Dubai Startup Hub's Startup Panorama Edition 6.0: Cultural Diversity In Entrepreneurship It features the stories of how individuals from different countries and cultures, including the local population, built their businesses together by tapping in to the strength of their diverse backgrounds.

By Megha Merani

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The melting pot society metaphor is an expression that was originally used back in the 1700s to describe the cultural integration of immigrants to the United States where "E pluribus unum' –"out of many, one"– referred to different nationalities, as elements, "melting' together to create a common culture.

This term has often, and commonly, been used to describe the fusion of more than 200 nationalities in the UAE too. The difference, however, is that while the classic melting pot metaphor was based on everyone assimilating into one culture, the Emirates' version is more about celebrating diverse identities to facilitate productive, positive and peaceful connections. The idea that everybody has a role to play, and something to bring to the table. And that ultimately, it's the cultivation of these relationships that will foster a sharing of ideas that contribute to the greater good of society.

Dubai Startup Hub's Startup Panorama Edition 6.0 features the stories of how individuals from different countries and cultures, including the local population, built their businesses together by tapping in to the strength of their diverse backgrounds. They also share how merging with local culture has helped gain a better understanding of context and special nuances of doing business in the region.

meekd, Project Chaiwala and Pure Harvest are just a few examples of the many startups in the Emirates with diverse founding teams.

To download a copy of this report, click here.

This article was originally published on Dubai Startup Hub and has been reposted on Entrepreneur Middle East based on a mutual agreement between the websites.

Related: Dubai Startup Hub's Startup Panorama Edition 5.0: Shaping Entrepreneurs Of The Future

Megha Merani

Independent Journalist

Megha Merani is an independent journalist based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Her stories have made headlines across a number of publications including Reuters, Associated Press, Entrepreneur Middle EastBloomberg Middle East, Arabian Gulf Business Insight, Arabian Business, and former local daily 7DAYS.

Megha also produces editorial for government platforms including the World Government Summit and World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting of the Global Future Councils. She has been a grant winner of the Thomson Reuters Foundation and The Global Initiative Against Organized Crime funded by the government of Norway to report on the online trade in illegal wildlife.

Megha is also an Associate Fellow (AFHEA) at Murdoch University in Dubai and leads its Digital Newsroom course unit. In addition, Megha serves as a United Nations Women mentor to support equal opportunities for women entrepreneurs, and supports various other programs including TIE Women, 60 Day Startups, and the Watt Inc. Business Incubator.

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