- Winner to receive US$10,000 cash prize and Volkswagen Arteon for one year
- Registration for startup business pitch competition is open
Dubai-UAE: 16 October, 2017 – Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA), the regulatory body for Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO), the integrated free zone technology park, is inviting applications from technopreneurs around the world for its Entrepreneur Day (ED) business pitch competition.
The fourth edition of Entrepreneur Day – the annual signature event organised by DSOA’s wholly owned Dubai Technology Entrepreneur Campus (Dtec), the largest tech startup hub in the Middle East – will run from November 15 to 16, 2017 at Dtec.
Comprising a conference headlined by top speakers and a startup exhibition with more than 100 spaces, one highlight of the event is the business pitch competition that offers cash prizes and incubational support to one lucky winner. The contest is open to all seed-stage technology startups from around the world with a valid proof of concept in the categories of Smart City, Internet of Things, Fintech, Traveltech, Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality, E-commerce, and Consumer Apps.
Six of the best contenders will have the opportunity to pitch their business plans to a live audience and an expert judging panel during the event. The winner will walk away with a cash prize of US$10,000, the all-new Volkswagen Arteon for one year courtesy of Volkswagen, as well as a free service license, flexi-desk space within Dtec, and financial advisory sessions with The Scalable CFO – a team of highly qualified finance professionals who cater to the financial management needs of emerging businesses.
John Trbovich, Managing Director and Co-founder of Arsenal Venture Partners, and Caspar Herzberg, President of Schneider Electric Middle East and Africa, will deliver keynotes at the Entrepreneur Day conference. Panelists from the entrepreneurial ecosystem will include representatives of several prominent venture capital firms including: Walid Mansour, Partner and Chief Investment Officer at Middle East Venture Partners (MEVP), Renowned Dubai-based fashion entrepreneur and TV personality Nina Zandnia, Sirish Kumar, Co-Founder & CEO of Telr, Promoth Manghat, CEO of UAE Exchange, and Haytham ElMaayergi, Global Head of Transaction Banking at Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank.
The conference will address topics including The Future of Investment in MENA, Growing Trends in E-commerce, and Creating a Smart Government on Blockchain. The second day of the event will feature several focused and relevant workshop sessions on SAP Design Thinking, Women in Entrepreneurship, and Understanding VAT.
Speaking about The Entrepreneur Day, Hans Christensen, Director of Dtec, said: “We are proud to organize the fourth annual edition of the Entrepreneur Day that will convene more than 700 founders, investors, entrepreneurs, and media representatives. Our 2017 edition of the tech event will feature an added set of focused thought sessions, addressing topics such as women in entrepreneurship and VAT. The strong uptake we witnessed from young and talented professionals as well as investors across the MENA region, Asia, Europe and the US last year has motivated us to put together a truly comprehensive event.”
He added: “Our business pitch competition is looking for a creative and technologically advanced idea that has a strong business plan to support it. We invite all innovators to submit their applications, and we wish all contestants the best of luck.”
Companies and individuals that are interested to attend, exhibit, and/or participate in the pitch competition can register at: https://entrepreneurday.dtec.ae latest by 21st October 2017.