Can you share the vision behind Offline and what inspired you to create a private members’ community for scaled-up founders?
Offline was born from the realization that scaling founders often lack a trusted network for honest conversations. Our vision is to create a close-knit community where founders can share insights, navigate challenges, and support one another. Inspired by platforms like Tiger 21, we wanted to foster a space focused on peer learning, personal growth, and meaningful connections. Offline bridges the gap between ambition and shared experience, offering founders a sanctuary to thrive, both professionally and personally.

How does Offline distinguish itself from other entrepreneur networks, and what unique value does it offer its members?
Offline prioritizes deep, peer-led connections over broad networking. Our small, curated groups (pods) are led by executive coaches, ensuring focused discussions. Unlike traditional networks, we emphasize personal growth alongside professional milestones through retreats, leadership treks, and expert resources. Members gain access to a high-trust environment where they can openly discuss challenges, collaborate on ideas, and build lifelong relationships. This holistic approach sets us apart.

What motivated the decision to expand Offline from India into the UAE, and why was this region a strategic choice?
The UAE is a global hub for innovation, with strong government support for entrepreneurship and a vibrant ecosystem of diverse founders. Its strategic location as a gateway to the Middle East and Africa aligns with our vision of creating cross-border synergies. Expanding here allows us to connect Indian founders with UAE entrepreneurs, fostering collaborations that can lead to transformative outcomes.

How does Offline plan to integrate local UAE entrepreneurs with its existing community of India’s top founders?
We’re fostering cross-border collaboration through joint events, curated pods, and retreats designed to encourage interaction. By pairing complementary founders based on industry and expertise, we ensure meaningful exchanges. Additionally, our focus on addressing shared challenges—like scaling globally and navigating regulations—helps bridge cultural and market differences, building a unified community.

What challenges did you face while bringing Offline to the UAE, and how did you overcome them?
Adapting our India-focused model to the UAE required understanding local cultural and business nuances. Building trust with UAE entrepreneurs was crucial, so we partnered with local ecosystem leaders to co-host events and establish credibility. We also tailored our offerings to align with the UAE’s entrepreneurial landscape, ensuring relevance and value for members.

Can you share some examples of the success stories or synergies achieved through Offline’s community in India? How do you envision replicating them in the UAE?
In India, Offline has facilitated partnerships, joint ventures, and even co-founder matches. One founder pivoted their business model based on pod discussions, achieving rapid growth. In the UAE, we aim to replicate this by creating spaces for open dialogue and structured collaborations, while leveraging the region’s strengths in global trade and innovation.

What kind of founders or businesses are you targeting in the UAE, and what criteria do you use to select members for the community?
We target founders with a proven track record—scaling startups, securing significant funding, or achieving impactful exits. Beyond metrics, we look for members with a collaborative mindset, openness to learning, and a commitment to community engagement. Founders in tech, fintech, and global trade-focused sectors are particularly aligned with our UAE goals.

Looking ahead, how do you plan to scale Offline further in the UAE and other regions, and what are your long-term goals for the initiative?
Our next phase involves expanding pods and hosting flagship events to engage local founders deeply. We’ll continue building cross-border initiatives between India, the UAE, and other innovation hubs. Long-term, our goal is to establish Offline as the go-to community for scaling founders worldwide, creating a global network of trust, growth, and collaboration.

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Entrepreneurship often carries a certain allure for business executives, yet for founders, it’s a path defined by complexity and constant challenges. As the landscape evolves, the pressures facing entrepreneurs—particularly first-generation founders—are becoming more intricate. Traditional networking platforms, once central to entrepreneurial ecosystems, are losing relevance in favour of more tailored, intimate spaces where founders can engage with peers facing similar realities.

Starting and scaling a company demands far more than access to capital and talent; it requires the right community—one that offers genuine support and shared insights. While early-stage networking events may open doors to general connections, experienced founders crave deeper, more targeted engagements—spaces where they can receive honest advice, share experiences, and access practical insights that align with their growth stage.

