DCDE’s global roadshow attracts participation of 150 tech startups

Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy (DCDE) one of three chambers operating under the umbrella of Dubai Chambers, and Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) have successfully organised the first in a series of international roadshows to promote this year’s edition of Expand North Star, the world’s largest event for startups and investors, which will be hosted by the chamber at Dubai Harbour from Oct.13 – 16.

The first of the 2024 international roadshows took place in Poland, where a series of sessions and activities were held at the Google Campus in Warsaw.

The two-day event attracted 150 Polish tech companies, who participated in a total of 22 meetings. The event created a valuable platform for discussions and networking opportunities with Polish businesses and trade organisations.

The roadshow included a pitch competition introducing groundbreaking ideas from 10 finalists in the enterprise software, healthcare, real estate, construction, and MedTech sectors. Participants competed for a fully funded market access week in Dubai and a spot in the semi-final of the Supernova Challenge during Expand North Star 2024 to battle for a total cash prize pool of $240,000. The winner of the competition was a groundbreaking solution from BrainScan, a Polish Series B startup that is revolutionising the analysis of human brain CT scans through A.I.

The competition was followed by a roundtable session featuring prominent Polish tech enterprises, which highlighted the success stories of local businesses that have expanded into Dubai leveraging the emirate’s dynamic and business-friendly environment.

Poland is the first stop of an engagement campaign aimed at driving participation in Expand North Star 2024, the flagship event organised by the Dubai World Trade Centre and hosted by Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy. The eagerly anticipated gathering connects the world’s most sought-after startups with innovators, investors, entrepreneurs, and the founders of global success stories to explore exciting growth opportunities emerging in Dubai and catalyse the future of the digital economy.

Last year’s edition attracted more than 1,600 startups, including 52 unicorn companies, together with over 850 investors who collectively manage assets worth $1 trillion.

The four-day gathering plays a vital role in attracting and connecting the global tech community to Dubai by providing a highly effective platform for networking, innovation, and collaboration.

Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy is committed to driving the success of Dubai’s digital ecosystem and accelerating the emirate’s transformation into one of the world’s leading digital economies in line with the objectives of the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33). Expand North Star forms a key part of the chamber’s strategy to cement Dubai’s position as a leading global hub for innovation and advanced technologies, as well as drive sustainable economic growth and development in the emirate and beyond.

Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, one of three chambers operating under the umbrella of Dubai Chambers, aims to strengthen Dubai’s position as a global leader in the digital economy; attract specialised talent, leading companies, and new investments; and create a stimulating environment that supports the growth of digital companies.

Meanwhile Dubai Chamber of Commerce, one of the three chambers operating under the umbrella of Dubai Chambers, has successfully hosted its first quarterly roundtable meeting for Business Groups and Business Councils of 2024. The meeting provided a valuable platform to explore ways to enhance the private sector’s contribution to efforts to improve Dubai’s dynamic business environment.

Participants learned more about the chamber’s various programmes and initiatives aimed at supporting the interests of the business community, with a focus on developing greater cooperation between the public and private sectors to enhance the competitiveness of the local economy and drive sustainable growth. The session also presented updates on the chamber’s most significant achievements in 2023.

Last year saw Dubai Chamber of Commerce attract the highest number of new members in its history, as well as achieve strong growth in the number of active members and the value of members’ exports and re-exports.

A total of 76 new Business Groups were launched during 2023 to represent the interests of diverse sectors and economic activities, bringing the total number of Business Groups under the chambers’ umbrella to 105. In addition, 47 country-specific Business Councils currently represent the interests of businesses and investors from various international markets. Last year, a total of 145 meetings were held with Business Groups and Councils. In addition, 111 laws and draft laws were reviewed in cooperation with Business Groups, with the resulting recommendations achieving an adoption rate of 53 per cent.