Source: At a time when many countries are racing to attract capital and startups, SC Ventures does not see the UAE’s appeal as being limited to funding or incentives alone.
According to its CEO, Alex Manson, what stands out in the country is a more comprehensive attempt to build an integrated ecosystem: capital, regulation, talent, partnerships and infrastructure that allow new companies to be created and scaled — not remain merely promising ideas.
In an interview with CNN Business Arabic, Manson said the UAE has provided SC Ventures with “fertile ground” for venture building.
SC Ventures is the innovation, venture-building and investment platform of Standard Chartered Bank. It focuses on creating and investing in new companies, particularly in fintech, digital assets, artificial intelligence and business models that are reshaping financial services.
Manson noted that, within a few years, the company has moved from a limited presence in the region to 10 companies, one fund and more than 200 employees in the country, most of them in roles requiring advanced skills.
The UAE as an ecosystem, not just a market
Manson’s explanation starts from a core idea: new ventures are not built by funding alone. Capital matters, but it is not enough without universities and talent, regulators capable of understanding new models, a network of partners and investors, and even a media environment that helps carry ideas and expand the debate around them.
According to Manson, what distinguishes the UAE is the “systematic intent” to build this kind of environment, making it well positioned to become a hub for new companies.
In his view, economies going through ambitious development phases — and investing in infrastructure and future sectors — are a natural space for venture builders, because they create new needs and markets that have not yet fully formed.
This description aligns with SC Ventures’ trajectory in the country. In May 2025, the company announced a partnership with DIFC Innovation Hub to launch the National Venture Building Programme, a model designed to turn market gaps into scalable companies through stages that include idea testing, product design, founder recruitment and expansion.
The company also operates within a partnership network that includes Hub71 in Abu Dhabi, as well as government institutions and private-sector partners.
From venture capital to venture building
SC Ventures differs from traditional investment funds, which usually finance existing companies in exchange for equity stakes.
The company also works through a venture-building model, meaning it helps develop companies from the earliest stages: identifying the problem, building the idea, testing the business model, then establishing the company and supporting its growth.
Manson presents this model as more suited to fast-changing markets, because the gaps in these markets are not always obvious to existing companies. Sometimes, they require someone to create a solution from scratch.
This approach can be seen in ventures SC Ventures has already launched in the UAE, including Appro, a digital platform that simplifies applications for banking products, and myZoi, which works in financial solutions and digital payroll for groups underserved by traditional banking services.
These models reflect a focus on solving existing operational or financial problems, rather than simply developing technology products and then searching for a market later.
Jobs: direct and indirect impact
In the interview, Manson gave significant attention to jobs, saying that building companies necessarily means creating employment. But he stressed that the impact does not stop at direct hiring within companies founded by SC Ventures.
On one hand, the company’s figures in the UAE point to more than 200 jobs so far. Manson describes these as high-skilled roles in technology, finance, fintech, artificial intelligence and digital assets.
On the other hand, each new company can create a broader network of jobs through suppliers, technology partners and SME clients.
Manson gave the example of an e-commerce platform serving SMEs. Such a platform does not only employ its internal team; it can also help the businesses using it expand their sales and operations, which in turn can affect employment.
In this way, the impact of venture building spreads across the economy, rather than remaining confined to the company that was created.
The talent battle: attracting and developing skills
Despite the importance of capital and regulation, Manson believes the decisive factor remains talent. Ventures, as he puts it, do not scale without people capable of running and developing them.
He says the company relies on a mix of three tracks: finding talent already available locally, bringing in selected expertise from abroad when needed, and training people and building skills internally.
Manson placed particular emphasis on the third track: skills development. He considers it an essential part of any long-term development process.
The jobs he refers to are not traditional roles that can easily be replicated. They are roles linked to fast-changing sectors that require expertise in fintech, artificial intelligence and new digital models.
In a striking phrase, Manson said: “We are not just talking about talent that adapts to tomorrow’s world, but talent that thrives in it.”
This sentence captures an important angle of the interview: the bet is not only on transferring skills to the UAE, but on creating a human-capital base capable of dealing with a more complex economy in the coming years.
Expansion plans, but the market is not yet complete
SC Ventures does not view its presence in the UAE as a completed project.
Manson said the company plans to launch more funds, ventures and initiatives, and that it is in discussions with additional partners to launch new companies and joint ventures.
He also noted that existing partnerships with DIFC, Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism, and Hub71 are not the end point, but a base to build on.
But the interview did not present a picture free of challenges.
Manson acknowledged that the market still contains “many gaps,” especially if part of the country’s economic vision is realised in the coming years.
In that case, the needs of many sectors — from SMEs to consumers, from banks to insurance and other parts of the financial sector — will increase. This means demand for new solutions may expand faster than the current market’s ability to meet it.
Recent data suggests that this bet is taking place in a market seeing rising activity in financial innovation and venture capital. Institutions such as DIFC and Hub71 have expanded their support tools and enabling infrastructure for technology companies, while the UAE’s fintech sector continues to attract new companies and investors, supported by evolving regulatory frameworks and digital infrastructure.
The real bet: can infrastructure become scalable companies?
At its core, Manson’s interview says that the UAE should not be measured only by the number of companies it attracts, but by its ability to turn regulatory, financial and technological infrastructure into new scalable companies, quality jobs and local skills that compound over time.
For SC Ventures, the country appears to offer a rare mix of government ambition, speed of execution and growing demand for new solutions.
But the success of this bet will be tested in practice by the ability of the companies being built today to survive and scale — and by whether their impact moves from innovation headlines into real economic sectors.
For Manson, the UAE does not appear to be merely a geographic expansion point for a global company. It is a market where the relationship between finance, technology and venture building is being redefined.
That relationship is still taking shape, but it has clearly become part of the country’s economic bet for the coming years.
Source: CNN Business Arabic
