Date:
Wednesday, 28th April
12pm UAE/ GST
Outline:
UAE has firmly established itself as a global destination for startup’s and entrepreneurs looking to establish and rapidly scale their businesses.
A robust and effective institutional framework has been designed to support and accelerate the growth of those working across the UAE’s innovation ecosystem (including early/ growth stage startup’s, unicorns & big tech firms).
This approach has already led to multiple high-profile examples of ‘home-grown’ innovators successfully obtaining funding from blue-chip global investors and getting noticed on a world-stage (MENA unicorns include Careem & Souq.com).
The startup ecosystem related to mobility and logistics in the UAE (and beyond) is particularly active, covering everything from ridesharing and connected cars to ecommerce and last-mile fulfilment. Both sectors are ripe for agile inventive start-ups to develop data-driven solutions powered by IoT related technologies.
Key talking points that were covered:
- Startups and the role they play in driving national and regional economies
- Reviewing the available institutional support for startups and entrepreneurs in the UAE
- Reviewing opportunities in mobility & logistics – sectors ripe for (digital) disruption and new entrants
- Strategies to accelerate new venture growth; moving from a startup to a unicorn
Hear from industry leaders
Roula Moussa,
CEO, AI Venture Labs
Roula is one of the Middle East’s most prominent figures in the fields of digital technology and innovation. She is CEO of AI Venture Labs, a unique accelerator led in partnership with Microsoft and UAE’s Area 2071, which aims to bring AI-based tech startups to market in record time.
Faisal Al-Hammadi, Acting Assistant Undersecretary for Entrepreneurship and SMEs
Ministry of Economy
Faisal Al-Hammadi is Acting Asst Undersecretary for Entrepreneurship and SMEs at Ministry of Economy. Prior to joining UAE’s government, Faisal gained extensive experience in the private sector where he worked for elite global organizations, including Boston Consulting Group & GE.
Masaood Al Masaood,
Chairman, Emirates Angels Investor Association
The Emirates Angles Investors Association was founded in March 2020 and is officially registered under the Ministry of Social Development (UAE). Its remit is to positively contribute to the early stage investment ecosystem through its influential investor network.
Jamil Shinawi,
Co-founder and Director, AHOY
AHOY is a Dubai-based last mile delivery startup that uses state-of-the-technology to optimise mobility operations for the transportation and logistics sectors