Building on the success of its inaugural edition, the partnership will give local, female-led SMEs access to physical and digital retail opportunities.
ABU DHABI, UAE – September 2026 — Reem Mall and Curate, in partnership with startAD and Agility, have officially announced the launch of the second edition of ‘The Emirati Concept at Curate.’ Launched following an exclusive gathering in celebration of Emirati Women’s Month, the initiative gives selected Emirati women entrepreneurs the opportunity to showcase their businesses through Curate’s physical and online retail channels.
First launched in 2025, The Emirati Concept at Curate connects homegrown businesses with physical retail space at Curate in Reem Mall, alongside online exposure, marketing support and mentorship.
The celebratory launch event brought together aspiring Emirati female entrepreneurs and also featured an alumni spotlight recognising the three winners from the inaugural 2025 edition:
- Maysoon Al Shamsi, founder of RAWA, a sustainable wellness brand upcycling date seed oil into natural balms, oils, and soaps;
- Muna Alhammadi, founder of Mineral Energy Natural Products, an award-winning, handcrafted organic skincare label; and
- Nooran Albannay, founder of Section Coffee Roasters, a women-empowered, ethically sourced coffee and Gahwa concept.
Maysoon Al Shamsi also shared her experience of taking her business into physical retail and reaching new customers.
With the 2026 edition of The Emirati Concept at Curate now officially underway, applications are open to a new cohort of Emirati female founders and startAD ecosystem entrepreneurs. The initiative aims to lower operational barriers for emerging businesses while enriching retail offerings for the Abu Dhabi community with authentic, homegrown concepts.
The collaborators of the Emirati Concept at Curate (Reem Mall, Curate, startAD, and Agility) bring a wealth of experience and expertise that helps female Emirati entrepreneurs grow and scale their businesses:
- Reem Mall is one of the UAE’s fastest-growing super-regional retail destinations, located on Reem Island within the international financial jurisdiction of the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM).
- Curate is Abu Dhabi’s innovative phygital retail concept. Located in Reem Mall it offers a premium physical location and online platform providing ease of access to the UAE market for local and international brands.
- startAD is an Abu Dhabi-based startup accelerator powered by Tamkeen and anchored at NYU Abu Dhabi.
- Agility is a multi-business owner and operator and long-term investor across logistics and transport, infrastructure, and technology.
Quotes from Partners:
Bruce von Kaufmann, COO, Reem Mall notes; “At Reem Mall, we are committed to nurturing local talent and providing a platform where homegrown innovation can thrive alongside global brands. ‘The Emirati Concept at Curate’ reflects our dedication to supporting the UAE’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and celebrating the vital role Emirati women play in shaping the future of retail and commerce. Through our continued partnership with Curate, startAD, and Agility, we look forward to welcoming a new cohort of visionary female founders and offering them the launchpad necessary to accelerate their growth.”
Neil Tunbridge, Head of Curate, says; “Hybrid retail is fundamentally reshaping how emerging brands build credibility and scale. The inaugural edition of ‘The Emirati Concept’ demonstrated the incredible creative and commercial potential of local female entrepreneurs when provided with the right infrastructure and retail visibility. As we launch ‘The Emirati Concept 2026’, Curate remainsdedicated to lowering the barriers to physical retail, giving homegrown Emirati brands the tools, technology, and space to connect directly with consumers and expand their footprint seamlessly across digital and physical touchpoints.”
Nihal Shaikh, Associate Director, startAD, comments; “The real measure of entrepreneurship is not how many ideas we generate, but how many find their way into the economy. The first edition of The Emirati Concept reinforced that, for early-stage businesses, access to markets can be as valuable as access to capital or capability. By combining access to Reem Mall’s customers with Curate’s digital pathways, founders can test demand, sharpen their proposition and make better decisions about growth. We look forward to seeing more creative, homegrown businesses to use this pathway to build relevance, resilience and staying power.”
Mariam Al-Foudery, Agility Group Chief Marketing Officer, adds “The Emirati Concept at Curate reflects Agility’s long-term commitment to the UAE’s economic diversification and to the women entrepreneurs helping drive it. The success of the inaugural edition has shown us the value of combining retail infrastructure with hands-on support to help promising Emirati businesses reach customers and grow. We look forward to seeing this year’s cohort build on that momentum.”
Selected brands will undergo a competitive evaluation process, with the winning concepts earning turnkey physical retail space within Curate at Reem Mall, supported by comprehensive marketing and strategic mentorship.
About Reem Mall:
Reem Mall is a USD $1.3 billion development that is fast becoming the ultimate destination for shopping, dining, lifestyle and entertainment in Abu Dhabi. The mall spans an area of 186,000 sqm GLA, making it one of the largest malls in the region. With more than 400 stores, including 80 F&B concepts, and 6,400 parking spaces, the destination caters to visitors from all over the UAE and beyond.
