Dubai Reality Check: An Indian VC's Year of Truth

Summary

It's going to be a year soon since I stepped off the plane at DXB with two suitcases and a head full of grand plans. Let me save you some time with what I've learned: the glossy Instagram reels of Dubai's skyline are tutorial level. The real game starts when you try to do business here. There's a particular expression I've seen on the faces of fellow Indians about three weeks into their Dubai journey. It's a distinctive blend of confusion, mild panic, and the dawning realization that the playbook they've mastered back home might not be of much use here. I know this expression intimately – I wore it myself last June.Dubai isn't India with better infrastructure or Singapore with more tax benefits. It's its own complex ecosystem with unwritten rules that nobody bothers explaining to newcomers. You're just expected to figure it out, preferably without asking too many obvious questions.My first meeting with a potential local partner was a masterclass in humility. I came prepared with a slick deck showcasing our portfolio companies' growth metrics, the notable markups, the awards. Twenty minutes in, I realized something: nobody had asked to see any of this.Instead, the conversation circled around seemingly peripheral topics:Which other families I knew in the regionMy thoughts on the latest regulatory changesWhether I planned to bring my family over& What are my plans to invest locally.It took me embarrassingly long to realize that this wasn’t small talk – this WAS the meeting. In India, relationships form after business alignment. Here, it's precisely the reverse.A fellow VC from Bangalore put it perfectly during a moment of shared frustration: "In India, we're selling a deal. Here, we're selling ourselves first."I've watched brilliant Indian founders crash against the shores of Dubai like waves – making noise on arrival but ultimately receding without leaving much impression.One founder friend who built a fairly successful SaaS platform in India couldn't understand why h...