- First-of-its-kind Islamic event to run at Dubai Technology Entrepreneur Campus
- International trainers and serial entrepreneurs to conduct five-day bootcamp
Dubai-UAE: 07 November, 2017 – Ten start-ups have made the cut for the first Islamic Lifestyle Mini Bootcamp that will run from November 12 to 16 at the Dubai Technology Entrepreneur Campus (Dtec), the largest technology incubator in the Middle East within Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO), the integrated hi-tech park.
Organizers of the mini bootcamp, including Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority, Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre, Dubai Culture and Rainmaking Innovation conducted the review of submissions and selection of finalists.
As part of the five-day bootcamp, international trainers and serial entrepreneurs will mentor the selected start-ups on the main pillars of accelerating a business. Alongside interactive and hands-on training sessions, the program will feature a segment titled Introduction to Start-Up & Business Model Design. This will be followed by dedicated workshops on Customer Development, MVPs & Product Experiments, Growth Hacking, Traction & Metrics, Fundraising, Team & Culture, and Pitch Practice & Industry Day.
The ten selected start-ups come from different parts of the world including the US, the UK, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and operate within various sectors such as media, design, toys, hardware, travel, education, health, food, entertainment, art, and fashion.
Abdulla Mohammed Al Awar, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Islamic Economic Development Centre, said: “DIEDC strongly supports Dubai’s vision to hone the talent and creativity of our youth and encourage entrepreneurship as part of its priority to emerge as the global capital of Islamic economy. Given this mandate, we are committed to contributing to the incubation of diverse innovative initiatives that enrich the culture of Islamic economy.”
He added: “The success of the Islamic Lifestyle Mini Bootcamp and the selected start-ups will serve as a guide for us to step up our efforts in supporting sectors such as art, culture, architecture, trade, fashion and tourism that are making rapid strides and hold the potential to exert tremendous influence on Muslims and non-Muslims alike.”
For his part, Bader Buhannad, Executive Vice President of Strategy, Business Services and Risk Management at DSOA, said: “At DSOA, we prioritize innovation as a core component of all our initiatives in line with the vision of the UAE leadership to position the UAE as a global leader in spearheading innovation. The first-of-its-kind Islamic lifestyle mini bootcamp reiterates our commitment to supporting aspiring entrepreneurs in the lifestyle and cultural domains.
“We look forward to welcoming the ten selected start-ups to learn the intricacies of expanding their businesses first-hand from established founders. We are delighted to witness the increasing interest of international, regional, and local entrepreneurs to venture into the Islamic lifestyle sector that presents multiple opportunities across a wide range of sub-sectors.”
Buhannad added: “As a preferred destination for technology start-ups, Dubai Technology Entrepreneur Campus is proud to host events that support entrepreneurs and boost their business know-how. We are confident that the bootcamp will offer the participants substantial networking opportunities to expand their businesses.”
The Islamic Lifestyle Mini Bootcamp appeals to all start-ups in the Islamic Arts & Culture, Islamic Architecture & Design, Family-Friendly & Halal Tourism, Modest Fashion, as well as Entertainment, Communication and Media domains.
As an official cultural partner, Dubai Culture has supported the call for participants by sharing the initiative via its Creatopia platform that was launched as part of its mandate to motivate, inspire and connect both established and emerging members of the culture, arts and heritage communities by sparking a creative revolution online. The platform has thousands of members or ‘Creatopians’ who are shaping the everyday lives of Muslims and raising awareness on the benefits of leading an Islamic lifestyle.
Saeed Al Nabouda, Acting Director General of Dubai Culture, commented: “Dubai continues to establish itself as the capital of the Islamic economy in alignment with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, which is an endeavor that Dubai Culture is fully committed to supporting by participating in events like the Islamic Lifestyle Mini Bootcamp. We are delighted to be the cultural partner for this event, which reflects our dedication to supporting our leadership’s economic diversification strategy by nurturing local talent and supporting professionals and businesses in the cultural sector.”
About Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority
Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA), a 100% owned entity by the Government of Dubai, is a free zone that is strategically placed on Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed road. DSOA’s urban master-planned community spans 7.2 square kilometers of state of the art office towers, R&D and industrial zones, educational institutions, luxury apartments, villas, hotels, healthcare and a full range of lifestyle facilities which translate into a dynamic commercial and social environment. Businesses can flourish under the unrivalled package of incentives, including 100% ownership, and high end IT infrastructure that allows companies to begin operating immediately. DSOA is a technology park that provides both a living and working integrated community. For more information, please visit: www.dsoa.ae
About Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre
Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre (DIEDC) was established in December 2013 under the supervision of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, to transform Dubai into the capital of Islamic economy. In 2017, DIEDC launched its refreshed Islamic economy strategy (2017-2021) that focuses on identifying new key performance indicators (KPIs) for monitoring the growth of three core Islamic economy sectors – Islamic finance, halal products, and Islamic lifestyle encompassing culture, art, fashion and family tourism – in addition to measuring their contribution to the UAE’s national economy. Knowledge, standards and digital Islamic economy serve as cornerstones that support these key sectors in achieving the leadership’s Islamic economy vision.
As part of the new mandate, DIEDC is keen to develop strategic partnerships with local and international organisations to build a robust framework and comprehensive ecosystem of Islamic economy principles and regulations. DIEDC seeks to empower young talent with the required skillset to boost growth across the strategic Islamic economy sectors and contribute to achieving sustainable development for the wider global community.