Expand North Star 2024 Concludes With Record Participation From Startups And Investors

Expand North Star 2024, the largest global event for startups and investors, concluded on Wednesday with record participation. The event saw a surge in visitors and exhibitors, showcasing numerous innovations and an increase in participating countries. Organised by Dubai World Trade Centre and hosted by Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy from 13-16 October at Dubai Harbour, it highlighted Dubai’s role as a hub for digital innovation.

The event attracted over 1,800 startups and more than 1,200 investors from 100 countries. Assets under management exceeded US$1 trillion. This high level of participation has solidified the exhibition's place on the global digital economy map, enhancing its role in fostering international cooperation and technological transformation.

This year marked the largest participation of European startups in the event's history, with over 350 European companies from various sectors attending. Brazilian startups also had a significant presence, with 50 digital companies using Dubai as their base for global expansion. The event featured new participants from countries like Austria, Australia, Canada, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Malaysia, and Singapore.

New investment funds and investors from Azerbaijan, Mauritius, Denmark, Peru, Malta, and Cyprus also joined the event. The number of new startups participating for the first time reached 1,584, accounting for about 88% of all startups at Expand North Star.

The exhibition offered visitors insights into future technological developments through dynamic new exhibitions. Highlights included Corporate Arena, Technology Transfer 3.0, The Future of Media and Creativity, NS Scaleups: 2024 Cohort, Sonar+D, and the Startup Genome Ecosystem Leadership Forum. These features provided valuable insights into tech trends while encouraging innovation and startup growth.

The pavilion of Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy welcomed over 3,200 visitors. Its ‘Launchpad Dubai’ initiative attracted more than 800 attendees keen to use this platform to establish and grow their businesses in the emirate.

Specialised Tech Experiences

The exhibition programme included pioneering experiences across various tech sectors such as blockchain, fintech, marketing, deep tech, climate tech, artificial intelligence (AI), and Web 3 technologies. Dedicated programmes like GITEX Impact, Fintech Surge, Future Blockchain Summit, and Marketing Mania offered participants an in-depth view into finance's future alongside blockchain advancements.

A total of 200 carefully selected startups competed in the global finals of the Supernova Challenge 2.0 after a six-month semi-final stage held worldwide. They vied for a cash prize of US$200,000.

Dubai's Strategic Role

With its success this year further cementing its position as a key pillar within Dubai Chamber’s strategy towards making Dubai a leading global hub for innovation technology-driven economic growth continues attracting global tech community providing an inspiring platform collaboration networking key influencers sector.

With inputs from WAM