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in5 start-up funding grows to AED 8 billion as Dubai’s pro-innovation frameworks nurture growth

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Total funding raised by start-ups at Dubai‘s leading incubator grows by 163% over 2023 figuresTECOM Group incubator to showcase ecosystem of more than 1,000 innovators, including Grambell and Estaie, at Expand North Star

DUBAI, UAE, Oct. 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Funding raised by start-ups within TECOM Group PJSC’s entrepreneurship incubator in5 since its inception has crossed AED 7.8 billion as Dubai‘s pro-innovation framework nurtures the growth of enterprises and talent. Announced on the sidelines of Expand North Star, the world’s largest event for start-ups and investors being held in Dubai on 13-16 October, the remarkable figure represents 163% growth over total funding raised as of 2023, demonstrating the accelerated growth of in5’s start-ups this year.

“Start-ups are powerful engines of long-term economic growth that tangibly benefits future generations,” said Majed Al Suwaidi, Senior Vice President at TECOM Group PJSC, on behalf of in5. “The funding milestone achieved by in5’s start-ups strengthens our mission to unlock entrepreneurial excellence by facilitating opportunities, partnerships, and investor engagement avenues. in5’s dynamic and global community is driving Dubai‘s efforts to foster a globally attuned innovation landscape that achieves the goals of the Dubai Economic Agenda ‘D33’.” 

in5 has nurtured more than 1,000 start-ups across the technology, media, design, and science sectors since its inception in 2013 by TECOM Group, the creator of 10 specialised business districts and vibrant communities in Dubai. This includes in5 Tech, housed at a dedicated in5 Innovation Centre at Dubai Internet City as well as in5 Media, based at Dubai Production City and in5 Design, based at Dubai Design District (d3). in5 Media’s active start-up numbers noted annual growth of 20% in the first half of this year as government initiatives to strengthen the regional creative economy, including Dubai Media’s vision to bolster the competitiveness of media institutions, attract a wider cohort of talent to the city.

in5 Science, which marked its first anniversary in June 2024, provides an enabling platform to more than 35 future-focused science start-ups. Launched in collaboration with Dubai Science Park, TECOM Group’s dedicated ecosystem for the life, energy, and environment sciences, in5 Science is cultivating a regional base of innovators in line with the Dubai Research and Development Programme’s vision.

Landscape maturity

While global trends are indicative of a shift in start-up funding amid the prioritisation of sustainable ventures, funding for artificial intelligence (AI) companies has held steady in 2024. Shored up by strategies such as Dubai Economic Agenda ‘D33’, Dubai‘s pro-innovation framework is enriching the regional pool of entrepreneurs harnessing technology to offer improved consumer services. This is underscored by the incubator’s recent success stories, including Ziina, a fintech start-up providing peer-to-peer payment for mobile apps, that raised AED 80.8 million in a Series A funding round in September 2024. Podeo, the world’s largest podcast distribution platform founded at in5, raised AED 19.8 million in a Series A funding round that same month.

in5 offers start-ups in technology, media, design, and science a platform to scale up with access to advisory, mentorship, and potential investment opportunities. in5 Tech is also home to the in5 Investor Hub, a space where angel investors, venture capitalists, and institutional investors can directly engage with start-ups at in5 for funding and partnership opportunities.

in5’s participation at Expand North Star is part of its commitment to spotlighting its innovative ecosystem to more than 1,200 global investors expected at the event, including start-ups such as AI-enabled communications specialist Grambell, based at in5 Tech, and flexible stay online travel agency (OTA) Estaie, incubated at in5 Media.

in5 is the start-up and entrepreneurship incubator founded by TECOM Group, which has contributed to Dubai‘s economic ambitions for more than two decades through sector-focused districts including Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City, Dubai Studio City, Dubai Production City, Dubai Knowledge Park, Dubai International Academic City, Dubai Science Park, Dubai Design District (d3) and Dubai Industrial City.

About TECOM Group PJSC

TECOM Group has been developing strategic, sector-focused business districts across the emirate of Dubai since 1999. TECOM Group is well-positioned to continue playing an integral role in cementing Dubai‘s status as a global business and talent hub.

The TECOM Group portfolio consists of 10 business districts catering to 6 vital knowledge-based economic sectors, including design, education, manufacturing, media, science, and technology. The Group provides a varied and tailor-made leasing portfolio – which includes offices, co-working spaces, warehouses, and land – to over 11,000 customers and more than 124,000 professionals.

