A no-fluff path for software founders, freelancers and solopreneurs to relocate their company and ship from the city the best people you know are quietly moving to.
Tax breaks are the headline everyone leads with. They're table stakes. The real reason to come is who you'll be sitting next to in a JLT coffee shop - and they're already here.
Falcon LLM, MBZUAI, G42's $1B+ fund, dedicated AI ministry. Sovereign-scale compute and policy alignment most EU founders can only dream of. The state isn't asking permission - it's building.
Founders, ML engineers, product designers from Berlin, London, Paris, Tallinn - quietly flying in for "two weeks" and not leaving. They know something. Worth asking what.
Sovereign funds, family offices, ADQ, Mubadala. They write checks - but only to people in the room.
Company in days, not quarters. Government services run like SaaS. After EU red tape, this part feels illegal.
Europe morning, Asia afternoon, US evening. One direct flight reaches London, Mumbai, Singapore, Lagos.
30+ EU TECH FOUNDERS RELOCATED · DENSITY COMPOUNDING · QUIET MIGRATION, LOUD UPSIDE
You'll hear the term constantly. Here's the version that actually matters.
A Free Zone is a special economic district with its own rules: 100% foreign ownership, zero or low corporate tax, fast-track licensing, bundled visa quotas. Think AWS regions, but for companies.
There are 40+ in the UAE. They differ in cost, prestige, allowed activities, and how strict they are about "real office vs. flexi-desk". Most IT founders should ignore 95% of them.
We mainly work with two - chosen because they make sense for software companies, not because we have an exclusive deal.
International Free Zone Authority. Flexible activities, fast formation, decent for solopreneurs and bootstrapped teams.
Dubai Silicon Oasis. Tech-focused, more credibility with banks and investors. A real campus, real labs, real neighbours.
Realistic timeline for a software founder. Not a marketing brochure. We've watched it happen ~30 times.
We figure out if Dubai actually fits. Half the people I talk to, I tell to stay home.
Day 0Costs, activities, banking implications. Mapped to your company shape, not the other way round.
Week 1Forms, medical, Emirates ID, biometrics. Partner CSPs run point. You sign on your phone.
Week 2–3The real bottleneck most providers won't warn you about. We pre-arrange interviews and prep your file.
Week 3–6Apartment, gym, coworking, friends, first dinner with two new founders inside a fortnight.
Month 2+If you read the right column and feel relief, please don't book. We'll like each other more.
"I'm a software founder who relocated to Dubai. I figured out which CSPs actually understand IT companies and which ones treat you like a generic LLC. This site exists because I kept being asked the same questions."
- founder · ex-Berlin · now JLT
Important caveat: I'm not a corporate service provider. I don't sell licenses. I partner with people who do, and I make introductions where it makes sense. What I bring is the IT-founder lens - what banking actually looks like for a SaaS, why your activity code matters for Stripe, what to negotiate vs. accept, and the social map of who's worth meeting in your first month.
If we're not a fit, you'll know in 15 minutes and walk away with the right next call to make.
Placeholders. To be replaced with real quotes from founders we've helped land.
License + visa + medical + Emirates ID realistically lands AED 18–28k for a solopreneur in IFZA, more in DSO. Add a deposit-friendly bank, optional flexi-desk, and your first apartment. We give you the unvarnished number on the call.
Tax residency typically requires 90+ days/year and a few other criteria. Many founders do 6–8 months and travel the rest. We'll model your specific situation, including how it interacts with your home country's exit rules.
Three patterns: shut it down, keep it as a shell, or keep it operational and bill the Dubai entity. The right answer depends on your customers, IP, and whether your home country has a meaningful exit tax. Lawyer territory; we point you at good ones.
Yes - Stripe UAE works, payouts in USD/AED, banks have caught up though they're still slow. The trick is choosing the right activity code and presenting your business in a way local banks understand. Most generic CSPs get this wrong.
Partially honest answer: yes, I have partner CSPs, and yes I get a thank-you fee if you use them. The difference is I'll happily tell you not to relocate, or to use a CSP I have no relationship with, if that's the right call. Talk to me on the 15-min and decide for yourself.
Founder density compounds. Rents climb. The "we're early" advantage you'd get in 2026 won't be there in 2028. Same way SF in 2010 vs. 2018 was a different city. You're choosing your room.
15 minutes, free, founder-to-founder. Worst case: you waste a quarter-hour. Best case: you join the room a year before everyone you know.