Majid Al Futtaim has launched a dynamic concept store for local startups, called Launchpad X.
It will include local startups and winners from Majid Al Futtaim’s Launchpad Accelerator Programme, which launched last year.
The new concept store will be located in City Centre Mirdif, and will be home to a diverse range of local brands that have displayed outstanding innovation, creativity and growth potential.
It connects those budding businesses with the go-to-market opportunities offered by Majid Al Futtaim shopping malls.
With ‘X’ symbolising the spirit of collaboration, the inauguration of Launchpad X aligns with Majid Al Futtaim’s endeavours to support homegrown brands in their journey to become globally recognised businesses.
The brands showcased at Launchpad X include luxury fragrance company Wallace & Co, sustainable luxury fashion brand Reform, active and loungewear brand LC and healthy snacks firm Koala Picks.
It will also include upcoming sneaker and streetwear boutique HypeSelection, premium matcha and coffee drinks spot Blue Matcha, women’s boutique Bambah and Egyptian sustainable craft brand Kiliim.
Fuad Mansoor Sharaf, Managing Director of the UAE Shopping Malls at Majid Al Futtaim Properties said: “We are confident that Launchpad X will not only connect the region’s leading start-ups to new opportunities that strengthen their commercial footprint but also be a catalyst for innovation and a powerful force for driving the region’s economic development.”
Tapping into MAF eco-system
In partnership with AstroLabs, Microsoft and DIFC Launchpad, Majid Al Futtaim’s Launchpad Accelerator Programme partners with and invests in innovative start-ups and SMEs that benefit from the reach and scale of the Majid Al Futtaim eco-system.
Catering to homegrown brands across segments such as fashion and lifestyle, leisure, climatetech, and community, the Launchpad programme is described as “a pillar of support for local entrepreneurs”.
Nearly 50 per cent of its initial cohort of winners were female entrepreneurs, who gained access to tangible growth opportunities with Majid Al Futtaim, such as accelerating customer acquisition, improving operational efficiencies and access to new revenue streams.
The new winners for the second edition of Majid Al Futtaim’s Launchpad Accelerator Programme will be announced on September 27, and will cater to homegrown and climatetech segments.
The initiative nurtures entrepreneurship, and supports small and medium entreprises in the pursuit of innovation, creativity and growth.