TECOM Group offers additional value-added services to deliver a competitive and attractive environment for businesses and entrepreneurs to thrive in and to facilitate engagement between the districts’ community members. Government and corporate services are made available through an integrated smart services platform, ‘axs’, which enhances ease of doing business and provides community members with a seamless experience.

TECOM Group also provides industry-specialised facilities, including media production studios, laboratories, and higher education campuses. in5, its enabling platform for entrepreneurs and start-ups, offers innovation centres supporting tech, media, and design start-ups and SMEs. Its future-focused co-working spaces D/Quarters deliver stimulating work environments for tenants, and the ‘GoFreelance’ package serves freelancers.

For more information, please visit www.tecomgroup.ae.

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SOURCE in5

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2026 World Internet Conference Digital Silk Road Development Forum Opens in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province

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XI’AN, China, July 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — A news report from CRI Online:

On July 22, the 2026 World Internet Conference (WIC) Digital Silk Road Development Forum officially opened in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province. Hosted by the WIC and organized by the Shaanxi Provincial Government, the forum was held under the theme “Pooling Intelligence on the Silk Road, Embarking on a Digital Future — Jointly Building a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace”. Approximately 800 participants from more than 50 countries and regions, as well as seven international organizations, attended the event.

Mayra Arevich Marín, Minister of Communications of Cuba; Faqir Mahbub Anam, Minister of Posts, Telecommunication & Information Technology and Minister of Science and Technology of Bangladesh; Samba Diouf, Minister of Telecommunications and Digital Affairs of Senegal; Wang Binying, Deputy Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO); John Higgins, President of the International AI Governance Association (IAGA); and Wang Xingxing, Founder and CEO of Unitree Robotics, attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches.

Following the opening ceremony, a ministerial meeting was held. Thematic forums were convened focusing on Silk Road e-commerce cooperation and development, collaborative innovation and development of AI agents, digital and intelligent health, and the preservation and transmission of cultural heritage in the digital intelligence era. These discussions aimed to help Belt and Road partner countries strengthen consensus, deepen cooperation, and seize new opportunities brought by digital and intelligent development. During the forum, the World Internet Conference Cultural Heritage Digitalization Case Collection (2026) was released. A series of capacity-building activities under the WIC Digital & AI Academy were also held, including a capacity building program on AI-driven digital trade, a salon on “Copyright Empowerment in Cultural Heritage Digitalization”, and a field study at a digital port.

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SOURCE CRI Online

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Tesla Owns Nearly 1 in 5 AI Answers About EVs. New 5W Index Ranks the Top 25 EV Brands by AI Citation Share.

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EV charging networks — Electrify America, EVgo, ChargePoint — are nearly invisible inside AI answers despite operating the infrastructure the entire category depends on.

MIAMI, July 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — 5W AI Communications, the AI Communications Firm, today released the 5W AI Visibility Index — EV, ranking the top 25 EV brands by modeled AI citation share across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews. Tesla anchors the category at 18.4% — more than the next three brands combined. Rivian is second at 8.2%. Ford is third at 6.4%.

The Index is Volume 07 in 5W’s 2026 Consumer AI Visibility Index series. The full report is available at https://www.5wpr.com/research/ev-ai-visibility-index/.

More than a third of U.S. consumers now begin product research with an AI engine — not Google. For the EV category — where purchase consideration windows stretch six to twelve months and buyers cross-reference range, charging, ownership cost, and long-term reliability across dozens of sources — the answers the engines return are shaping the shortlist before a buyer walks into a dealership.

The Findings

Tesla dominates at 18.4% citation share — cited on virtually every consumer EV query across all five engines. Brand, product, and CEO overlap produce a citation profile no peer can match.Rivian (8.2%) is the dominant adventure-EV authority. The R1T and R1S anchor truck and SUV electric citation.Ford (6.4%) leads legacy automakers. The F-150 Lightning owns EV-truck queries; the Mach-E anchors EV-SUV comparisons.Lucid (4.8%) and Hyundai Ioniq (4.4%) complete the Tier 1 leaders. The Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 over-index against U.S. brand recognition.GM sits at #6 with 3.8% — despite scale — because Bolt, Lyriq, and Hummer EV are cited separately rather than as one GM-EV narrative. Ford consolidated its story. GM did not.Toyota (#17) and Honda (#18) are the two largest legacy automakers furthest behind in EV citation. The bZ4X, Solterra, and Prologue cite at rates far below what brand recognition would predict.EV charging networks are absent from the top 25. Electrify America, EVgo, and ChargePoint operate the infrastructure the entire category depends on — and have not built consumer-facing brand citation to match. The category is open.

