Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, one of the three chambers operating under the umbrella of Dubai Chambers, is gearing up to welcome the global business community to Expand North Star, the world's largest gathering of startups and investors.

Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy’s flagship event will take place at Dubai Harbour from 15th - 18th October 2023 and is set to connect the world's most sought-after startups with innovators, investors, entrepreneurs, and the founders of global success stories. Together, participants will seek to leverage the growth opportunities emerging in Dubai and catalyse the future of the digital economy.

The global startup event reflects the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy's commitment to enabling ambitious startups to access the tools they need to thrive in the emirate. Expand North Star supports the chamber’s drive to strengthen Dubai’s position as a leading global hub for the digital industries by bringing together venture capitalists and startups, expanding the presence of startups, and attracting the global tech community to the emirate.

Organised by the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) and hosted by the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, the event aims to support Dubai's transformation into one of the world's leading digital economies in line with the ambitions of the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33).

Launched at the beginning of the year by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, D33 aims to double the size of the emirate's economy to AED32 billion during the coming decade and position Dubai among the top three cities worldwide.

The digital economy has been established as a key pillar of the agenda, which seeks to generate an annual contribution of AED100 billion to the emirate’s economy from digital transformation projects. Expand North Star aims to support this goal by turning 30 startups into unicorns – privately held startups with a valuation of US$1 billion or more – by 2033.

Saeed Al Gergawi, Vice President of Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, commented, “Hosting Expand North Star will further advance Dubai's transformation into one of the world’s most flexible, diversified, and technology-driven digital hubs. This mega event will enable us to harness the full potential of the digital economy by connecting stakeholders from the government sector, investors, and accelerators with the world's leading industry experts, innovators, and tech startups.”

Al Gergawi added, “This unique event builds on the sell-out success of last year’s North Star, which led to the launch of around 150 startups in the UAE as a result of deals signed during the exhibition. While we anticipate most of the attention to focus on startups in areas such as artificial intelligence, climate technology, mobility, smart cities, and manufacturing, there is room for everyone. We are always looking for ambitious innovators with big ideas.”

Expand North Star offers an ideal platform for startups that will help them accelerate their growth in a unique global environment and make a significant impact in the business world. This year’s event will be hosted across ten dedicated exhibition halls at Dubai Harbour.

Expand North Star is set to host more than 1,800 startup exhibitors from over 100 countries. More than 1,000 investors with a combined total of over US$1 trillion under management are heading to Dubai, which is rapidly emerging as the heart of the world's digital economy.

The eagerly anticipated event kicks off on Sunday, 15th October, with the official opening and the CTO World Congress, which will offer unique insights into the minds of the world’s best tech architects and data scientists.

Expand North Star 2023 will feature AI Monday, showcasing over 400 fast-scaling AI startups; India Central, the biggest gathering of Indian startups ever assembled outside of the country; as well as Asia Fast 100 and Africa Fast 100, the event’s largest showcases that will bring together 100 leading startups from each continent for a packed day of conferences, networking, and dedicated pitch competitions.

“The intense demand for involvement in GITEX from the global tech and startup community is an acknowledgement of the strong impetus to learn, exchange, debate and challenge the recent developments in the tech sphere,” said Trixie LohMirmand, Executive Vice President of Events Management at DWTC, the organiser of GITEX GLOBAL and Expand North Star.

The gathering of next-gen companies also features three themed sub-events targeting specific sectors: Fintech Surge, the Future Blockchain Summit, and Marketing Mania.

Expand North Star is the first choice for deal-making, co-financing and fundraising among investors from 70 countries, creating exciting opportunities for ambitious digital startups to attract funding and scale their operations.

In addition, Expand North Star will host the launch of Emaratipreneur Inc., a community-driven networking and development platform designed exclusively for Emirati entrepreneurs, innovators, and investors.

The event will feature a first-of-its-kind kind exhibition area for talented young innovators and startups to exhibit on fully built, branded, and sponsored exhibition pods, together with the Emaratipreneur Majlis, where panel and group discussions will shed light on creating the next generation of startup superstars, unicorns, and globally renowned entrepreneurs from the UAE's youth ecosystem.

Continuing the legacy of North Star Dubai, this year’s Expand North Star will also culminate with the Supernova Challenge. The prestigious pitch competition offers a prize fund of US$200,000, further enhancing the appeal of this unmissable event.