Abu Dhabi-based Presight hosted the inaugural Artificial Intelligence-Startup Accelerator bootcamp, convening 10 global startups for an intensive three-day programme in the UAE capital. The bootcamp, which received more than 120 applications from 17 countries, launches an acceleration journey that the article describes as a four-month programme and notes will extend until December 2025. Participating teams will have the opportunity to present solutions at GITEX Expand North Star 2025 in October.
The cohort spans three thematic tracks: Urban Visionaries focused on climate, mobility and infrastructure; Artificial Intelligence Tool & Tech Makers building foundational infrastructure; and Market Shapers applying artificial intelligence across fintech, energy, education and investment. The 10 selected startups named in the article are Derq (UAE, USA), Resync (Singapore), AlphaGeo (Singapore), Zypl.ai (UAE/Tajikistan), AJARI.ai (Indonesia / Singapore), Waverity (Azerbaijan), Vulcan (UAE), NodeShift (UAE, USA), Maiden Century (USA) and Cobi (UAE, USA). The article links each participant to its stated area of focus, from intelligent transportation systems and climate risk analytics to sovereign cloud platforms and GenAI security tools.
Presight positioned the accelerator as commercially oriented, leveraging its government and enterprise client relationships to create direct go-to-market routes for founders rather than relying solely on venture capital. The bootcamp included participation from high-level stakeholders and partners such as G42 Group, the UAE Cyber Security Council head Dr Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, G42 CEO Peng Xiao, ambassadors from several countries and leadership from Core42, Space42 and Astra Tech. Site visits arranged during the programme took founders to major UAE institutions including ADNOC, AIQ, Astra Tech and Space42 to observe large-scale artificial intelligence deployments.
The programme is supported by Presight partners and clients including Microsoft, Hub71, MOIAT, ENEC, FAB, ADNOC Onshore, Borouge and the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy, and emphasises technical enablement, client introductions and expert mentorship. The article also notes company materials from earlier in the year that described the initiative as a six-month accelerator, a detail that appears alongside the current description of a multi-month programme running through December 2025. Overall, the launch is presented as a model for how a publicly listed Middle Eastern technology company can build corporate innovation pathways and accelerate commercial readiness for artificial intelligence startups.