This shift has fuelled the rise of selective, curated founder communities. These aren’t your typical networking groups with open invitations. Instead, they are carefully composed of entrepreneurs who have achieved key milestones and are focused on scaling. For seasoned founders, the traditional networking circuit—often too broad and noisy—no longer fits. What they need is an environment where the real challenges of issues like scaling, global expansion, and managing investors are openly discussed.

The power of these communities lies in peer learning. Founders often discover that the best advice doesn’t come from consultants or industry experts, but from peers who have walked the same path. Whether it’s addressing leadership challenges, handling investor dynamics, or charting growth strategies, the insights shared in these groups are grounded in practical experience, offering solutions that resonate on a deeper level.

Crucially, such groups  offer a layer of trust rarely found in more conventional settings. Here, founders feel safe discussing sensitive topics—internal disputes, equity negotiations, or strategic pivots—without fear of exposure or judgment. The selective nature of these networks ensures that conversations are relevant and that members share a common ground, fostering open, meaningful exchanges.

Beyond learning and support, these communities naturally foster collaboration. While not the primary focus, partnerships often emerge organically among founders who are aligned in stage, sector or ambition. But what sets these groups apart is the sense of trust built on shared experience, rather than mere transactional opportunities. These hyper-curated communities are structured to prioritize a founder’s personal growth above all else, enabling purely peer-led guidance and advisory, without any external interference, motives or interests.

In essence, curated communities become more than just networks; they are integral to a founder’s journey. They provide critical guidance during pivotal moments, helping entrepreneurs handle complex decisions with confidence. For first-generation founders, in particular, these spaces offer invaluable support, accelerating both personal and business growth.

As entrepreneurship continues to evolve, the demand for these deeper, strategic relationships will only intensify. Curated founder-focused communities offer not just connections but a safe haven for collaboration, learning, and mutual growth.

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In the race for technological supremacy, the UAE has emerged as a top contender, with Abu Dhabi and Dubai becoming key innovation hubs. According to the Startup Genome Global Startup Ecosystem Report 2024, both cities rank among the world’s leading startup destinations. The UAE’s appeal is further strengthened by its ranking as the 16th easiest place to do business globally, according to the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business report of 2020, attracting entrepreneurs from around the world and solidifying its status as a major startup hub.

Additionally, the UAE’s startup ecosystem is rapidly growing, currently ranked 43rd globally in the Global Startup Ecosystem Index 2022. With billions in venture capital and over 4,000 active startups, the UAE’s tech scene is thriving. However, amidst this rapid growth, founders face a crucial question: How can my venture stand out in such a competitive market?

The answer lies not just in securing funding or assembling a top-tier team, but also in surrounding yourself with the right kind of people who can provide valuable support, guidance, and connections. This is why Offline, a private members’ community for scaled-up founders, has selected the UAE as the location for our first international expansion beyond India.

Since launching in India in September 2023, where we began with seed funding and saw our first cohort go live in January 2024, we have grown to over 100 members in just eight months, with a trajectory to exceed 150 by year’s end. Our Indian chapter includes prominent founders from Zomato, PepperFry, Awfis, 1MG, TBO, Boult, and Swiggy, among others. With this success, we believe now is the right moment for the UAE’s leading entrepreneurs to tap into a platform that can help advance their businesses to new heights.

Offline was born out of a fundamental need — one that I experienced firsthand as a founder. While launching Offline, I realised that traditional networking avenues fell short. The connections were often superficial, and opportunities for meaningful, strategic advice were limited. Founders and entrepreneurs needed more than just conversations; they looked for a space where deep, impactful connections could be forged with peers who truly understood their unique challenges. This need for a high-calibre, curated community led to the creation of Offline.

Today, as we launch in the UAE, our mission is clear: to provide the region’s most ambitious founders with a powerful network that not only supports their growth but also surrounds them with the right resources and guidance.

Offline is not just another networking group. We are a selective community where membership is earned through demonstrated achievement and potential. Our criteria ensure that every member is on a comparable growth trajectory, whether they’ve raised $5 million, achieved $5 million in annual recurring revenue, exited a company for $10 million, or reached a valuation of $50 million. This focus on alignment in experience and growth means that connections within Offline are highly relevant, as members share similar challenges and opportunities. While others outside this criterion can also offer valuable insights, our community’s exclusivity guarantees that interactions are particularly impactful, allowing members to leverage the collective expertise of the group and gain meaningful perspectives.