“Every EV buyer starts inside a chatbox now. Tesla owns nearly one in five answers. The next three brands combined don’t match it. That’s a citation moat measured in AI — not TV budgets, not showroom count,” said Ronn Torossian, Founder and Chairman, 5W AI Communications. “GM is bigger than Rivian by every commercial metric and half its size in the answer. That gap costs sales. The charging networks are the biggest miss in the category — whoever builds the dominant ‘where should I charge’ answer anchors a multi-decade growth curve. Right now, none of them own it.”

The Five Engines Do Not Return Identical Answers

ChatGPT: Tesla, Rivian, Lucid, Ford, Hyundai dominate. Conservative and brand-anchored.Claude: Recurrent and CleanTechnica over-index. Data-source preference. Lighter on enthusiast brands.Perplexity: Reddit EV subreddits dominant. Out of Spec YouTube data heavily cited. Freshness-favored.Google AI Overviews: Tesla, InsideEVs, Edmunds, Kelley Blue Book dominate. Closest to a SERP-mirror.Gemini: YouTube EV creators dominate — Out of Spec, Munro Live, MKBHD at the highest rates.

Engine-aware strategy matters. A brand absent from one engine but present in another needs a different program than a brand absent across the board.

Methodology
Modeled directional estimates derived from publicly available data, observed retrieval patterns, structural signals, and the corresponding Everything-PR Citation Share Study — EV (Issue No. 07). Twenty-five brands, five engines, sixty-plus consumer-prompt query patterns. Not the output of logged query runs across millions of prompts. Intended as a strategic framework — not a definitive search-engine measurement.

The dominant outlets shaping EV citation are InsideEVs, Electrek, Recurrent, Edmunds EV, Car and Driver EV, CleanTechnica, and the Reddit-and-YouTube creator layer. Brand citation share is built primarily through presence inside that specific outlet set — and through Recurrent battery-data partnership for used-EV citation.

About 5W AI Communications
5W is the AI Communications Firm, building brand authority across the platforms where decisions now happen — ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews — alongside earned media, digital, and influencer channels. 5W combines public relations, digital marketing, Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), and proprietary AI visibility research to help clients measure and grow their presence in AI-driven buyer research. Founded in 2003, 5W is recognized as a Top U.S. PR Agency by O’Dwyer’s, named Agency of the Year in the American Business Awards®, honored as a 2026 Top Place to Work in Communications by Ragan, and named to Digiday’s WorkLife Employer of the Year list. 5W serves clients across B2C sectors — Beauty & Fashion, Consumer Brands, Entertainment, Food & Beverage, Health & Wellness, Travel & Hospitality, Technology, and Nonprofit — and B2B specialties including Corporate Communications, Reputation Management, Public Affairs, Crisis Communications, and Digital Marketing across Social, Influencer, Paid Media, GEO, and SEO. Learn more at 5wpr.com.

Media Contact
press@5wpr.com

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SOURCE 5W Public Relations

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TECNO Unveiled as Title Sponsor of The SAFF Championship Bangladesh 2026, Bringing AI Innovation to South Asian Football

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As Official Title Sponsor, TECNO joins hands with SAFF to inspire the next generation through football, innovation, and meaningful fan experiences.

DHAKA, Bangladesh, July 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — TECNO, an AI-driven innovative technology brand, officially announced its title sponsorship of the SAFF Championship Bangladesh 2026, South Asia’s premier international football tournament, during the tournament’s official launch ceremony in Dhaka.

Scheduled to take place from 4–17 November 2026, the championship will bring together South Asia’s leading national teams, celebrating the region’s passion for football while strengthening friendship, sporting excellence, and regional unity.

The partnership marks another milestone in TECNO’s global football journey while reinforcing the brand’s long-term commitment to South Asia—one of its most important strategic markets. Guided by its brand spirit, “Stop At Nothing,” TECNO believes football embodies the same values that define the brand: ambition, resilience, innovation, and the courage to pursue every dream.

A New Chapter for South Asian Football

The title sponsorship was officially announced during the SAFF Championship Bangladesh 2026 Official Launch Press Conference held in Dhaka. The event brought together representatives from the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF), the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF), TECNO’s global and Bangladesh leadership teams, SAFF Member Associations, national team representatives, members of the diplomatic community, media, and digital creators to celebrate the official launch of the championship and TECNO’s role as its Title Sponsor.

