Expand North Star 2024, the world’s largest startup and investment event, concluded on Wednesday, breaking records in international participation and cementing the UAE’s position as the global hub for technological innovation.
The four-day major event attracted 1,800 startups, 1,200 investors managing assets exceeding $1 trillion, 59 unicorns, and thousands of visitors from over 100 countries, transforming Dubai Harbour into a bustling hub of cutting-edge technology and groundbreaking ideas.
Organized by Dubai World Trade Centre and hosted by Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, the powerhouse showcase reached the mark of 13,000 concierge-arranged meetings and 88 percent of startups participating for the first time, offering unrivaled networking opportunities.
Global innovators shine
Expand North Star 2024 became a global innovation hub, bringing startups from all corners of the world, from Europe, Asia, Africa, and as far as Latin America, as they showcased next-gen technologies — from AI and quantum computing to sustainable transport and digital health solutions.
Debuting at the event, Austria’s CycloTech GmbH introduced CycloRotors, a sustainable, electrically powered propulsion system for air mobility vehicles, promising unmatched maneuverability.
German-based Clockin offered small businesses a simple digitalization tool for managing time tracking, employee data, and product management. Fabian Ebbert, CSO, Clockin, said: “Our tech is best for companies with deskless workforce of about 50 employees and provides solutions like time tracking, employee management, and job cost management. We came to ENS to understand if there is a need for our product in the UAE, and it seems like ample small companies haven’t digitalized their processes yet. So, if things work out well with our new partners, we will expand here.”
From South Korea, EYL Inc. presented its Quantum Random Number Generation chip, strengthening IoT security by generating powerful encryption keys. Meanwhile, Physio showcased an AI-powered device for predicting and managing neurodegenerative diseases.
UAE’s Wamda AI wowed with its Sharp Vision camera system, mirroring human vision and extending operational range by up to 100 times, revolutionizing industries like security and smart cities.
Questions on human creativity
As AI reshapes media and marketing, big questions loom about the future of human creativity. One of the panels highlighted how consumers must discern quality with an exponential growth in content creators and AI expected to disrupt the industry.
Sir Martin Sorrell, founder and executive chairman of S4 Capital plc, UK, took it further and said: “Media planning and buying business will turn upside down. There are almost 250,000 people in the big firms who will not have jobs in the next three years for two reasons: Their tasks are relatively inefficient, and the second is a lack of transparency.” He closed with a compelling takeaway: “Learn three languages — Chinese, Spanish, Arabic — and code.”
This year also saw the debut of Sonar+D Creative Summit, set up in partnership with Sonar, which brought in a host of technological proposals in an exhibition space.
Prominent speakers across the show discussed the future of creativity. Among those that took to the stage were Neil Patel, co-founder, NP Digital, USA; Mayank Yadav, director of product, Reddit, USA; Andrea Faroppa, head, Sonar+D, Spain; and Prashant Saran, director -operations, Amazon, UAE.
Evolution of deep tech
Fully aligned with Gitex Global, Expand North Star placed deep tech at the heart of its discussions. Thomas Debass, chief partnership officer at the US State Department, was among the speakers who emphasized the importance of deep tech. He said: “This platform is a public-private partnership in action. The government of Dubai is hosting the world, and what impresses me most is Dubai’s vision for the future. This is where the Museum of the Future exists — not just as a symbol but as a challenge to think about what’s next. Deep tech feels like the distant future, yet Gitex is making it happen now, even expanding into Morocco.”
Tech Transfer 3.0
Powered by Deep Tech MENA and GIE (Global Innovation & Entrepreneurship), Expand North Star also launched Tech Transfer 3.0, a platform bringing together research institutes and scientists to turn breakthrough innovations into tangible products. Attendees had the chance to get up close with cutting-edge prototypes and demos from leading institutions like Johns Hopkins University, Virginia Tech, MIT, IE, and Georgia Tech. These showcased AI based concepts and STEM research initiatives, fueling the transformation to real world applications.
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