Dubai: Dubai Founders HQ has partnered with Mastercard, supported by Pemo, to launch a new founder finance solution designed to help startups and SMEs save money, strengthen cashflow, and operate more efficiently.
According to Emirates News Agency, eligible businesses can access over AED10,000 in first-year value, including up to 2 percent cashback on eligible foreign exchange and advertising spend, complimentary access to Pemo's spend management platform, Mastercard-powered corporate cards, and exclusive business offers and benefits.
Participating businesses can typically recover AED500-1,200 per month in previously untracked expenditure, reduce administrative workloads by more than 60 hours per month through automated expense management, and shorten month-end financial closing timelines, in some cases from nine days to three days.
For many startups and SMEs, managing company expenses remains fragmented and time-consuming. Founders often rely on personal cards, manually collect receipts, track spending across multiple systems, and spend valuable time reconciling expenses at month-end. These inefficiencies create unnecessary costs, limit visibility over business spending, and divert attention away from customers, growth, and revenue generation.
The initiative addresses these challenges through a single integrated solution that combines Mastercard-powered corporate cards, automated expense management through Pemo, real-time spend tracking, and accounting integrations with platforms including QuickBooks, Xero, and Zoho. Founders can issue cards to team members, set spending limits and approval controls, automate receipt collection, and monitor company spending in real time through a single platform.
Combined with cashback on existing business expenditure, exclusive partner incentives, travel benefits, and automated financial controls, the solution is designed to deliver immediate and measurable value from day one, helping founders retain more capital, improve financial discipline, and focus on growth.
Aligned with the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33) and the Strategic Digital City Partnership between Mastercard and the Dubai Government, the initiative strengthens the financial infrastructure available to startups and SMEs, giving founders access to the tools they need to build resilient businesses and scale with confidence from Dubai.
Hadi Badri, CEO of the Dubai Economic Development Corporation (DEDC), the economic development arm of the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), noted the importance of efficient cash management and financial discipline for startups and SMEs, emphasizing the tangible value this initiative brings to founders.
Saeed Al Gergawi, Vice President of Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, highlighted the strategic partnership's role in supporting founders by providing the right tools and support, enhancing Dubai's position as a global hub for entrepreneurship and the digital economy.
Mark Elliott, Division President of East Arabia at Mastercard, expressed Mastercard's commitment to supporting SMEs in maintaining business continuity and growth through the collaboration with Dubai Founders HQ and Pemo.
Ayham Gorani, Co-Founder and CEO of Pemo, underscored the significance of the partnership as a milestone for Pemo, enabling them to empower SMEs and startups in Dubai with smart, flexible financial solutions.
The partnership further reinforces Dubai Founders HQ's role as a central platform for ecosystem-wide collaboration, bringing together public and private sector partners to address the practical needs of entrepreneurs, aiding them in building and scaling globally from Dubai.