DIFC introduced the Venture Studio Licence, recognising the benefits the venture studio model brings to the start-up community, and to enhance the relevance of its technology and innovation ecosystem for start-ups and scale-ups.

The Venture Studio Licence is a commercial licence allowing the incubation of new business ideas and ventures for limited time periods to test the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) of such businesses. Such companies may also incorporate, manage and hold shares in ventures that have been converted into venture studio companies and shares in non DIFC-entities. This activity is extended to allow the provision of services strictly to its underlying ventures and venture studio companies such as, but not limited to, treasury services, IT Services, administration services and intra-group, corporate and advisory services.

The licence is priced at USD 25,000 per annum and includes a commercial licence, four commercial permissions, premium coworking space for two persons and two visas.