Mastercard Lighthouse UAE, part of the Mastercard UAE AI Center of Excellence and a collaboration with the UAE’s Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications Office, is designed to elevate the UAE's AI startup ecosystem onto the global stage. The program's mission is to connect startups with prominent players across finance, commerce, and technology. It aims to accelerate growth through strategic partnerships, mentorship, and access to Mastercard's global expertise and network, fostering a dynamic and future-ready startup community in the UAE.
Program Benefits and Support
• Customer & Business Partner Touchpoints: Participants receive dedicated one-on-one meetings with financial institutions and fintech partners.
• Executive Exposure & Expert Mentors: Each startup is assigned a dedicated Mastercard strategic mentor and gains opportunities for meetups with sector executives during program selection, final jury presentations, and program events.
• Investor Touchpoints: The program facilitates dedicated one-on-one meetings with potential venture capital and angel investors.
• Program Support Partners: Access to program partners who provide support based on the specific needs of the startups, including early-stage Mastercard-provided sandbox support.
• Mastercard Global Assets and Channels: Startups gain exposure to global Mastercard platforms and assets.
• Start Path Sandbox as a Service: Access to Mastercard's sandbox environment is provided.
• Training & Workshops: The program includes training sessions tailored to the general and identified needs of the startups, as well as fireside chats.
Eligibility Criteria
• Maturity: Applicants should be at the early seed investment round stage or above.
• Product Phase: Startups must have a commercially live, partnership-ready product.
• People: A dedicated and structured team is required.
• Geography: The program is open to startups currently operating in the UAE or those planning to expand into the UAE market.
Target Verticals
The program targets verticals focused on financial services that are ready for partnership, including:
• AI-Led Risk, Trust & Resilience: Model Risk & Explainability, Liquidity & Market Risk, Cybersecurity Risk, Identity & Trust, Regulatory & Compliance Risk, Operational Excellence & Resilience.
• Agentic Commerce & Personalization: AI-Powered Personalized Banking, Open Banking and APIs, Real-Time Payments and Digital Wallets, Hyper Personalized Commerce Experiences, Trust, Governance & Safety in Agentic Commerce, Merchant & Platform Enablement for Agentic Commerce, Cross Domain & B2B Agentic Commerce.
• Emerging Fintech using AI: Enterprise Fintech Solutions, Sustainable & Inclusive FinTech, Blockchain, Crypto & Digital Assets (AI Enhanced), AI Driven Payments & Commerce FinTech, Financial Inclusion.
• AI-Led MSME & Credit Proposition: Lending and Credit, Collections & Credit Lifecycle Management, MSME Growth, Trade & Ecosystem Financing.
Application Process and Program Flow
• Application Collection: The initial stage involves gathering applications from interested startups.
• Program Information Webinar: An informational webinar is held for prospective applicants.
• Mastercard Shortlisting: Mastercard reviews and shortlists the applications.
• Jury Presentations: Shortlisted candidates present at the Mastercard Office.
• Class Announcement: The final cohort of selected startups is announced.
• Program Experience: Participants receive continuous support and inspirational experiences throughout the program.
For those interested in participating, stay tuned for more details and register for the Mastercard Lighthouse UAE Program information webinar to learn more.