Dubai Founders HQ has partnered with Mastercard, supported by Pemo, to launch a founder finance solution that gives eligible UAE startups and SMEs more than AED 10,000 ($2,723) in first-year savings and benefits, per WAM.
The package bundles Mastercard-powered corporate cards, automated expense management through Pemo, up to 2 per cent cashback on eligible foreign exchange and advertising spend, and exclusive business and travel offers. Founders can issue cards to team members, set spending limits, automate receipt collection and monitor company spend in real time from one platform, with accounting integrations for QuickBooks, Xero and Zoho.
The pitch targets the startup accounting routine that still runs on personal cards and receipt piles. The partners say businesses typically recover AED 500–1,200 a month in previously untracked spend, cut administrative work by more than 60 hours a month, and shorten month-end closing from nine days to three.
“SMEs and startups in this city are ambitious, fast-moving, and we are pleased to contribute to empowering them through smart, flexible financial solutions that support their growth ambitions.”
— Ayham Gorani, co-founder and CEO of Pemo
Gorani’s company built the platform. Pemo is a Dubai-based spend management fintech whose cards are issued by Nymcard Payment Services under a Central Bank of the UAE licence, powered by Mastercard.
How the founder finance solution works
Eligibility sits with Dubai Founders HQ and Pemo — the announcement promises the package to “eligible businesses” without spelling out the criteria. Pemo’s standard pricing starts free and reaches AED 399 a month for its Premium tier, which frames the headline figure: mostly platform access plus cashback on spend a business already has. The initiative runs under the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33) and the Strategic Digital City Partnership between Mastercard and the Dubai Government.
The wider SME finance push
The launch is the latest UAE attempt to drag business spending out of the spreadsheet era. It follows CredibleX’s data-driven SME lending partnership and Zelo’s rebrand to fix invoice payment delays, both aimed at the same gap: small businesses running on tools that never scaled past the founder’s personal card.
What is Dubai Founders HQ?
Dubai Founders HQ is a platform backed by the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy that connects founders with support partners, tools and services to build and scale businesses from Dubai. It was created to make it easier for entrepreneurs to access the right support at the right time.
Who can use the new founder finance solution?
The partners describe the package as available to eligible UAE startups and SMEs, but the announcement does not spell out the eligibility criteria. Access runs through Dubai Founders HQ and Pemo.
What does Pemo cost outside the offer?
Pemo’s standard pricing starts with a free Starter tier, then AED 399 per month for Premium and from AED 1,500 per month for Enterprise. The founder finance initiative bundles complimentary access to Pemo’s spend management platform as part of its first-year value.
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