TURN8, a new startup seed accelerator program from DP World, has partnered with pixelbug, a Dubai-based technology solutions firm, to provide coaching and training to the 10 teams selected for acceleration in TURN8’s first round.

As part of the TURN8 seed accelerator, pixelbug will provide one-on-one coaching and a monthly training session for all startups in residence. The team may also offer technical mentoring and support to startup teams that need their unique expertise. A four-person team from pixelbug will take up residence alongside the TURN8 teams at a new co-working space in Al Quoz, The Cribb, established by startup incubator i360accelerator.

Launched in 2012, pixelbug has already made a name for itself in the region, most notably with an augmented reality application that garnered significant attention at the ArabNet digital summit earlier this summer. In addition to the firm’s technical expertise in augmented reality, projection technology and gesture-based technology, its partners can speak to what it takes to succeed as a startup in the UAE.

Said Dany El-Eid, founder and Managing Director of pixelbug, “The MENA region is in a very unique position at the moment. There have been lots of changes. In this transition there can be opposing forces that are either good or detrimental in the long run. It’s crucial that those who have the capabilities and appropriate platforms take responsibility and become a force for good. We must lay the right bricks and bridge a change in perspective to help the Arab youth and the MENA region compete on a global level as entrepreneurs and technologists.”

Said Kamal Hassan, a TURN8 program director and founder of i360accelerator, “We are extremely pleased to welcome pixelbug as a coaching partner for the first round of the TURN8 seed accelerator. Their commitment, and that of other partners, is a necessary component toward the goal of creating a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem in the region.”