AUD’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center (AEIC) is proud to announce that after a careful and meticulous external revision process, 12 of AEIC’s startups have received generous seed money from Dubai SME. Dr. David A. Schmidt, AUD President, commented on the success of the AEIC program, “I have had the honor of observing the Center and the energy, the movement, is indeed palpable. AEIC’s mission of transforming and developing innovative mindsets supports the University’s mission of the support of creative endeavor leading to students’ academic, personal and professional success” and is an integral part of the AUD ethos of “the learning never stops."

AUD’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center (AEIC) works closely with the Dubai Future Foundation and the Executive Council to activate the mandate of Article 6 of the 50-year Charter of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashed Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of the Emirate of Dubai in which National and Private Universities are to function as ‘free zones’ where students are free to carry out economic and business activities as a part of their education system. Dr. Sunitha Kshatriya, AEIC Manager explains, “The vision of AEIC is to emulate a growth mindset among students and to nurture a Silicon Valley like startup eco-system in Dubai, by capitalizing potential and actualizing the immense talent available within AUD and around; by collaborating, networking, and facilitating, through dynamic experimentation, the fearless forging of new pathways.”

The program partners with several dynamic and highly esteemed entities such as Dubai SME, Dubai Future Foundation, Mohammed Bin Rashid Innovation Fund, Hamdan Innovation Incubator and In5 as well as, incorporating Design Thinking from Stanford University and D. School and global design and innovation company IDEO. AEIC Students are taught to experientially apply skills of entrepreneurship and innovation and learn-by-doing on “how to” start their business from mindset change, through ideation and incubation to acceleration in UAE’s eco-system, through AEIC’s pathway courses, workshops, webinars, panel interactions, mentoring by top industry professionals and funders.

For more about AEIC pathway courses and workshops, please visit: https://www.aeic.aud.edu/about and https://www.aeic.aud.edu/panels-and-webinars