Young entrepreneurs face-off for AED50,000 prize in Dubai

Dubai, UAE - 27th March 2016

Future Technology Week, the new umbrella brand bringing together four of the region's leading technology events, will debut The Hive - billed by organisers Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) as the 'Start-up showdown of the century'.

Handpicked by an esteemed panel of distinguished technology industry experts, business gurus and SME accelerators, The Hive will see the region's leading young entrepreneurs pitch unique start-up concepts conceived to solve today's greatest technology challenges.

During The Hive, the contestants will present breakthrough business concepts to a live audience and judging panel in a five-minute pitch on the first day of Future Technology Week. The panel of judges includes Ibrahim Tadros, Head, Business Development and Strategy, Wamda; Muhammed Mekki, Founding Partner, AstroLabs; Jonny Voon, IoT Lead, Innovate UK, and Shaun Moore, CEO and Founder, Chui - the world's smartest doorbell.

A one-day event, The Hive is supported by Dubai SME, the agency of the Department of Economic in Development (DED) in Dubai mandated to develop the SME sector, Wamda and Astrolabs, and runs in parallel with four specialised shows - Gulf Information Security Expo & Conference (GISEC), the Internet of Things Expo (IoTX), The Big Data Show and Gulf Enterprise Mobility Exhibition & Conference (GEMEC) - being held from March 29 to 31 at DWTC.

"The Hive is a dedicated innovative platform for budding, ambitious entrepreneurs to present their entrepreneurial ideas and innovative start-up business concepts. It's the start-up showdown of the century," said Trixie LohMirmand, Senior Vice President, Exhibitions & Events, DWTC, the Future Technology Week organiser.

The contestants' submissions will be judged on six criteria including practical use of product or solution, innovative use of technology, ease of implementation, sustainable business model, user adoption to date and difference to other products in the market. The Hive's ultimate winner will be awarded a cash prize of AED 50,000.

"Technology and innovation together make an ideal SME platform for entrepreneurs and start-ups to pursue success. A key finding in our State of the SME report was that innovative SMEs tend to be more internationally oriented. The Hive initiative should be supported because any effort to inspire entrepreneurs and tech SMEs is an investment in sustaining innovation and enterprise growth," said Saeed Matar Al Marri, Deputy CEO of Dubai SME.

Judge Tadros added: "IoT is driving many innovative start-ups and l expect listening to bright minds pitching their concepts will be informative and fun. I look forward to identifying the winner and keeping track of their evolution over coming months and years."

Judge Mekki added: "Dubai is quickly becoming a global hub for tech start-ups - specifically those targeting emerging markets - and AstroLabs is thrilled to see entrepreneurs from all over the world choose this city as their home. We are looking forward to hearing from the selected start-ups as they pitch their innovative concepts during the competition."

The expansive Future Technology Week format will feature an interactive conference, innovative tech exhibition, security workshops, a Microsoft-sponsored live Hackathon and capture the flag code breaking competition.

Future Technology Week is supported by Dubai Smart Office as Smart City Partner to drive awareness on Dubai's Smart City initiative. The Big Data Show and IoTX has attracted sponsors including Microsoft as Hackathon & Business Intelligence Analytics Partner of The Big Data Show; while IoTX has Pacific Controls as Keynote Sponsor; Huawei, Intel Corporation and SAP as Diamond Sponsors; Advantech B&B SmartWorx, Cisco, Dell and Ericsson Middle East as Platinum Sponsors; General Electric and MachinesTalk as Gold Sponsors; and Cybercom, Red Solutions and WebNMS as Silver Sponsors.

Key sponsors of GISEC include Strategic Partner BT, DarkMatter as Cyber Security Innovation Partner; GBM as Diamond Sponsor; Spire Solutions as Platinum Sponsor; Cisco, Fidelis Cybersecurity, VMWare, and Forcepoint as Gold Sponsor; Guidance Software as Silver Sponsor. Furthermore, The Big Data Show has attracted Microsoft as the Hackathon & Business Intelligence Analytics Partner.

IoTX opens on March 29 and concludes on March 30, the one-day GEMEC runs on March 29, GISEC opens on March 30 and ends on March 31, and the one-day The Big Data Show runs on March 31. Meanwhile, the exhibition segment runs for three days from March 29 to 31.

Future Technology Week and its associated segmented exhibitions and conferences are strictly trade-only events open to business and trade visitors only. Visitor attendance to Future Technology Week exhibitions is free of charge but conference attendance is charged on either a single conference or 'season pass' basis.  For more information on conference charges, please visit www.futuretechweek.com/visit

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About Future Technology Week
Future Technology Week is a new, collective banner encompassing four specialised industry trade platforms: Gulf Information Security Expo & Conference (GISEC), Gulf Enterprise Mobility Exhibition & Conference (GEMEC), the Internet of Things Expo (IoTX) and The Big Data Show. www.futuretechweek.com

About the Internet of Things Expo (IoTX)
Entering its second year, IoTX is a dedicated platform conceived to increase UAE and regional governments and firms' capacity to transform their business models and leverage monetisation opportunities from the ever-increasing array of smart devices, machines and products in our globally-connected, tech-led societies. IoTX will be held on 29th March 2016. www.iotx.ae

About Gulf Enterprise Mobility Exhibition and Conference (GEMEC)
The Gulf Enterprise Mobility Exhibition and Conference (GEMEC) provides regional enterprise, government decision-makers and senior executives - from across a range of industries - to identify, evaluate and source technology and mobility solutions to meet their current and future mobile requirements. GEMEC will be held on 29th March 2016. www.gemec.ae

About Gulf Information Security Expo and Conference (GISEC)
Gulf Information Security Expo and Conference (GISEC) is the Middle East's most anticipated IT security knowledge platform for 2016. The two-day exhibition and conference will be held on 30-31 March 2016 at the Dubai World Trade Centre. www.gisec.ae

About The Big Data Show
Entering its second year, The Big Data Show will attract more than 1,000 regional business leaders eager to access and adopt cutting-edge ideas and technologies to improve big data and analytics practices and explore open data strategies in their respective domains. Big Data will be held on the 31st March. www.bigdatashow.ae

About Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC):
As the organiser of Future Technology Week 2016, Dubai World Trade Centre offers more than 35 years' experience delivering world-class events in the Middle East, providing local, regional and international exhibitors with unmatched expertise and in-depth market knowledge. Our team organises 20 of the region's largest and most successful international and regional shows, providing an ideal platform for business development across the Middle East. Our commitment to ongoing innovation within the exhibition industry has supported the rapid growth and development of a wide range of business-to-business and business-to-consumer shows, and delivered consistent satisfaction to exhibitors and visitors. DWTC works with the leading trade bodies and industry associations to ensure that all exhibitions deliver full value and are built upon the real needs of their specific sector. www.dwtc.com

Dubai SME, an agency of the Department of Economic Development (DED), Government of Dubai, aims to foster an entrepreneurial culture and develop a competitive SME sector for the Emirate of Dubai. The key strategies adopted by Dubai SME are: advocate a pro-business environment for developing entrepreneurship and SMEs, seed innovative start-ups and groom promising SMEs.  Dubai SME's vision is to make Dubai the centre for innovative SMEs to start, grow and expand their businesses, thus adding greater value to the economy of Dubai. 

For more information:
Rose Manaog
MCS/Action
T: +971 4 3693496
M: rose.m@actionprgroup.com

Press Release 2016