Dubai, United Arab Emirates – Tripp, a community-based trip planner startup and rewards app; AHAD, a startup that provides cybersecurity, digital transformation, and risk management services and solutions; and Desert Control, a startup that specialized in climate-smart agri-tech solutions, captured first prize in the Idea, Early and Growth stage categories respectively at the national finals of the Entrepreneurship World Cup (EWC) competition held recently in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Dr. Reem Al Junaibi, founder of Tripp, Muneeb Anjum, founder & CEO of AHAD, and Atle Idland, general manager and managing director of Desert Control became category winners and advance to the next round of the global competition against national winners from 200 countries.
The EWC United Arab Emirates National Finals were organized by Startupscale360 FZCO in partnership with in5 Dubai, the main sponsor and an Ecosystem Partner, Al Dafrah TV, a broadcast and media partner, Kapturise, a photography and media partner, Meraki Global Energy, a sponsor. The other sponsors for the Semi-finals were WeWork Dubai, Intelak Hub and Bite Me Burger Dubai.
Saeed Alnofeli, Director of Operations at in5, during the UAE Final event greeted the distinguished visitors and emphasized in5’s role in fostering the diverse and dynamic start-up platform including cost-effective business incubation, advisory and mentorship. H.E. Dr. Aman Puri, Consulate General of India to Dubai and Northern Emirates, also gave an inspirational speech about the role of entrepreneurs in building the economy and creating jobs for the nation.
Commenting on the competition on behalf of in5, Majed Al Suwaidi, Senior Vice President of Dubai Media City, Dubai Studio City and Dubai Production City at TECOM Group PJSC, said: “Dubai is home to a diverse pool of entrepreneurial talent who are innovating key industries and strengthening our economic position on a global scale. At in5, we strive to provide a community for these brilliant individuals to thrive in, where they can gain invaluable insights from mentors and advisors and build their ambitions into sustainably growing businesses. One of our key goals is facilitating access to investment so start-ups can expand their activity and leave greater impact. Partnering with Entrepreneurship World Cup gives us the chance to highlight the breadth of promising start-ups in our city and region, and giving the most exceptional ones a global stage for their innovative ideas.”
Swethal Kumar, Startupscale360 FZCO’s CEO and Managing Partner, said: “The UAE Final of EWC came to an end after five months of intense preparation, coordination, screening, assessment, and multiple judging rounds. The total of 47 Judges and 10 committee members involved in selecting the top three finalists.”
At the event, Swethal Kumar reflected on the competition's incredible journey so far and extended his gratitude to the many individuals who had a hand in making it possible, as well as the industry leaders who had provided guidance along the way and the generous sponsors who had ensured the competition's success. He added: “The UAE Final in in5 has seen an active participation of judges, speakers, founders, and key enablers of the regional start-up ecosystem.”
Vikram Gupta, Managing Partner, IvyCap Ventures, a $530 Million venture capital fund in India, shared his experience about creating a dragon out of a fund.
Startupscale360 FZCO announced their collaboration with German based Edding AG, a global leader in manufacturing writing and marking tools such as felt-tip pens and permanent markers, to bring future thinking lab to the UAE called The Playroom. René Massatti, the Founder & Director, Strategy introduced The Playroom to the audience and mentioned its role in unleashing creativity and innovation in every Organization.
The event has seen various pitching sessions and panel discussions, which was moderated by Ramzi Qannati, a S&P 100 business leader and former Dow and Procter & Gamble executive.
Other finalists in the EWC United Arab Emirates National Finals included:
- Manhat from Abu Dhabi a startup that provides a sustainable water and floating farm solutions
- Equevu from Abu Dhabi, a startup that provides a simple, smart and secure savings and investment platform to employees via their employers.
- EVA from Sharjah, a startup that provides drone infrastructure solutions and a world leader for drone superhighways with 1,000 miles to be built in Texas.
- Plain Tiger from Dubai, a startup that provides e-commerce platform to drive sustainable production and consumption globally.
- Food-ATM from Ajman, a startup that provides a technology enabled solution loaded with meals provided to the lesser-privileged people.
- ProvedMed from Abu Dhabi, a startup that provides a medical devices innovation company, disrupting and redefining the urinary incontinence care industry.
