Smart Cities Council and IFZA Partner to Drive Cross-Border Innovation at Smart Cities Summit North America 2025

Strategic collaboration opens new pathways for American entrepreneurs to scale smart solutions through Dubai’s future-ready ecosystem

DUBAI, UAE – At the recently concluded Smart Cities Summit North America 2025, the Smart City Council (SCC) and IFZA (International Free Zone Authority), Dubai’s leading Free Zone community, came together to advance a shared vision for innovation. As the key partner for the event, IFZA helped steer conversations toward building more inclusive, sustainable, and connected cities - starting with Dubai and reaching across international markets.

Held in San Francisco, the summit brought together more than 450 senior leaders in government, business, and academia under the theme ‘Public Safety, AI, and the Middle East in Focus.’ Through keynote sessions, IFZA shared insights on how smart cities and free zones intersect as engines of social transformation through economic innovation, a principle deeply aligned with SCC’s mission.

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“Dubai represents more than just an economic opportunity; it represents a vision of what future cities can be,” said Holger Schlechter, CFO of IFZA. “As Smart Cities Council partners, we are proud to champion this vision by building meaningful connections, sharing global insights, and opening new pathways for international tech entrepreneurs. This collaboration reflects the growing synergy between the United States and the UAE across diverse industries - and we believe Dubai offers the ideal platform for American innovators to bring their smart city solutions to life in Dubai and beyond.”

Smart Cities Council and IFZA also announced two joint venture organisations, Smart Cities Council Middle East, to support the rapidly increasing demand for smart city solutions across the Middle East, and Smart Cities Academy™, a platform focused on smart city education and training.

“Our collaboration with IFZA marks a new chapter in how smart cities are imagined and built across borders,” said Corey Gray, President of Smart Cities Council. “By connecting Silicon Valley’s innovation with Dubai’s dynamic business environment, we aim to create a powerful launchpad for entrepreneurs to test, adapt, and deploy their smart solutions globally. The Middle East is one of the fastest-growing regions for urban innovation, and through our solutions, we aim to equip governments, and organizations with the knowledge and tools they need to thrive in a smarter, more sustainable future.” 

Dubai, ranked 4th globally in the 2025 IMD Smart Cities Index, is already a benchmark for smart urban development, with world-class infrastructure, digital public services, and forward-looking policies. As a launching pad for transformative regional projects like NEOM in Saudi Arabia and New Cairo in Egypt, it provides international innovators with immediate access to high-growth opportunities across the Middle East.

IFZA also announced the launch of Scale360, an open innovation platform based in Dubai designed to connect global startups with corporate partners, investors, and market access. Developed in partnership with Plug and Play, Scale360 reflects IFZA’s growing role in supporting not just business setup, but business transformation. 
IFZA was created to be a platform where entrepreneurs and like-minded individuals come together, do business and thrive - not just by removing barriers to entry, but by building bridges to global markets for businesses, and eventually nations. IFZA believes in the power of business to connect and bring people together, cross borders, and create opportunities that unite individuals around shared goals. There is no better place for this vision to become a reality than the UAE due to the future-oriented mindset of its Government and leaders.  

Through its role as SCC’s partner, IFZA aims to bridge Silicon Valley and Dubai, connecting entrepreneurs and ecosystems. At the summit, IFZA highlighted the evolving UAE–US relationship, built on shared priorities in diverse sectors. With over 1,500 American companies already active in the UAE- including Microsoft, Uber, and Cleveland Clinic - and 75% of the UAE’s GDP now driven by non-oil sectors, Dubai has become a natural destination for American businesses that want to grow fast, stay agile, and lead globally.

Participation at the summit marks the beginning of IFZA’s US strategic engagement roadmap, which includes upcoming events such as Deep Tech Week San Francisco (June 2025) and the flagship Deep Tech Week Dubai (November 2025).