Mr. Purushottam Kattel, General Secretary of SAFF, said: “The SAFF Championship represents the highest stage of football in South Asia, bringing together our Member Associations through competition, friendship, and a shared passion for the game. Today, as we unveil the identity of the SAFF Championship Bangladesh 2026, we are delighted to welcome TECNO as our Title Sponsor. This partnership reflects a shared commitment to elevating football across the region, and together we look forward to delivering a championship that inspires millions of supporters and creates lasting memories for South Asian football.”

Following the official logo unveiling ceremony, SAFF and TECNO exchanged the Title Sponsorship Agreement, formally launching their collaboration for the SAFF Championship Bangladesh 2026 and reaffirming their shared commitment to delivering an outstanding football experience for fans across South Asia.

A Shared Vision for Football

Delivering a recorded message during the ceremony, Guo Lei, General Manager of TECNO, reaffirmed the brand’s belief that football is a powerful platform for inspiring young people, connecting communities, and bringing innovation closer to fans.

“South Asia is home to one of the world’s youngest and most passionate football communities. Football has the unique power to bring people together beyond borders and cultures. We are proud to continue TECNO’s football journey through the SAFF Championship Bangladesh 2026 and look forward to working with SAFF to create unforgettable experiences for millions of football fans across the region.”

Speaking on behalf of TECNO Bangladesh, Rezwanul Hoque, CEO of Ismartu Technology BD Limited, said: “Football has become an important part of TECNO’s global journey because it reflects the values we believe in: passion, resilience, and the courage to dream bigger. Following our partnership with the Bangladesh Football Federation during the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers, we are honoured to continue that journey as the Title Sponsor of the SAFF Championship Bangladesh 2026. Guided by our brand spirit, ‘Stop At Nothing,’ we look forward to working with SAFF and BFF to create a championship that inspires players, unites communities, and leaves a lasting legacy for football across South Asia.”

Welcoming the championship to Bangladesh, Mr. Fahad Karim, Vice President of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF), highlighted Bangladesh’s role as the host nation and officially marked the beginning of the journey toward the championship this November.

“Hosting the SAFF Championship 2026 is a proud moment for Bangladesh and an important milestone for football in our country. Today marks the beginning of our journey toward November, and we look forward to welcoming our fellow South Asian nations to Bangladesh for a championship that celebrates football, friendship, and regional unity. We are delighted to welcome TECNO as the Title Sponsor, and together with SAFF, our Member Associations, and our partners, we look forward to making this a memorable tournament for players, supporters, and the entire South Asian football community.”

TECNO’s Global Football Journey Continues

Football has been at the heart of TECNO’s global brand journey for nearly a decade. Through partnerships with Manchester City Football Club, the CAF Africa Cup of Nations, and the AFC Club Competitions, TECNO has consistently used football as a platform to inspire young people, connect communities, and celebrate the power of sport.

In Bangladesh, TECNO strengthened that commitment through its title sponsorship of the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers in partnership with the Bangladesh Football Federation. The overwhelming passion shown by Bangladeshi supporters reaffirmed the country’s vibrant football culture and inspired TECNO to deepen its engagement with the sport.

The SAFF Championship Bangladesh 2026 represents the next chapter in TECNO’s football journey, reinforcing the brand’s commitment to South Asia and its rapidly growing community of young football fans.

Growing Together with Bangladesh

Bangladesh continues to be one of TECNO’s most important strategic markets. Alongside its growing smartphone business, the brand is expanding its AI ecosystem and strengthening long-term investments in retail, innovation, and local partnerships—reflecting its confidence in the country’s digital future and youthful consumer base.

Beyond technology, TECNO remains committed to empowering the next generation by supporting platforms that encourage ambition, creativity, and meaningful human connection.

Football Meets AI Innovation

Throughout the championship, TECNO plans to showcase AI-powered experiences designed to bring fans closer to the game. Powered by Ella, TECNO’s AI assistant, these experiences are intended to demonstrate how intelligent technology can enrich football engagement through interactive match information, smarter fan interactions, and immersive digital experiences.

By combining the emotional power of football with accessible AI innovation, TECNO and SAFF share a common vision of inspiring young people, strengthening communities, and creating richer experiences for football fans across South Asia.

As the countdown to November 2026 begins, TECNO, SAFF, and the Bangladesh Football Federation share a common ambition—to deliver a championship that celebrates the passion of South Asian football while inspiring the next generation through innovation, partnership, and the enduring spirit of “Stop At Nothing.”

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Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2724870/TECNO_Logo.jpg

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