Judges for the competition were:
- Angad Singh, Global Director Innovation, Aramex,
- Neeraj Gupta, Chief Executive Officer, Policybazaar UAE
- John Lacey, MENA Head, Tencent
- Amer Fatayer, Investment Director, Dubai Future District Fund
- Nader AlBastaki, Acting Chief of Strategy, Dubai Future Foundation
- Andre Jr. Ayotte, Executive Director, Kapower Ltd
- Rajit Nanda, Advisor to CEO & Chairman, ACWA Power
- Usman Tareen, Group Managing Director, Bee’ah Group
- Walter Palk, Partner, KPMG
Experts and industry thought leaders shared their valuable insights and knowledge on two separate panels:
Panel-01: "Idea-to-Early stage journey and a road ahead". The panel was powered by Tapiwa Senah, founder of upcoming new venture Koinonos Capital Fund.
The panelists were:
- Jean-Luc Scherer, Managing Director, Scality;
- Hasan Haider, Founder and Managing Partner, Plus VC (+VC); and
- Saeed Alnofeli, Director, in5 Dubai
Moderated by:
- Tala Raad, Retail & e-Commerce Advisor
Panel-02: "Shaping the future of region's growth startups". The panel was powered by ServiceMyCar, Dubai.
The panelists were:
- Salvatore Lavallo, Head of FDI, Abu Dhabi Investment Office
- Artem Kvas, Director, Distruptive Investments, Mubadala
- Vikram Gupta, Founder & Managing Partner, IvyCap Ventures Advisors Private Limited
Moderated by:
- Evie Boustantzi, President, London Business School alumni gulf Asso.
The event concluded with winners announcement by Shashank Mehta, EWC Operation Director, Startupscale360 FZCO, followed by Rock Concert led by Errol Edwin Goveas, Managing Director, Pure Magic Exhibitions & Conference Organizing
In preparation for the next phase in the EWC Global Finals, Dr. Reem Al Junaibi, Muneeb Anjum, and Atle Idland will participate in a Bootcamp which features virtual training and mentoring sessions targeted to their company’s current stage and growth trajectory.
Tripp, Ahad and Desert Control emerged victorious from a pool of 183 contestants who applied – each receiving access to free virtual training services and up to $25,000 in perks to help them take their venture to the next level.
“The leadership in the UAE contributed to providing an equal and solid business structure, which led to the UAE being the main destination for strong startups, which we can see in the EWC competition” said Dr. Reem Al Junaibi. “Tripp's mission and main role is to create job opportunities, support the national economy and keep pace with national visions, and we are proud to represent startup companies in the UAE at EWC.”
“The entire EWC event was an exceptional well-managed event, and kudos to the entire startupscale360 team, judges, and coordination team for this outstanding work” said Muneeb Anjum. “Our mission with AHAD to simplify cybersecurity continues, and we intend to reach new heights and propel United Arab Emirates into the global disruptive technology space with this victory. Winning the United Arab Emirates EWC Final will further illuminate our path to success, and we hope to leave a legacy encouraging and providing new aspirations to other budding startups in the United Arab Emirates looking to serve the nation and make an impact globally.”
“We at Desert Control are honored and grateful for reaching the UAE finals of the Entrepreneur World Cup 2022 and we are extremely impressed by the great efforts of organizer StartUpScale 360 and its partners.” said Atle Idland. “Winning the final makes us proud as a company and we are humble for the jury’s decision, sending us to the Global finals. The icing on the cake was that the pitch and the winning award took place at in5 Tech in Dubai, where we started our journey in October 2018. Thank you all at in5 Tech for your support. Atle Idland - Founder of Desert Control Middle East LLC”
As a Global Finalist, Tripp, Ahad and Desert Control will compete for a share of USD 1 million in cash prizes. The top 100 Global Finalists will receive $100,000 worth of in-kind services and support from service providers such as AWS, Freshworks, Oracle, Hubspot, Stripe and Segment. Global finalists also gain automatic entry into the GEN Starters Club, an invitation-only community of talented founders from around the world.
Since launching in 2019, the competition has attracted 400,000 registrations from 200 countries and connected founders with over US$3M in cash prizes and another US$256M worth of perks and free support and services.
Global Finalists will face off against one another in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in March 2023.