Our expansion into the UAE is more than just a new office—it’s a commitment to shaping the future of entrepreneurship in this dynamic region. Abu Dhabi and Dubai are at the forefront of global innovation, and we are here to ensure that the founders driving this change have the support they need to succeed. Our UAE chapter already includes co-founders from Ultrahuman, CoinDCX, Verloop, Fuze, and Hunch, and we are backed by notable investors, including the co-founders of Groww, Razorpay, Polygon, Park+, and Xiaomi.

Our members benefit from exclusive closed-door meetings, focused coaching, and masterclasses with industry experts. Additionally, unique social experiences are provided to foster deep and meaningful connections.

The future of entrepreneurship in the UAE is bright, and with Offline now at the heart of this dynamic ecosystem, we are excited to be part of this journey. We are now accepting applications for members to join our UAE chapter. We invite the region’s top founders to connect with us as we build a stronger, more connected, and more successful entrepreneurial community. To learn more and apply, please visit our website at www.offline.club .

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Founded by Utsav Somani, the man behind bringing AngelList to India and one of the leading investors of the country, Offline aims to build a close-knit network of startup founders on a significant growth trajectory.

“In 2016, as I launched my own company, I yearned for a community that hand-picked seasoned founders to share ideas with, problem-solve, or simply get candid feedback. The same old networking events didn’t offer opportunities for deeper connections and knowledge sharing. When I realised none existed, I founded Offline” said Somani.

The community focuses on founders of companies who meet one of the following criteria: $5 million raised, $5 million in ARR, $10 million from a previous exit, or currently valued at $50M. Notable early members in the UAE include the co-founders of CoinDCX, Hunch, Fuze, Ultrahuman, and Verloop, while in India, Offline boasts prominent figures from Zomato, Rentomojo, Awfis, 1mg, Shiprocket, Cred, Noise, and Bizongo.

Benefits of an Offline membership include high impact closed-door meetings in groups of 8-10 members facilitated by skilled executive coaches, out-of-the-box social experiences to connect with fellow members, front-row seats to talks by coveted speakers, special brand benefits and perks, masterclasses with industry experts for skill-building and a 24/7 digital community for prompt advice and feedback.

“With Abu Dhabi and Dubai coming at the forefront of technology, the ecosystem in the UAE is buzzing with unmatched energy and potential,” he added.

The UAE’s booming funding rounds highlight its growing prominence as a tech hub. Since 2022, the UAE has attracted over $2.5 billion in venture capital funding, accounting for nearly 50% of the total venture funding in the MENA region, with more than 4,000 active startups operating in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

“This dynamic ecosystem, rapidly evolving and full of opportunity, sets the perfect stage for Offline to expand its community to the UAE,” added Somani.

Unlike any other initiative in the region, Offline offers an exclusive platform that bridges the gap for founders seeking a high-caliber network and targeted support. As the tech landscape in the UAE evolves, founders are increasingly in need of a space where they can connect with peers who understand their unique challenges, access top-notch executive coaching, and engage in tailored upskilling programs. This type of specialized community is more crucial now than ever, as the demand for effective, collaborative environments grows amidst the competitive global startup ecosystem.

Another key feature of Offline’s offering is its annual retreat, which will take place in the UAE on 6-8 December this year. Members will also have the exclusive opportunity to attend the F1 Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, combining high-caliber networking with unforgettable experiences.

Offline has also attracted funding from prominent investors including Better Capital, DeVC, Huddle, and Riverwalk Ventures. The community has quickly grown to nearly 100 members in India since its launch in January 2024, with a goal to reach 150 by the end of the year.

As Offline continues to expand its community across the UAE, it remains focused on building a network of elite members who can benefit from this unique blend of support, guidance, and connection. This expansion firmly establishes Offline as a pioneer in shaping the future of professional and entrepreneurial communities, setting a new standard for excellence and innovation in the UAE and the wider region.

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