Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority (ECA) has scheduled The first Demo Day, which will feature startup pitches, keynote talks from thought leaders, and networking opportunities for March 16th 2023.
Over the past number of weeks, the program has offered virtual mentorship and localization to six growth-stage startups, which are eligible for funding, along with 14 early-stage startups. The aforementioned six start-ups met for the first time, on 20th February 2023, in Abu Dhabi for the in-person phase of the program.
The ECA is a government entity based in Abu Dhabi that supports holistic early childhood development. The goal of Anjal Z is to support and empower global startups that are at their growth stage of development. The initiative helps disruptive businesses put their research to use and tackle early childhood development challenges across Abu Dhabi and the UAE through a partnerships-driven, customized, and experience-based fellowship program.
Following the success of Cohorts 01 and 02, Cohort 03 in partnership with Techstars offers mentorship and resources to help early childhood entrepreneurs grow their businesses and localize their solutions to have a positive impact on the children and families in Abu Dhabi. The program is designed to support innovative solutions that improve the quality of early childhood and meet families’ needs.
The startups focus on the development of solutions across a wide range of areas including edtech, healthtech, gaming, wearables, communications, and social learning. The ECA formed a strategic partnership with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) in order to provide support for startups in the form of $4 million (AED 15 million) over three years. Previous Anjal Z Cohorts have supported 12 startups via virtual and in-person mentorship, localization, and funding.