Dubai Harbour Attracts Global Tech Innovators
- Dubai Harbour welcomed 2,000 startups and 1,200 investors overseeing assets exceeding US $1.1 trillion during the premier global gathering for startups and investors.
- Korea’s AIM Intelligence emerged as the victor of the Supernova Challenge 2.0, while Chile’s Chucao Technology Consultants and Ecuador’s Aerialoop garnered runner-up accolades.
- New fund initiations, high-level discussions, and innovative breakthroughs underscore the UAE’s pivotal role in the evolution of the global digital economy.
DUBAI, UAE, Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Expand North Star 2025, a distinguished startup exhibition within GITEX GLOBAL, concluded its landmark 10th anniversary last month at Dubai Harbour, achieving unprecedented turnout from entrepreneurs, investors, innovation leaders, and tech delegations representing 180 nations.
Over a span of four days, the event reaffirmed Dubai’s stature as the world’s nexus for tech entrepreneurship, connecting emerging economies with advanced markets across sectors such as AI, climate tech, deep tech, digital health, and fintech.
AIM Intelligence (South Korea) wins the Supernova Challenge at Expand North Star, with ChucaoTech (Chile) and Aerialoop (Ecuador) placing 2nd and 3rd
Organized by the Dubai World Trade Centre and hosted by the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, this year’s event drew together 2,000 startups and 1,200 investors whose collective assets surpassed a staggering US$1.1 trillion, thereby creating unparalleled opportunities for partnerships, venture establishment, and capital influx.
The international showcase, featuring ApexBrasil as the Country Partner with significant representation from Latin American startups, included the largest gathering of over 40 international unicorns.
Noteworthy participants included PsiQuantum (USA), valued at US $68 billion for developing the first fault-tolerant quantum system, Carousell (Singapore), amongst Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing e-commerce platforms, and the newly emerged US $1.5 billion AI unicorn – Decagon (USA).
Supernova Challenge 2.0 Spotlights Emerging Talent
The 2025 edition of the Supernova Challenge 2.0, a pitch battle highlighting the world’s most promising entrepreneurs, featured a total reward pool of US $300,000. Finalists hailed from diverse nations, including South Korea, Chile, Ecuador, Estonia, Pakistan, Singapore, and the UAE.
South Korea’s AIM Intelligence was declared the champion, securing the US$100,000 premier prize for its groundbreaking AI safety platform, endorsed by Meta and Anthropic.
Chucao Technology Consultants (Chile) and Aerialoop (Ecuador) received runner-up accolades for their avant-garde advancements in nanotechnology and drone logistics, respectively.
In the wake of their pivotal victory, Haon Park, Co-Founder of AIM Intelligence, commented, We are immensely honored to receive this top award. As an AI security enterprise, we address cutting-edge challenges.
While our clientele is primarily based in Korea, we are set on global expansion, and this challenge facilitates our entry into the Middle Eastern market, necessitating both talent and resources.
Expand North Star 2025 also featured a dedicated session with six previous Supernova Challenge winners discussing the impact of the competition on their growth trajectories.
Winning the Supernova Challenge 2.0 enabled us to foster market trust, crucial for our clientele, which mainly comprises public sector enterprises.
This accolade expedited our trust-building efforts, allowing us to establish clients not only in the region but also with the Dubai government, stated Alp Katalan, MENA Commercial Lead of Desolenator, an innovative tech water desalination company awarded the top prize in 2022.
Investment Initiatives and Meaningful Collaborations
During the event, Crescent Enterprises announced an AED 250 million investment initiative aimed at nurturing home-grown ventures with global prospects, further solidifying the UAE’s status as a hub for digital talent and capital.
Badr Jafar, CEO of Crescent Enterprises, declared, “The UAE has emerged as a launchpad for serious innovators, and our collective vision is to establish the nation as the startup capital of the world. Through CE-Creates, our venture building platform, we empower entrepreneurs to transform purpose into performance – locally validated, globally viable.”
A surge of notable deals characterized the occasion: Mobility Fintech Group (MFG) unveiled a US$2 million investment from AHOY Technology, alongside new partnerships with Mawarid Finance, a prominent Sharia-compliant finance entity, and Mazeed, propelling the advancement of AI-enhanced mobility and fintech solutions in the region.
Technological Dialogue and Future Projections
The conference program was marked by discussions involving global investors, founders, and governmental leaders exploring the frontiers of innovation, encompassing AI, digital assets, quantum computing, and climate challenges.
At the newly introduced GITEX Digital Assets Forum, experts deliberated on tokenisation, institutional investment strategies, and the pivotal nature of democratizing access to capital.
Val Malinovskiy, CEO of YPay, emphasized the transition of digital assets “from fringe experiment to financial foundation,” while panels featuring authorities from Nvidia, Samsung Ventures, and Honda underscored the urgency for increased investment in deep-tech, government-supported research excellence, and collaborative efforts surrounding AI and quantum advancement.
Amandeep Singh Gill, United Nations’ Under-Secretary-General, prompted startup innovators from the Global South to tackle substantial challenges rather than pursue easier paths, stating, Avoid the superficial pursuits that have plagued the prior two generations of digital technology.
Focus instead on societal dilemmas, such as bolstering productivity within agriculture, enhancing food security, or addressing climate change resilience – aim for profound problems and steer clear of low-hanging fruit.
Examining the UAE’s position as a premier launchpad for tech entrepreneurs seeking expansive horizons, Jayesh Patel, CEO of Wio, the UAE’s foremost digital bank, remarked, “We are fortunate to thrive in an ecosystem where government initiatives abound, facilitating our growth. The atmosphere is electric, and I foresee hyper growth in the UAE over the coming decade.“
Presight, a G42 entity and the region’s foremost big data analytics enterprise, updated attendees on the progress of its AI-Startup Accelerator, inaugurated at Expand North Star. The initiative received 120 applications from AI startups globally.
Thomas Pramotedham, CEO of Presight, asserted, Abu Dhabi, in particular, has emerged as the AI capital – a nexus where technology converges with innovation.
With G42’s ecosystem and the UAE’s outreach, we offer our cohorts not only computational resources and expertise but also tangible business and growth opportunities worldwide.
This 10th edition has solidified Expand North Star’s status as the premier global venue for startup innovation and investment.
The next chapter will unfold at Expo City Dubai in 2026, where GITEX GLOBAL and Expand North Star will reconvene to define the upcoming decade of the intelligent economy from December 8-10, 2026.
Source link: Prnewswire.com.
