500 Global and Creators HQ Support Creators and Founders Building Startups Collectively Valued at US$130M+

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates--(BUSINESS WIRE)--500 Global, one of the world’s most active Silicon Valley-based venture capital firms¹, and Creators HQ, the first content creator hub in the UAE and the Middle East enabling the creator ecosystem globally, announced the Creators Ventures Accelerator program is building and supporting creator-led startups collectively valued at over US$130 million.²

Moving to the final stage and qualifying for funding consideration from Creators HQ are James Jones, CEO & Co-founder of creators fintech platform Bump, and Yağmur Aydemir, CEO & Founder of community-powered stories IP engine Kami.

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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 program. This cohort serves a community of 20M+ followers, subscribers, and users across platforms.

“Creators represent a growing class of bona fide entrepreneurs, with 50 million creators globally, projected to grow at 10-20% annually over the next 5 years. The first iteration of this industry was built on visibility and virality to monetize. With consumers getting savvier and more discerning, we believe the new means to commercialization 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. We’re proud to be enabling and supporting this cohort of creators and founders on this journey, across diversified sectors such as marketing, finance, education, healthcare, consumer, and media & entertainment,” said Courtney Powell, COO at 500 Global.

The Creators Ventures Accelerator companies are:

• Bump | Financial Tech | USA - powering the world’s largest financial infrastructure for the global creator economy

• Bupple | Software & Services | USA - streamlining content creation by running AI editor agents on a brand’s entire content library, replacing disconnected workflows

• dromOS | Software & Services | Mexico - helping people stay consistent with self-improvement by turning habit formation and creator-led challenges into a game

• Echooo AI | Marketing & Advertising | Pakistan - automating traditional influencer management workflow using AI agents

• Geeva | Marketing & Advertising | UAE - supporting brand-creator collaborations using AI

• Hypesociety | Marketing & Advertising | UAE - turning creators into a real-time distribution engine for brands by reposting their content

• InfluSense | Software & Services | United Kingdom - helping you find emerging creators, before they are famous

• Intuition Intelligence | Software & Services | USA - helping content creators to engineer virality into their content

• Kami | Consumer | Turkey - community-powered IP Engine turning 400M minutes of stories into AI-generated franchises

• Mindfull | Healthcare | USA - personalized women’s health platform that replaces calorie counting with nutrition intelligence

• MoonTech | Marketing & Advertising | UAE - turning influencer marketing into a measurable, predictable growth engine

• Neura Coach | Healthcare | USA - combining human support with AI agents to guide people toward their goals

• Noqta Creative | Education | Bahrain - delivering structured, professional education for Arabic-speaking content creators

• SHAIKE | Marketing & Advertising | France - building Hollywood-level ads with AI faster, cheaper and better

• Skillstore | Education | United Kingdom - helping creators become the new educators

• So Squared | Software & Services | United Kingdom - optimizing creator-led commerce for global brands

• Societiz | Education | USA - turning creators in emerging markets from influencers to founders

• Stareable | Media & Entertainment | USA - helping creators scale their IP and businesses

• Super Abla | Education | Egypt - teaching Arabic throughout culture, history and geography with a content-driven early childhood edtech platform

• The Good News | Marketing & Advertising | Egypt - amplifying stories of hope to and from Arab youth

• Trenderz | Marketing & Advertising | Ivory Coast - shaping where the world travels by helping creators turn influence into real bookings

The 10-week Creators Ventures Accelerator program culminated in a final presentation at the fourth edition of the 1 Billion Followers Summit, attracting 30,000+ global attendees, 15,000+ content creators, and 500+ speakers. Moving to the final stage and qualifying for funding consideration from Creators HQ are James Jones, CEO & Co-founder of creators fintech platform Bump, and Yağmur Aydemir, CEO & Founder of community-powered stories IP engine Kami.

Her Excellency 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.”

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; Jonathan Labin, a renowned tech advisor and former Managing Director at Meta.

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About 500 Global

500 Global is a multi-stage venture capital firm with $2.2 billion in assets under management³ that invests in founders building fast-growing technology companies. 500 Global focuses on markets where technology, innovation, and capital can unlock long-term value and drive economic growth and development. The firm works closely with key stakeholders and advises governments on how best to support entrepreneurial ecosystems and economic development in emerging markets.

500 Global has backed 5,000+ founders representing 3,000+ companies operating in 80+ countries, with 35+ companies valued at over $1 billion and 160+ companies valued at over $100 million (including private, public, and exited companies) (as of June 30, 2025). The firm has launched 200+ startup program batches in 24 markets, accelerated 4,000+ startups and mentored 6,000+ founders. Its 180+ team members are located in more than 23 countries and bring experience as entrepreneurs, investors, and operators from some of the world’s leading technology companies.

For more information, please visit www.500.co.

About Creators HQ

Creators HQ is the first content creators hub in the UAE and the Middle East, launched under the Content Creators Support Fund—an initiative announced by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, during the second edition of the 1 Billion Followers Summit in 2024—Creators HQ provides a foundation for creators, innovators, and creative initiatives to thrive.

Creators HQ is part of Visioneers, the UAE's largest content management and development platform. Visioneers encompasses 21 companies and platforms, including the 1 Billion Followers Summit, the New Media Academy, the Communications Center, the History Academy, Arab Nation, Masdar News, UAE Nation, UAE in Numbers, Whoweyya, Al Mal Channel, Wasl, Xposed, and AI Media Lab.

For more information, please visit www.creatorshq.com.

About the 1 Billion Followers Summit

With a goal of reaching over a billion people worldwide, the 1 Billion Followers Summit, the world’s largest event dedicated to shaping the content creator economy, organized by the UAE Government Media Office, brings together top global social media influencers across all online platforms. The summit explores how new media can drive positive societal change and fuel sustainable economic growth for nations. It is a key component of the UAE’s drive to foster a vibrant content creator community.

For more information, please visit www.1billionsummit.com.

¹ Based on PitchBook’s 2024 Global League Tables.

² 500 Global makes no guarantee as to the success or growth of any organization or individual that takes part in any 500 Global program. Note that the collective valuation figure is an aggregated amount based on individual valuation figures provided by the participating companies / founders as of December 31, 2025, are self-reported and have not been verified by 500 Global.

³ Assets under management (AUM) calculations are based on internal estimates as of June 30, 2025.