Inside Techscaler’s UAE Market Engagement Mission

International expansion is rarely about a single meeting or a quick win. For founders operating at growth and scaling stage, it is about confidence, context, and access. Access to the right people. Context for how a market really works. And confidence that time spent exploring a new region will translate into meaningful opportunity.

That was the intent behind Techscaler’s recent UAE Market Engagement Mission. Delivered by CodeBase on behalf of the Scottish Government, the programme brought participants from six scaling Techscaler member companies to Abu Dhabi and Dubai for a week of government-backed market access and entreprenuer-focused activity.

The cohort reflected the breadth and maturity of Scotland’s tech ecosystem. Companies spanned climate and cleantech, healthtech, fintech, and industrial AI. All of them led by founders or senior decision-makers actively responsible for growth and international expansion:

• RigRun – A digital health platform supporting the physical, mental, and social wellbeing of remote and isolated workforces, while helping organisations meet ESG goals.
• ScotAI – Delivers AI for critical industries, enhancing human performance across sectors including energy, defence, nuclear, and infrastructure.
• Intelligent Plant – Provides secure industrial data analytics through its Industrial App Store, enabling AI adoption while maintaining strict data governance in energy and heavy industry.
• Fennex – Builds AI-driven platforms that improve safety and operational decision-making in high-hazard energy environments.
• Zumo Financial Services – A digital assets as a service platform enabling banks, fintechs, and crypto firms to launch and scale compliant crypto services.
• Simple Online Healthcare – A clinically led digital healthcare service delivering safe, convenient access to prescription treatments directly to patients.

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Agenda and Intent: Designed for Real Engagement

The week in UAE was deliberately structured to balance formal access with space for founder-driven momentum.

It began with a welcome workshop to align the cohort, surface shared contacts, and set collective goals. From there, the programme moved quickly into practical briefings. Legal and market insight was built into the programme early, both during the week and through relationship-building led by the CodeBase team. Conversations with Mishcon de Reya’s newly established Abu Dhabi office explored free zones, market entry structures, employment expectations, and common pitfalls for international companies. While these discussions were held directly with the CodeBase team, key insights and contacts were shared with the cohort to inform decision-making.

In parallel, CodeBase met with Hugh Fraser, an Aberdeen-born lawyer who has operated in the UAE since 2003. His annual Roadmap to Successful Ventures in the Middle East has since been added to the Techscaler programme library, ensuring future cohorts benefit from practical, region-specific guidance grounded in long-term experience.

Alongside the programme, the CodeBase team used the week to deepen relationships with Abu Dhabi’s innovation infrastructure. This included exploratory engagement with Masdar City and Hub71 to understand the operating environment, workspace models, and support available to international companies entering the market.

Hub71 also played an active role in the mission, contributing insights during the UAE Ministry of Investment roundtable and outlining how their programmes support globally scaling startups. Representatives from Dubai Founders HQ and Invest in Sharjah were also present, reflecting the multi-Emirate nature of the opportunity and the breadth of ecosystem infrastructure available across the UAE. For founders, this provided practical visibility into how different regions within the country position themselves, collaborate, and support international companies entering the market.

Evenings were used intentionally. A British Council reception at the British Ambassador’s residence celebrated Scottish alumni based in the UAE, while a curated networking dinner in Dubai, hosted by Moe Hanafy, matched the cohort with twenty sector-relevant contacts. Throughout the week, founders ran their own meetings in parallel, using the programme as a platform rather than a constraint.

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Why the UAE? Strategic Context for Scaling Companies

For Techscaler founders, the UAE acts as a new customer base and a gateway market.

The region sits at the intersection of Europe, Asia, and Africa, with strong demand across health, energy, climate, fintech, and industrial technology. Capital is available, regulators are accessible, and there is a clear appetite for international innovation that aligns with national priorities.

What matters most for scaling Scottish companies is how business is done. The UAE is relationship-first. Trust, credibility, and government backing carry significant weight. Coming to market as part of a trusted delegation, with visible support from the Scottish Government, changes the nature of conversations founders can have.

This was evident throughout the week. Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes’ presence at the Ministry of Investment sent a strong signal, both to founders and to local stakeholders. The Directorate for International Trade and Investment was an invaluable support to make this mission happen.

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Scaling Internationally as a Collective Signal

‍Arriving as a coordinated cohort changes the dynamic. Credible, revenue-generating companies representing different sectors present a stronger and more diverse picture of Scotland’s growth economy than single-business representation could. The collective presence shapes the quality of conversations in the room.

The format also creates shared learning at pace. During the UAE mission participants compared regulatory interpretations, discussed talent challenges, and exchanged sector-relevant contacts. Those exchanges continue beyond the trip, strengthening relationships within Scotland as much as those built abroad.

In this way the mission, much like our other international pathways, functioned on two levels: It opened doors internationally while reinforcing trust and connection across the domestic ecosystem.

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Outcomes and Early Signals

While the mission was not designed to produce instant deals, early signals of impact were clear.

One of the participants entered the week with momentum having secured a meeting with a vice president at a major oil company before the programme formally began. During the week, they were asked to submit a proposal following one meeting and received outreach from a strategic partnerships lead at ADNOC without prior introductions.

Another participant was introduced to the Abu Dhabi police force, which has a declared interest in AI, through the British Council reception. This kind of warm, trust-based introduction does not happen through cold outreach or online research.

Informal moments mattered too. A lunch that overran. A connection sparked by a comment in the welcome workshop. The Dubai networking evening, where Moe Hanafy’s carefully curated room opened conversations across every sector represented in the cohort. These interactions reflected a deeper understanding: progress in the UAE is built through presence and patience.

As Louise Martin reflected:

“As a female founder, taking part in the Techscaler UAE Market Engagement Mission gave me the confidence to step into a new global region as part of a trusted delegation. Being supported by Techscaler allowed me to learn quickly, build meaningful relationships, and understand how to navigate the UAE market in a culturally respectful and effective way. It’s an opportunity I may not have pursued alone, and the experience has genuinely accelerated both my confidence and our international ambitions.”

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What Comes Next

The relationships built during the week are a foundation, not a finish line. Participants are now following up on conversations, exploring return visits, and assessing formal market entry steps.

For Techscaler, the mission helped strengthen the foundations for future international engagement. Relationships were established and progressed, potential future workspaces and support routes were explored, and trusted local connections were activated across government, legal, academic, and innovation communities. These building blocks will make future cohorts more effective, better prepared, and more confident when entering the UAE market.

The mission also sits within a wider Scotland–UAE engagement effort being led at government level. As this corridor continues to develop, Techscaler’s role is to ensure founders are arriving as part of a connected, credible ecosystem presence that aligns company ambition with national and regional priorities.

For founders considering their next stage of international growth, Techscaler is here to help.

Join Techscaler's next International cohort.

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