Chamber promotes expand North Star to 1,500 startups, investors

Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, one of the three chambers operating under the umbrella of Dubai Chambers, and Dubai World Trade Centre have successfully concluded its series of 12 international roadshows to promote Expand North Star, the world’s largest event for startups and investors. The event will be held in Dubai Harbour from 13th-16th October this year.

The chamber met with 1,500 startups in 12 cities across Poland, India, Brazil, China, Morocco, France, Switzerland, the UK, and the Netherlands. The international roadshows initiated collaborative partnerships with ecosystem partners including venture capital firms, incubators, accelerators, and government-backed entities with the goal of attracting high-potential companies to Dubai.

Organised by Dubai World Trade Centre and hosted by Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, Expand North Star 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.

Each roadshow featured a presentation on business opportunities in Dubai and how Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy can support startups in their expansion into Dubai’s market. During the events, a pitch competition for startups took place and a winner from each city was selected to receive a fully sponsored visit and participation in Expand North Star. 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 has announced recently that it successfully supported 215 high-potential digital startups to establish and grow their businesses in the emirate during H1 2024, achieving year-over-year (YoY) growth of 212% compared to the 69 companies supported during the same period last year. The combined market value of the companies amounts to around $ 7 billion.

During the first six months of 2024, the chamber trained 243 Emiratis as part of the ‘Create Apps in Dubai’ initiative, which was launched by Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, and is led by Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy. The chamber also organised a total of 12 international roadshows aimed at promoting Expand North Star. Organised by the Dubai World Trade Centre and hosted by Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, the event is the world’s largest gathering of startups and investors and will take place in October.

In addition, the chamber further strengthened its presence as an organiser, strategic partner, and active participant in 15 local and international events during the first half of the year.

Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, and Chairman of Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, commented: “In line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai to consolidate the emirate’s status as a global capital for digital economy, we are strengthening our efforts to develop an ecosystem that promotes the growth of digital businesses, supports their expansion, and positions Dubai as the global capital of the digital economy. This comes as part of our drive to achieve the objectives of the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33), which seeks to generate an average of AED 100 billion annually for the emirate’s economy through digital transformation projects.”

He added: “Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy remains committed to further enhancing Dubai’s attractiveness for companies and entrepreneurs operating within all technology-related disciplines. Our impactful programmes and initiatives are designed to develop the infrastructure, regulatory environment, and services available to the digital sector in Dubai.”

‘Create Apps in Dubai’ was launched to strengthen digital capabilities in the UAE and has set a target to train 1,000 Emiratis in cooperation with the private sector. The initiative aims to triple the number of app developers in Dubai by 2025 and support 100 new national projects for the development of cutting-edge mobile applications.

Spearheaded by Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, ‘Create Apps in Dubai’ seeks to capitalise on emerging growth opportunities in the sector by creating a strong digital infrastructure, establishing a legislative framework that supports application development, and providing government incentives to accelerate the sector’s growth, in line with the chamber’s strategic objectives.

The chamber signed four memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with partners during H1 2024 aimed at enhancing Dubai’s digital business ecosystem and nurturing the growth of digital enterprises and technology companies.

WAM