UAE GovTech Startup 01Gov Secures AED 1.5M Boost for AI Expansion

Mohammed Fathy

Last updated 21-05-2026

4 min

MBRIF approved a AED 1,5m guarantee for Emirati GovTech startup 01Gov.

The scheme helps firms secure loans “without giving away equity”.

01Gov’s cloud platform structures public innovation, from benchmarking to idea labs.

Funding will scale its agentic AI system “One” and expand government services.

The move signals the UAE’s push for AI-driven governance and digital transformation.

The Mohammed Bin Rashid Innovation Fund (MBRIF) has approved a AED 1.5 million credit guarantee for 01Gov, an Emirati GovTech startup building AI tools for the public sector. The move is designed to speed up the growth of 01Gov’s government development platform and strengthen the UAE’s wider push to lead globally in AI-powered governance.

MBRIF, launched by the Ministry of Finance and operated by Emirates Development Bank, has been around since 2016. Its Guarantee Scheme helps innovative companies access affordable loans without giving away equity – and in a region where early-stage founders often say debt is “a bit of a faff” to secure, that backing can be spot on.

According to Fatima Yousif Alnaqbi, Acting Assistant Undersecretary for the Support Services Sector at the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry’s representative at MBRIF, the fund plays a central role in delivering the country’s innovation strategy. She said the objective is to build a competitive, knowledge-based economy and to support high-potential innovators in ways that create sustainable development impact. Backing 01Gov, she noted, reflects a commitment to accelerating digital transformation and strengthening national capabilities in critical sectors.

If you’ve been following GovTech in the UAE, you’ll know the ambition is not small. The 01Gov platform is a cloud-based solution, available via web and mobile, tailored for government entities. It allows public officials to track global trends, run rapid benchmarking studies, and tap into international best practice. There are also tools to support idea generation, manage innovation labs, and encourage continuous learning inside government teams. In simple words, it aims to make public sector innovation less ad hoc and more structured.

The fresh guarantee will help 01Gov expand operations and enhance “One”, its agentic AI system, while deepening services for existing government clients. Agentic AI, for those who don’t live and breathe this stuff, refers to systems that can take more autonomous actions rather than just respond to prompts. I reckon this is where things get really interesting, not just dashboards and reports, but AI that nudges, analyses and maybe even anticipates.

Dr. Saeed Al Dhaheri, Partner for Artificial Intelligence and Future Foresight at 01Gov, described the support as an honour and said it aligns with the company’s strategy to improve government efficiency and foresight capabilities. He pointed to the UAE’s ambition to lead globally in AI-driven government and said 01Gov is proud to contribute to that national direction. He also thanked government clients and supporters who have been part of the journey so far.

There’s a symbolic layer here too. 01Gov was founded in Dubai in 2013, and its leadership team brings direct government experience. CEO Ibrahim Ahmed El Badawi is a former Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government scholarship recipient. In a way, this funding marks a full-circle moment: from public servant to entrepreneur, now supported by a fund embedded in the same ecosystem that once nurtured his career. Completing the leadership team is Mohamed Ahmed El Badawi, Partner and CTO, who also has hands-on government and technical experience guiding the platform’s development.

The MBRIF doesn’t just stop at guarantees. Its Accelerator programme, launched in 2018 in line with the UAE National Innovation Strategy, offers coaching and scaling support to innovative businesses shaping the future economy. And believe it or not, several startups we’ve seen across the MENA region quietly credit such programmes for helping them bridge the uncomfortable gap between pilot stage and serious scale. At Arageek, when we speak to founders navigating that in-between phase, the word “trust” comes up again and again, trust from customers, from regulators, and yes, from financial backers.

On the flip side, access to government contracts is never easy, even with the wind at your back. Implementation, integration, procurement rules… well, I mean, it can be complex. But initiatives like this guarantee scheme aim to reduce at least one barrier: financing.

For 01Gov, the immediate focus will be scaling its AI engine and meeting growing demand from public sector clients. For the broader ecosystem, this AED 1.5 million guarantee is another signal that GovTech and AI remain firmly on the UAE’s priority list. And in a region betting big on digital transformation, that signal is definately worth watching.

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