Dubai: The Global Entrepreneurship Network UAE (GEN UAE) successfully hosted the soft launch of Global Entrepreneurship Week 2026 (GEW 2026) on Tuesday evening, bringing together more than 70 invitees representing a wide spectrum of industries and professional roles. The gathering marked the formal opening of the national campaign ahead of the flagship November celebrations.

Held at The Ban Cafe within the Apex Auditing premises in Port Saeed, Deira, the evening provided an intimate platform for founders, mentors, investors and institutional partners to connect before the main programme of activities begins. The event was presented by Dr. Khaja Abdul Mutalib – Founder & Chairman of Apex Auditing and Mr. Ahmed Waqar Mohsin – Managing Director of The 5th Dimension, both GEN Global Leaders for the United Arab Emirates.

Global Entrepreneurship Week is the world’s largest celebration of innovators, job creators and ecosystem builders. Each November it unites participants across 200 countries through tens of thousands of local, national and global activities. In the UAE, GEW 2026 is being organised under the national mandate of advancing The Entrepreneurship Nation and the D33 Agenda, in direct support of the targets set out in We the UAE 2031.
The soft launch highlighted GEN’s mission of building one global ecosystem where anyone, anywhere can start and scale a business. Discussions centred on connecting UAE founders to international networks, strengthening cross-border soft-landing corridors, and aligning local efforts with the national ambition of nurturing high-potential technology startups and supporting the pathway toward future unicorns.

Apex Auditing, serving as Country Host of GEW UAE, together with The 5th Dimension Corporate Consultancy, provided the strategic and operational framework for the evening. Both organisations bring deep expertise in corporate structuring, financial compliance, strategic advisory and ecosystem development across the UAE and neighbouring markets.
Attendees represented a deliberately diverse cross-section of the entrepreneurship landscape, spanning technology, professional services, investment, education and corporate innovation roles. The atmosphere reflected the collaborative spirit that GEN seeks to foster: practical conversations, early partnership discussions and a shared commitment to elevating the UAE’s position as a leading global hub for entrepreneurship.

Looking ahead, GEN UAE will roll out a coordinated programme of activities throughout November 2026 under four strategic pillars: Ecosystems, Education, Inclusion and Policy. These pillars are designed to connect local incubators and venture funds to global capital, equip the next generation of founders with practical skills, expand opportunities for underrepresented groups, and engage policymakers on regulatory and capital-access improvements.

Further details of the full GEW 2026 UAE calendar, partnership opportunities and participation pathways will be released in the coming weeks through official GEN UAE channels.