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Creators HQ, the first content creator hub in the UAE and the Middle East, and 500 Global, one of the world’s most active Silicon Valley-based venture capital firms, announced the Creators Ventures Accelerator, held under the second edition of Creators Ventures programme, is building and supporting creator-led startups collectively valued at over US$130 million.
The 10-week Creators Ventures Accelerator culminated in a final presentation at the fourth edition of the 1 Billion Followers Summit, which was organised by the UAE Government Media Office from 9th to 11th January under the theme ‘Content for Good’. The event attracted over 30,000 global attendees, more than 15,000 content creators, and over 500 speakers.
Moving to the final stage and qualifying for funding consideration from Creators HQ are James Jones, CEO and Co-founder of creators fintech platform Bump, and Yağmur Aydemir, CEO and Founder of community-powered stories IP engine Kami. The Creators Ventures Accelerator received over 1,100 applications from content creators and technology startup founders across more than 70 countries. Following a competitive selection process, 21 creators and founders were chosen for the programme. This cohort serves a community of 20M+ followers, subscribers, and users across platforms.
Over the course of 10 weeks, which began in October, these selected companies participated in a hybrid business-building and acceleration program intended to fast-track their growth. Their progress culminated in a final showcase at the fourth edition of the 1 Billion Followers Summit.
The judging panel included distinguished experts — Courtney Powell, COO at 500 Global; Scott Van Den Berg, Founder of Hotstart VC; Ben Acott, CMO at Magnetic Labs; and Jonathan Labin, a renowned tech advisor and former Managing Director at Meta.
Alia AlHammadi, Vice Chairperson of the UAE Government Media Office and CEO of the 1 Billion Followers Summit, congratulates the ventures qualified for funding consideration from Creators HQ, Bump and Kami, praising the creative ideas and innovative visions, which reflect the ambition of content creators and their ability to harness digital creativity to build high-quality ventures with meaningful developmental and social impact.
AlHammadi said, “The Creators Ventures Accelerator embodies our ongoing support for content creators and influencers, empowering them to develop their ideas and transform them into sustainable projects that generate tangible developmental outcomes and align with future aspirations.”
Courtney Powell, COO at 500 Global, said, “Creators represent a growing class of bona fide entrepreneurs, with 50 million creators globally, projected to grow at 10-20 percent annually over the next five years. The first iteration of this industry was built on visibility and virality to monetise. With consumers getting savvier and more discerning, we believe the new means to commercialisation will belong to those who are focused on business fundamentals, deep community engagement, quality content, diversified strategies, and building with long-term vision and product-market fit.”
The Creators Ventures Accelerator companies are Bump, a financial technology company from the United States powering the world’s largest financial infrastructure for the global creator economy; Bupple, a US-based software and services company streamlining content creation by running AI editor agents on a brand’s entire content library and replacing disconnected workflows; and dromOS from Mexico, a software and services company helping people stay consistent with self-improvement by turning habit formation and creator-led challenges into a game.
The list also includes Echooo AI from Pakistan, a marketing and advertising company automating traditional influencer management workflow using AI agents; Geeva from the UAE, supporting brand-creator collaborations using AI; and Hypesociety, also from the UAE, turning creators into a real-time distribution engine for brands by reposting their content.
Also participating are InfluSense, a software and services company from the United Kingdom helping users find emerging creators before they are famous; Intuition Intelligence from the United States, helping content creators to engineer virality into their content; and Kami from Türkiye, a consumer company operating as a community-powered IP Engine turning 400 million minutes of stories into AI-generated franchises.
Other companies include Mindfull, a US-based healthcare company offering a personalised women’s health platform that replaces calorie counting with nutrition intelligence; MoonTech from the UAE, a marketing and advertising company turning influencer marketing into a measurable, predictable growth engine; and Neura Coach from the United States, a healthcare company combining human support with AI agents to guide people toward their goals.
The accelerator also features Noqta Creative from Bahrain, an education company delivering structured, professional education for Arabic-speaking content creators; SHAIKE from France, a marketing and advertising company building Hollywood-level ads with AI faster, cheaper and better; Skillstore and So Squared from the United Kingdom, operating in education and software and services respectively; and Societiz from the United States, an education company turning creators in emerging markets from influencers to founders.
Completing the cohort are Stareable from the United States, a media and entertainment company helping creators scale their IP and businesses; Super Abla from Egypt, an education platform teaching Arabic throughout culture, history and geography with a content-driven early childhood edtech platform; The Good News from Egypt, a marketing and advertising company amplifying stories of hope to and from Arab youth; and Trenderz from Ivory Coast, shaping where the world travels by helping creators turn influence into real bookings.
For more information, please visit www.1billionsummit.com