Creative Zone's new startup programme simplifies business setup for first-time founders in the UAE

Creative Zone has rolled out a new startup setup initiative in the UAE, teaming up with Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone and Mashreq NEO BIZ to better support first-time founders , folks who often find the early stages of establishing a company pretty challenging.

The Young Entrepreneurs’ Business Setup Program is basically an all-in-one package that bundles licensing, banking access, and basic operational help. For many early-stage entrepreneurs, those tasks are usually handled separately, and honestly, they can become big hurdles before the business even gets off the ground. By combining them, these partners are betting that offering a more streamlined entry point will help more startups go from just an idea to their first launch.

This initiative definitely fits into a bigger national strategy. The UAE aims to increase the number of small and medium-sized enterprises to one million by 2030, up from around 557,000 today. It also continues to rank highly on the global entrepreneurship scale, in fact, the UAE has been number one on the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor’s National Entrepreneurship Context Index for four years straight.

Creative Zone, which claims to have supported over 75,000 startups and SMEs in the last 15 years, has built its reputation around making company formation easier. Their pitch is that new entrepreneurs often need more than just help with paperwork, they need a clear path through banking, visas, compliance, and early operations that keeps their momentum going. This new program broadens that approach specifically for younger founders and first-timers.

According to the company, the package includes incentives valued at over AED 15,000. These cover setting up digital bank accounts, discounts on logistics, tax registration, medical insurance, and a year’s worth of AWS hosting. It also provides a virtual office, plus access to HR and legal services. Big-name partners like DHL and Zoho are involved, bringing tools that most small firms typically only start using once they’re already a bit more established.

Lorenzo Jooris, the group CEO of Creative Zone, mentioned that the whole point is to make jumping into business ownership a lot easier. His comments point to the idea that, for many new founders, structure, more than just ambition, is what’s often missing.

Banking, in particular, is highly relevant in the UAE. Mashreq recently introduced its Mashreq Biz platform, which is a digital-first tool designed specifically for SMEs. It offers online and mobile banking services to make managing everyday finances a breeze. The bank says this platform builds on its earlier NEOBIZ service and aims at business owners who want to handle transactions from anywhere. This fits perfectly with the new startup package, which puts banking access right at the heart of company formation rather than leaving it for later, more bureaucratic steps.

Meanwhile, RAKEZ is positioning itself as a key player in this approach. Established by the Ras Al Khaimah government, the zone supports both free zone and non-free zone companies, offering licenses, visas, and a broad array of support services. These include accounting, translation, opening bank accounts, recruitment, procurement, and marketing. For startups, that kind of comprehensive support can make a big difference, especially when time is of the essence.

Anas Hijjawi, RAKEZ’s chief commercial officer, emphasized that this collaboration aims to create a simpler, more accessible pathway for young entrepreneurs to achieve ownership. This aligns well with the UAE’s broader economic policy, which has increasingly focused on fostering enterprise, attracting talent, and expanding the private sector.

The startup scene in the UAE is getting more competitive, with free zones, digital platforms, and business service providers jostling to make onboarding easier. Many now bundle services that used to be offered separately by different vendors. The goal? Cut down setup times, reduce friction, and help first-time founders avoid obstacles that often cause early-stage failure.

This trend is also seen in the growth of innovation zones and ecosystem-oriented offerings across the country. Ras Al Khaimah, in particular, is working hard to establish itself as a hub for startups and tech companies, with new initiatives emphasizing speed, simplicity, and the power of networks. In that context, startup support isn’t just about getting a license or having an office anymore. It now often involves the infrastructure that’s essential for a young company to survive their first year.

For the UAE, encouraging more startups makes a lot of sense. More new businesses bring more jobs, boost local spending, and help diversify the economy. Policymakers have long been eager to move away from oil reliance and develop knowledge-based industries, so supporting startups has become a strategic priority far beyond just helping small businesses get off the ground.

The new initiative from Creative Zone, RAKEZ, and Mashreq jumps right into that shift. It aims to remove some of the practical barriers faced by new entrepreneurs, while making the entire business setup process feel more coherent and manageable. For first-time founders entering the market, that difference could be huge, potentially the key to moving from sitting on the sidelines to actually getting started.