Featuring unique retail concepts, such as the world’s first and only Bloomingdale’s Beauty, the first Eataly in the UAE capital, Garmin and women’s fitness concept FitnGlam – Abu Dhabi exclusives, the destination provides a unique offering for residents and tourists alike. The home of home furnishing in Abu Dhabi, Reem Mall has the largest selection of home stores in the capital with over 20 market-leading home and specialty brands. These include Marina Home, Homecentre, Home Box, Better Life, Zara Home, Jashanmal, Chattels & More, Mood, The One and Suncoast amongst others.
Reem Mall also boasts an unmatched entertainment offering. Snow Abu Dhabi, the region’s largest snow park, offers over 20 rides and attractions for guests. This is complemented by the only VOX Cinemas in the UAE which offers exclusive private screening experiences, and UAE-exclusive gaming and entertainment concept CUBE Challenges, housing 32 rooms of engaging mental, physical and skills-based challenges. Orange Wheels caters to little ones who can learn, play and celebrate occasions. In 2025, Reem Mall unveiled Mini Bounce, the UAE’s first freestyle trampoline playground designed for kids to build essential social, cognitive and resilience skills, further enhancing interactive entertainment for the community. Later this year, Reem Mall will also introduce Ground Control – another Abu Dhabi-exclusive entertainment concept, and Wellfit – the mega fitness club’s first location in Abu Dhabi and the first integrated premium wellness destination on Reem Island.
Anchored by Carrefour hypermarket and complemented by leading brands like Zara, Nike, Sephora, Pull & Bear, Massimo Dutti, Calvin Klein, Brands for Less, Wagamama, Ocean Basket, Jamie’s Italian and many more, visitors can find everything they need all under one roof. Reem Mall’s convenient location, exceptional facilities and unparalleled shopping experience make it the perfect family destination for local residents and tourists visiting Abu Dhabi.
About Curate:
Curate is a multi-brand omnichannel retail concept located in Reem Mall, offering a premium physical location and online platform providing ease of access to the UAE market for local and international brands. Featuring 1,200 sqm of experiential physical space at Reem Mall and an innovative online platform that offers UAE-wide delivery, brands can benefit from an established ecosystem that provides storage, staffing, logistical, delivery and dropship capabilities. Combined with Curate’s digital platform, this enables brands from anywhere in the world to establish a presence in the UAE market with ease, in a cost-effective manner. Curate’s innovative digital platform enables endless-aisle capabilities, where a single physical product in-store acts as a gateway for hundreds more brand products online. This phygital concept minimizes the need for brands to stock excessive inventory, while for guests it offers exceptional choice across exclusive offerings. Guests can experience over 100 exclusive brands and thousands of products both in-store and online across beauty, fashion, home, accessories, mobility and more. No checkouts, no queues, just quality assurance from physical products in-store, and the ability to shop many more products online that are not available anywhere else in the UAE.
About startAD:
startAD is an Abu Dhabi-based accelerator, steering local and global startups to scale in the UAE and beyond. Powered by Tamkeen and anchored at NYU Abu Dhabi, startAD is a new model for innovation that creates customized and impact-driven programs in partnership with stakeholders including governments, corporations, investors, and innovation entities, furthering UAE’s transition into a knowledge-based economy. startAD’s unique sprint accelerator model enables corporations to further innovation by partnering with startups disrupting their core businesses, while equipping startups with the training and opportunity to pilot their solutions with industry leaders.
startAD offers unparalleled business advancement opportunities to local and global tech startups, SMEs, researchers, investors, and youth through an extensive range of programs, state-of-the-artfacilities, and a strong global network. Driving innovation in construction, retail, finance, and other priority industries in the UAE, startAD alumni startups have raised USD 270 million in investment, generated USD 220 million in revenue, secured over 80 global pilot projects with corporations, and created over 2500 jobs worldwide.
About Agility:
Agility is a multi-business operator and long-term investor in global and regional businesses. Its portfolio of diversified international assets includes the world’s largest aviation services company (Menzies Aviation); a global fuel logistics business (Tristar); a leading logistics parks developer and operator across the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia (Agility Logistics Parks); and other businesses in digital logistics, e-commerce logistics, remote-site services, and public-sector logistics. It holds minority stakes in DSV, the world’s largest freight forwarder; Reem Mall, a mega-mall in Abu Dhabi; commercial real estate and supply chain companies in the GCC, and emerging technology companies in e-commerce enablement, energy transition, digital supply chain, and more. Agility Global has a global footprint across six continents and 80+ countries, with a workforce of 70,000 employees. It is publicly listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX).
