22 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / August 2019IN THE LOOP
DUBAI STARTUP HUB ROADSHOW EVENT IMAGES COURTESY DSHAt Dubai Startup Hub Roadshow event- delegates and startup participantsWissam Younane, CEO of BNC Publishing, the media house
behind Entrepreneur Middle East, and Dr. David A. Schmidt,
President, American University in DubaiEntrepreneur Middle East has entered into a
partnership with the American University in
Dubai that will see the two entities collaborate
on promoting entrepreneurship and its education
among youth in Dubai and the UAE.
A memorandum of understanding between
the two parties was signed in July by Wissam
Younane, CEO of BNC Publishing, the media
house behind Entrepreneur Middle East, and Dr.
David A. Schmidt, President, American University
in Dubai, in the presence of personnel from both
organizations.
“A partnership between these two powerhouses
is essential in magnifying the importance of higher
education, in all the forms it takes, in the Middle
East,” said Dr. Schmidt. “We are thrilled to have
this platform to share our insights on our programs
and the higher education landscape as a whole.”
“At Entrepreneur Middle East, we’ve always been
dedicated to furthering entrepreneurship and
its appeal in the region, and we believe that this
partnership with the American University in Dubai
only serves to bolster this particular objective,” said
Younane. “There are definite synergies between
the university’s innovation-focused initiatives and
our own pursuit of elevating the regional discourse
on entrepreneurship and business, and so, there’s a
lot to look forward to in our collaboration together.”
This collaboration with Entrepreneur Middle
East comes close on the heels of the American
University in Dubai’s launch of its new Innovation
Center as well as its new Executive MBA course,
both of which aim to foster and empower future
entrepreneurs and business leaders in the region.T
wo innovative startups from
India have won free office space
and company set-up support in
Dubai at a pitch competition during
the first ever Dubai Startup Hub
Roadshow hosted in India at Delhi
and Bangalore.
Organized by Dubai Startup Hub
and Dubai Technology Entrepreneur
Campus (Dtec), a wholly-owned tech
startup hub by Dubai Silicon Oasis
Authority, the competition received
entries from more than 200 startups
in India. 16 startups were shortlist-
ed, and they pitched their businesses
for an opportunity to expand their
operations into Dubai.
New Delhi-based B2B e-commerce
platform for marine procurement
ShipsKart claimed first place, win-
ning free office space and business
set-up support at Dtec for one year.
Meanwhile, second place winner
Loktra, a Bangalore-based banking
operating system delivering bank-
ing as a service, received flexi-desk
space at Dtec and company set-up
support for a year.
Omar Khan, Director of Interna-
tional Offices at Dubai Chamber of
Commerce and Industry, said in a
statement that the winning startups
offer unique business concepts that
meet market needs and support
Dubai’s Smart City vision. Khan pre-
viously noted that Indian businessesare well represented within Dubai’s
business community, and that 30%
of startups registered with Dubai
Startup Hub members are Indian-
owned. More than 38,000 Indian
companies are Dubai Chamber
members.
Commenting on the occasion, Hans
Henrik Christensen, Vice President
of Dtec, said: “The noteworthy suc-
cess achieved through this roadshow
reflects the Indian investors’ and
entrepreneurs’ confidence in Dubai,
due to its vibrant growing entrepre-
neurial ecosystem. Innovation is at
the core of the sustainable develop-
ment drive of the UAE, and a pillar
in boosting its competitiveness.”
The Dubai Startup Hub roadshow
to India was supported by Startup
India and NASSCOM 10000 Start-
ups, in addition to Dtec, and STEP
Group. The roadshow included visits
to New Delhi and Bangalore, round-
table and panel discussions, and
success stories from Indian startups
that have benefited from the Dubai
Startup Hub platform and built suc-
cessful businesses in Dubai.
The three-day roadshow also
provided a platform for Indian
startups to learn about Dubai’s
entrepreneurial ecosystem, and the
vast opportunities, programs and
resources it has to offer.
dubaichamber.com/dubaistartuphubNew Delhi-based ShipsKart and Bangalore-based
Loktra declared winners of the Dubai Startup Hub
Roadshow in India by MEGHA MERANIBROADENING HORIZONS
Entrepreneur Middle East inks MoU with
the American University in DubaiPARTNERS IN PROGRESS