Stock Abu Dhabi skyline
Khalifa Fund has been quite active through the last 12 months in helping SME owners get through their initial phase. This is being done through direct funding or through mentoring efforts. Image Credit: WAM

Dubai: Abu Dhabi's Khalifa Fund has launched a tech platform - AI Mentor - to help startup and SME entrepreneurs during the business planning phase. This is done in partnership with StartAD.

AI Mentor will "guide" potential entrepreneurs through the process required to submit a business plan for funding, as well as receive mentorship and training as a Khalifa Fund applicant. It will also create the potential to expedite the planning process phase, and improve the overall quality of business proposals. The AI Mentor is available exclusively to Khalifa Fund applicants, but will be accessible to the wider public at a later stage.

Going wide
AI Mentor platform and its tools will be made available to the wider public at a later date.
"Our objective is to further support the UAE’s SME ecosystem through an innovative digital platform that will empower entrepreneurs," said Mohammed Ali Al Shorafa, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development.

Info in hand

As a value add, the platform will help users gain access to market information, research, reports, how-to-videos, articles and direct feedback from expert business counsellors. The digital platform will also feature a fully automated AI chatbot for users that require instant feedback.

"The AI Mentor has been developed in adherence to international best practices, which will provide entrepreneurs with easy access to knowledge-based resources whilst simultaneously allowing SMEs to increase their efficiencies," said Mohammed Ali Al Shorafa, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development. "This, in turn, will result in the quick turnaround of new start-ups throughout the UAE."