DUBAI: Dubai Startup Hub, an initiative of Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in cooperation with Area 2071, recently kicked off the fourth edition of its weekly networking series which brings together stakeholders from the Dubai startup ecosystem and features inspirational talks led by successful entrepreneurs and industry innovators.
The 10-week series, hosted at Emirates Towers, will run until November 13th 2019, putting the spotlight on a wide range of sectors, timely topics, trends and technologies that are central to Dubai’s economic development, such as talent, artificial intelligence, data science, education, travel, hospitality, logistics and social impact.
Held recently, the first networking event delved into the topic of talent with Sky Kurtz, Co-Founder of agricultural startup Pure Harvest;
Samer Al Nimr, Founder of e-commerce website Deliver 2 Mum; and Justin Joseph and Ahmed Kazim, Co-Founders of Project Chaiwala, a home grown food & beverage concept, who shared their success stories with aspiring entrepreneurs, as well as insights and lessons learned throughout their startup journeys. Shahram Safai, Partner at Afridi & Angell Legal Consultants also joined the event, offering practical legal advice for entrepreneurs.
The series will devote special attention to the subject of startup expansion and scaling up, highlighting the support and resources offered by Dubai Startup Hub and other eco-system players through a series of panel discussions joined by representatives from leading incubators, accelerators and government entities in Dubai.
“We are very encouraged by the strong interest and turnout for the first networking event of the season and look forward to hearing from a variety of innovative startups that are making their mark on industries, as well as our eco-system partners who are offering valuable knowledge and resources to our members,” Natalia Sycheva, Manager of Entrepreneurship at Dubai Chamber.
She described the Dubai Startup Hub networking series as a platform for startup ecosystem players like incubators, co-working spaces and accelerator programmes to engage directly with the entrepreneurial community and provide them with the right support.
Sycheva said the series has succeeded in fostering fruitful cooperation between various stakeholders and nurturing Dubai’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, and added that it has attracted more than 1,000 aspiring entrepreneurs over the last 3 years.
Other confirmed speakers for upcoming networking events include Companies for Good Founder and CEO Marc Ruiviejo Cirera; ORENDA + Bloom Director and Founder Callie Dickens; Designhubz Founder Nadim Habr; Simplifai Labs Co-Founder Sunil Sivarajan; Muhannad Al Darrai of Meek’d; Arabee, Co-founder Ferakh Lakhany; Booklava Co-founder and CEO Tarek El Bolbol; Almas Robotics Founder and CEO Fahim Almas; Peliere Co-founder Thomas Kohlen; Pic w Post Founder Fadi El Ghattis; FlexxPay Founder and Managing Director Michael Truschler; Monocle Co-founder Arif Abed; Uros Lekic, Head of EMEA for Store DNA; Sarwa CEO Mark Chahwan; Denarii Cash Founder Jon Santillan; and Xpence Founder and CEO Saad Ansari.
An initiative of Dubai Future Foundation, Area 2071 is a physical manifestation of the UAE Centennial Plan which aims to make the UAE the world’s leading nation by 2071.The networking series is aligned with Area 2071’s efforts of promoting co-collaboration amongst creative thinkers, innovators, industry experts and entrepreneurs for a better future in Dubai. Established by Dubai Chamber in 2016, Dubai Startup Hub is the first initiative of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa region. The initiative aims to provide clarity and guidance for entrepreneurs throughout their journey, while it also leverages public-private sector partnerships to promote innovation and develop Dubai’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. News Desk
