Latifa Bint Mohammed honors the recipients of funding within the “Investing with Content Creators” program

Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairwoman of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, honored the recipients of support and funding within the “Investing with Content Creators” programme, the first of its kind in the world, affiliated with the “One Billion Followers Summit”, organized by the UAE Government Media Office. The UAE.

The program aims to provide financing and financial support to startup companies and individuals who have pioneering ideas in content creation.

The list of winners of support and funding included the “Helo AI” platform, based in the UAE, and the “Eugenius” project from South Korea, in addition to the first and second winners in the program competition worth one million dollars, namely “Taa Marbouta” and the “Pensil” platform from the UAE.

The One Billion Followers Summit supports the “Helo AI” platform to obtain financial support and funding worth 22 million dirhams, and the “Eugenius” project to obtain 11.5 million dirhams from “Shurooq” company, to advance their innovative projects in the content industry and launch them towards broader horizons, in a way that supports… The creative economy and enhances its contribution to accelerating comprehensive development plans.

This came as part of the activities of the third edition of the “Billion Followers Summit 2025”, which will be held in Dubai from January 11 to 13, under the slogan “Purposeful Content”, with the participation of more than 15,000 content creators, 420 speakers, and 125 CEOs and international experts.

Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum congratulated the recipients of support and funding in the “Investing with Content Creators” program, praising the innovative ideas and projects they presented that reflect the spirit of creativity and ambition.

Her Highness said: “Our wise leadership believes in the importance of investing in minds, supporting creators and talents, and providing opportunities that enable them to transform their ideas into successful projects, and the “Investment with Content Creators Program” embodies this vision by providing an ideal platform to enhance cooperation between investors and companies on the one hand, And content creators, on the other hand, to give them the necessary funding and support to develop their creative ideas, achieve their ambitions, and launch their emerging companies towards broader horizons, thus contributing to achieving a positive and sustainable impact on society and advancing cultural industries. And creativity.”

Her Highness affirmed the Emirate of Dubai’s firm commitment to sponsoring and supporting innovation and creativity in all fields, and developing new and innovative sectors that keep pace with global trends, which contributes to achieving a positive and sustainable impact, thus enhancing Dubai’s position as a global center for innovation and an incubator for the best minds.

It is noteworthy that the “Billion Followers Summit” announced its partnership with “Shurooq”, one of the largest alternative investment companies in the Arab world, based in Abu Dhabi, to support the “Investing with Content Creators” program, with an amount of 50 million dirhams, distributed over 30 million dirhams in direct financing and investment from “Shorouk” and 20 million dirhams in support from the summit.

The UAE-based Hello AI platform received funding and support within the program as a culmination of the efforts of the electronic platform that relies on artificial intelligence to provide credibility-based partnerships and increase interaction between brands and influencers, and is designed to meet the needs of the rapidly developing creative economy.

The platform contributes to connecting brands with the content creators that are most suitable for them to ensure fruitful cooperation relationships, which supports the influencer marketing sector.

The platform relies on a system supported by artificial intelligence, which ensures compatibility between brand values ​​and influencer credibility, and works to reduce manual processes by 80%, allowing marketing campaigns to be implemented in just 15 minutes.

Hello AI also focuses on influencers who have real connections with their audiences in niche markets.

The “Eugenius” project from South Korea aims to produce television programs that include documentaries, a variety show, updated versions of TV series, and a K-Pop music academy program.

Eugenius was founded by entertainment expert Eugenia Jung, who has more than ten years of experience in producing and distributing dramas, and is a founding member of Disney+ Korea, where she led the production of six local Disney+ originals. Her work also includes producing… Hit drama “Jirisan,” and projects for HBO Asia and MBC, including the Korean version of “Luther.”

Leveraging this extensive experience, Eugenius is developing a diverse slate of engaging content, including the documentary “Carbon and Me,” inspired by National Geographic’s “Limitless with Chris Hemsworth,” which explores the global carbon crisis from a personal perspective. Released in 2025.

The football variety programme, scheduled to air in 2025, will help bridge cultures by showcasing K-pop stars and Korean influencers interacting with former English Premier League players who are now in the Middle East.

Completing the current roster is the K-Pop Music Academy, a platform designed to foster collaboration between K-pop artists and artists from the Middle East and North Africa region.

“Taa Marbouta” – United Arab Emirates – is an innovative podcast and digital platform that aims to create a safe and supportive community for Arab women from the heart of the Emirates.

The Pencil platform – United Arab Emirates – aims to make a qualitative shift in the world of content creation by employing artificial intelligence and blockchain technologies to connect talent, protect intellectual property rights, and activate cooperation tools between content creators.

The recipients of support and funding within the “Investing with Content Creators” program were selected by a committee that includes an elite group of experts, senior investors and companies, based on a number of criteria, including the feasibility of the presented idea, the quality of the marketing presentation, the market potential, the innovation and creativity in the project idea, and the viability. For expansion and growth, the extent of social and economic impact, the quality of implementation and planning, and the ability of the founding team to lead and develop.

Application projects participating in the program focused on the fields of education, advanced technology and innovation, women’s empowerment, creativity, community development, literature, entrepreneurship, health, social media platforms, creative content and tools for developing it.

The jury, which was responsible for evaluating applications for participation in the program, included 6 members of the most prominent experts, the most important investors, and senior investment fund managers. The Dubai Chamber for the Digital Economy is also one of the strategic partners of the program, as a representative of the chamber joined the members of the jury.

In addition to the jury members, the program hosted representatives of a group of major companies and investment funds, including: Shurooq, Beyond Capital, Hala Ventures, Access Bridge, Salika Investments, MEVP Capital, Silicon Badia, Beko Capital, and Adam Tech Ventures. , Noah Capital, Endeavor, Dash Ventures, and others.

The summit had organized two training and guidance programs for owners of start-up companies and individuals participating in the “Investing with Content Creators” program, to contribute to supporting program participants in attracting ideal investors and helping them prepare for investment rounds and fundraising.

The training program was presented by international experts and specialists representing an elite group of major investors and heads of major consulting, business establishment and investment companies in the region. This program came in the form of direct virtual sessions in order to prepare and qualify the founders of startup companies participating in the “Investing with Content Creators” program.

The mentorship program came as part of a partnership between the One Billion Followers Summit and Beyond Capital, a venture capital firm that aims to enhance the entrepreneurship and investment environment through comprehensive support for entrepreneurs, investment fund managers, and entrepreneurial investors. Beyond Capital provided this program by allocating sessions One-on-one mentoring with startup founders and their various teams.