Growth Ensemble opens UAE headquarters in Dubai

By AI, Created 6:28 AM UTC, May 19, 2026, /AGP/ – Growth Ensemble has launched its Dubai office and named the UAE as its international headquarters, positioning the firm to serve startups, investors and government agencies across the GCC and Southeast Asia. The move comes as trade and policy links between the two regions deepen, especially around AI, market entry and fundraising.

Why it matters: - Growth Ensemble is betting on the GCC-ASEAN corridor as a higher-value route for startups, investors and government-linked organizations. - The Dubai headquarters gives the firm a base in one of the region’s fastest-growing business hubs while keeping leadership anchored in both Singapore and the UAE. - The move aligns with rising cross-border activity in AI, trade and market expansion between the Gulf and Southeast Asia.

What happened: - Growth Ensemble announced the opening of its Dubai office and the establishment of its international headquarters in the UAE. - Founder and Managing Partner Meredith Carson relocated to Dubai. - Co-Founder and Managing Partner Adam Flinter remains based in Singapore. - The firm was founded in 2023 and works across the GCC and Southeast Asia. - The company focuses on fast-growing startups, venture capital firms, government-linked companies and local government agencies.

The details: - Growth Ensemble says its work centers on AI-powered businesses moving between the GCC and Southeast Asia. - The firm’s four pillars are AI-enabled marketing, fractional CMO and CGO leadership, market entry, and fundraising and investor relations. - The company works hands-on with clients from strategy through execution. - In the GCC, Growth Ensemble helps regional businesses enter Southeast Asian markets. - The firm also brings AI scaleups and investors from Southeast Asia into the GCC. - Carson spent 12 years advising regional and international brands and government entities across the Middle East before relocating to Dubai. - Carson and Flinter have worked together for 17 years. - Flinter has clients across more than a dozen markets spanning the Gulf and Southeast Asia. - The company says Carson and Flinter have nearly 40 years of combined in-market experience across both regions.

Between the lines: - Dubai offers Growth Ensemble proximity to the Dubai Economic Agenda D33, which aims to double Dubai’s economy by 2033 and place the city among the world’s top three. - The UAE AI Strategy 2031 gives the firm a base in a country seeking to become a global AI hub. - ASEAN-GCC trade reached $130.7 billion in 2023, still below the jointly agreed $180 billion target for 2032. - New trade flows of $50 billion are projected by 2027. - Leaders launched formal ASEAN-GCC free trade agreement negotiations at the 2nd ASEAN-GCC Summit in Kuala Lumpur in May 2025. - Carson said the corridor matters because both regions are built on relationships, trust and long-term thinking. - Flinter said both markets reward preparation and punish shortcuts.

What’s next: - Growth Ensemble will use its Dubai-Singapore leadership structure to pursue more cross-border work. - The firm is likely to keep targeting AI scaleups, investors and government entities moving between the GCC and ASEAN. - The company’s expansion sets it up to benefit if trade talks and commercial ties between the two blocs continue to advance.

The bottom line: - Growth Ensemble is making a clear strategic play on the GCC-ASEAN corridor, using Dubai as a hub to connect two markets that are becoming more commercially aligned.