HH Sheikh Maktoum Inaugurates Expand North Star 2023: World’s Largest Startup Event

Today, His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who serves as the First Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Finance of the UAE, inaugurated the grand event known as Expand North Star 2023. This remarkable startup extravaganza, hosted by the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy and organized by the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), has found its new home at Dubai Harbour.

Taking place from the 15th to the 18th of October 2023, Expand North Star 2023 has set up shop in the Middle East’s most significant superyacht hub, where more than 1,800 startups hailing from 100 different nations have gathered to network, seek investments, and exchange insights with their global counterparts. Adding to the excitement, a formidable group of 1,000 investors, collectively managing over US$ 1 trillion in assets, are bolstering the startup investment scene in one of the world’s most vibrant and diverse scale-up ecosystems.

This remarkable event, known as Expand North Star, serves as the flagship startup showcase of GITEX GLOBAL, which is the world’s largest tech event. GITEX GLOBAL opens its doors on the 16th of October at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC). Together, these two events, organized by DWTC, offer an expansive combined exhibition space of 2.7 million square feet, marking a 40 percent increase from the previous year. They invite the world to engage in an eagerly anticipated conversation and in-depth exploration of a new technological era, experimenting with AI, the cloud, Web 3.0, and a sustainable digital economy.

Within the framework of Expand North Star 2023, notable segments include AI Monday, featuring rapidly growing AI startups; India Central, the most extensive gathering of over 200 Indian startups ever assembled outside of India; as well as Asia Fast 100 and Africa Fast 100, highlighting the event’s largest showcases, uniting 100 leading startups from each continent for a nearly week-long program of conferences, networking, and dedicated pitch competitions.

This assembly of next-gen companies also boasts three themed sub-events, each catering to specific sectors: Fintech Surge, the Future Blockchain Summit, and Marketing Mania. The grand finale of Expand North Star is the Supernova Challenge, a prestigious pitch competition that offers a generous prize fund of US$ 200,000, adding an extra layer of allure to this not-to-be-missed event.

For those interested in participating in Expand North Star 2023, please click here to register.