to serve people.
Dubai Future Week will feature keynote speeches, panel discussions, workshops, debates, challenges, competitions, exhibitions, immersive experiences and closed-door meetings.
Its programme is organised across eight main platforms: The Big Stage, The Prototype Floor, The Pitch, The Policy Room, The Challenge, Offstage, 500 Future Minds and The District.