By Major Sunil Shetty, SM (Retd.)
At Startup Mahakumbh 2025 in New Delhi, Major Sunil Shetty, Founder of My Startup TV, sat down with Mohammed Bani Hammad, director of Sharjah Research, Technology, and Innovation Park (SRTI Park). Their discussion explored the growing collaboration between the Indian and UAE startup ecosystems and SRTIP’s pivotal role in fostering innovation. The interview has been paraphrased for clarity and ease of understanding. We started by asking about his experience with the event.
Mohammed Bani: Today’s exhibition has been incredibly productive, with robust engagement that deepened attendees’ understanding of the UAE market, particularly Sharjah. Our presence at Startup Mahakumbh aimed to explore potential collaborations between governments and startups. We were pleasantly surprised by the large number of companies that visited our booth. These discussions revealed numerous opportunities for business partnerships. Historically, trade between the UAE and India, dating back to the 1920s and 1930s, centered on spices and gold. Today, in 2025, the focus has shifted to larger investments, reflecting the shared vision of both nations’ leaders to strengthen ties between governments, businesses, and communities.
Major Sunil Shetty: The relationship between India and the UAE, particularly Sharjah, is driven by people-to-people connections. Here at Startup Mahakumbh, we’re fostering the same spirit within the startup community, ecosystem, and entrepreneurship.
Mohammed Bani: Absolutely, I agree. From the UAE’s perspective, our country is home to over 4 million Indian professionals and investors. Globally, the United States has the largest Indian diaspora, with the UAE ranking second. This underscores the UAE’s role as a global business hub, especially given our strong economic and cultural ties with India. We view the Indian community not as outsiders but as an integral part of our society—and we believe the sentiment is mutual.
Major Sunil Shetty: Let’s talk about the startup ecosystem in the UAE, particularly Sharjah. Can you paint a picture of how it benefits Indian startups and investors?
Mohammed Bani: Startups are vital to the UAE, especially as young innovators bring fresh ideas that drive technological advancement—exactly what the country needs today. At SRTIP, we focus on supporting startups by facilitating collaboration with government bodies and academic institutions.
We’ve built SRTIP on a ‘triple helix’ model, connecting academia, government, and private industry to foster new technologies. One of our biggest strengths is our location in the heart of Sharjah’s University City, surrounded by over 22 educational institutions, 47,000 students, and more than 3,000 PhD holders. This creates an ideal environment for transforming academic research and student ideas into market-ready innovations.
We also provide startups access to advanced labs—including robotics and AI labs, VR/AR studios, and health tech labs—with plans to expand further. These facilities enable startups to develop full prototypes from scratch, covering everything from 3D printing and electronics to programming and equipment design. Sharjah and the UAE are a melting pot of cultures and business opportunities, offering a vibrant ecosystem for sectors like logistics, food, and more.
Major Sunil Shetty: Are there specific sectors where the UAE is looking to collaborate with the Indian startup ecosystem?
Mohammed Bani: Absolutely. Startups are the backbone of the next generation of businesses, and both the UAE and Indian governments play a vital role in supporting them. This support must extend beyond funding to include partnerships with government bodies and private industry. In line with our leaders’ vision, the UAE is actively establishing accelerators and incubators to help startups grow and bring their ideas to market. This infrastructure is essential for nurturing innovation and ensuring sustainable development.
Major Sunil Shetty: Are there particular sectors SRTIP is interested in for collaboration with Indian startups?
Mohammed Bani: Yes, definitely. We’re particularly focused on sustainability, as well as healthcare, mobility, and logistics.
Major Sunil Shetty: Is there interest from Sharjah and the UAE, particularly from the investor community, in the Indian startup ecosystem?
Mohammed Bani: Absolutely, 100 percent. Over the past two days, we’ve seen tremendous engagement. We’ve already scheduled visits to Sharjah for next week, which shows the mutual benefit for us and the startups. Our presence here has been invaluable.
Major Sunil Shetty: The UAE and Sharjah host major events throughout the year, similar to this one. How does Startup Mahakumbh compare, and what are your thoughts?
Mohammed Bani: I believe we need an exhibition like this in Dubai. As you mentioned, events like GITEX focus on scale-up and global companies. But for startups, we need something akin to Startup Mahakumbh. I’m confident an event like this in the UAE would attract startups from around the world, just as it has here in India.
