In a wide-ranging interview, Innovation City CEO Paul Dawalibi makes the case that the free zone is building toward genuine tech-capital status rather than functioning as a fast-licensing shortcut. The pitch rests on three legs: speed (2–3 day licensing), sector focus (AI, Web3, gaming, robotics, healthtech) and cost (RAKEZ-wide pricing typically 20–30% below comparable Dubai free zones).
Whether that ambition is realised depends on execution over the next few years rather than any single announcement — the 1,000-startup milestone is a start, not a finish line. Inside RAK will keep tracking the numbers as they come in; our RAKEZ & business setup guide covers what founders actually need to know to license today.