500 Global, one of the world’s most active venture capital firms, and Creators HQ, the first content creator hub in the UAE and the Middle East with the goal of enabling the creators economy globally, announced the content creators and founders selected for the inaugural cohort of its Creators Ventures Accelerator program, which aims to identify and incubate promising creator-led startups worldwide. The cohort serves a community of 20M+ followers, subscribers, and users across platforms.
The Creators Ventures Accelerator program attracted 1,131 applications from more than 70 countries. Over the next 10 weeks, the selected content creators and creator-led founders will join a hybrid business-building and acceleration program designed to fast-track their ventures. Their progress will culminate in a showcase at the fourth edition of the 1 Billion Followers Summit, taking place January 9–11, 2026.
The program kicks off this week welcoming the following creators and founders:
- Abdullah Alowais – MyRefera | Marketing & Advertising | UAE
- Ajay Kishore – Stareable | Media & Entertainment | USA
- Angel Santana – dromOS | Software & Services | Mexico
- Arman Sohi – Bupple | Software & Services | USA
- Aydan Al-Saad – Skillstore | Education | Egypt
- Aziz Nawfal – Societiz | Education | USA
- Daniel Klatsidis – hypesociety | Marketing & Advertising | UAE
- Esraa Saleh – Super Abla | Education | Egypt
- Hyejee Bae – Neura Coach | Healthcare | USA
- James Jones – Bump | Financial Tech | USA
- Jeremy Angelier – SHAIKE | Marketing & Advertising | France
- Kim Tran – Trenderz | Marketing & Advertising | Ivory Coast
- Majd AbiAli – influSense | Software & Services | United Kingdom
- Mansour Al Thani – MoonTech | Marketing & Advertising | UAE
- Mariam Solika – The Good News | Marketing & Advertising | Egypt
- Muzakir Ijaz – Echooo AI | Marketing & Advertising | Pakistan
- Omar Farooq – Noqta Creative | Education | Bahrain
- Sam Royle – So Squared | Software & Services | United Kingdom
- Samantha Cutler – Mindfull | Healthcare | USA
- Yagmur Aydemir – Kami | Consumer | Turkey
- Yusuf Ansari – Viralizer | Software & Services | USA
Combining 500 Global’s venture-building experience with Creators HQ’s deep network and expertise in the creator economy, the program seeks to help participants develop the skills, tools, and strategies to grow sustainable businesses at the crossroads of creativity and entrepreneurship. The Creators Ventures Accelerator program resident mentors include:
- Sora Lee – Founder and marketing expert with 15 years of experience leading teams at Netflix, Meta, and TikTok, specializing in growth, partnerships, and monetization.
- Giacomo Poggiali – Fractional Head of Product, Venture Builder, and mentor with 7+ years of experience leading product development. Product Coach to 200+ startups, and mentor in 20 acceleration programs helping founders test ideas and achieve product-market fit.
- Jonathan Tanemori – Venture capitalist and mentor with 20+ years of experience across fintech, blockchain, Web3, and advising founders on investor engagement, fundraising, and growth strategies.
- Brian Lee – Founder & CEO of Knocksteady (acquired by Disney’s Maker Studios), and expert in incubating, investing and scaling creator-led businesses from zero.
Source: Business Wire