Sandbox, an accelerator program part of Oraseya Capital and the Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority (DIEZ), recently completed its fourth cohort. This program, aimed at helping technology startups grow, received over 1,500 applications. Seven startups were selected to receive an investment of AED 570,000 (USD 150,000) each from Oraseya Capital.
Hassan Waheed, Vice President of Corporate Finance and Treasury at DIEZ and Partner at Oraseya Capital, expressed pride in the progress made by Oraseya Capital since its launch in late 2023. He emphasised Sandbox’s role in promoting the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises across different sectors and supporting the Dubai Economic Agenda D33. Waheed also highlighted the commitment to boosting Dubai’s digital economy and competitiveness in attracting and financing tech startups.
Besides the investments through Sandbox, Oraseya Capital led an investment round in Growdash, a SaaS platform for restaurant marketing and operations, and participated in funding rounds for startups like RemotePass, an HR tech platform, and iSchool, an EdTech company.
The seven startups funded in the fourth Sandbox cohort are Qureos, Herogo, Lisan, Sthrive, Zoya, JobEscape, and Opteam. These startups cover various sectors such as recruitment tech, sustainable food tech, AI, B2B SaaS, fintech, productivity, and construction project management.
Saad Malik, CEO of Zoya, and Alex Epure, CEO of Qureos, praised the Sandbox program for its mentorship, supportive community, and structured approach, which helped their startups grow.
The Sandbox Accelerator is a 5-month program with an 8-week “Evaluation phase” and a 3-month Accelerator phase, offering mentorship, workshops, and networking with regional investors. The fifth edition of Sandbox, which has already received over 1,100 applications, will start in September 2024.