Top venture capitalists extend support to AIM Startup 2017
The Inaugural AIM Startup 2017 – AIM Startup is set to take place tomorrow (Sunday 2 April 2017) at the World Trade Centre, Dubai. The event is being held alongside the 7th edition of Annual Investment meeting and will host 100+ Startups, investors, government officials and business leaders from around the world, under one roof.
AIM Startup 2017 is an initiative of the Ministry of Economy – UAE and will include an exhibition area, pitch competition, full day conference and workshops. AIM Startup’s special luncheon, ‘Emirates of Tomorrow’ will host University Students and Entrepreneurs from the UAE and GCC, to expose them to the viable resources available to them through a growing UAE ecosystem.
HE Eng. Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri, the UAE Minister Economy, will be inaugurating the conference program. HE highlighted the support of the Government of the UAE in encouraging and nurturing entrepreneurs – “The United Arab Emirates is a country that was founded on innovation, forward thinking and a government’s great vision and willingness to implement initiatives that has today positioned the UAE among one of the most competitive economies worldwide. In celebration of innovation, which is deeply embedded in our heritage, the UAE formally extends a warm welcome to the innovators and pioneers of the world who aspire to create solutions to the challenges we face globally. Set up under the framework of the Annual Investment Meeting, we are launching AIM Startup to encourage our next generation of leaders to pursue initiatives that will create sustainable growth on a global scale.”
Startups from all across the world will be exhibiting at the event and 25 of which will be selected to take part in the Pitch competition, which seeks to award the top participants with cash prizes totaling 30,000 USD. Additionally, other great prizes will be granted to participating startups, such as a an investment of up to 500,000 USD, awarded by AIM Startup’s ‘Official Venture Capital Partner’ Turn8, provided that the startups meet the TURN 8 criteria for investment and also a Business Strategy Session with investors Jake Zeller and Parker Thompson, aka Startup L Jackson, of AngelList will also be awarded to a top startup.
Competition jury members include renowned investors such as Kamal Hassan, Founder – Turn8, Fahad Al Sharekh, Managing Partner, TechInvest and Manish Patel, Partner, Highland Capital Partners and many more.
AIM Startup is held in association with Dubai SME. For more information about the UAE Government’s support for the local Startup eco-system, Dubai SME can be visited on site at their exhibition booth and during the various features, where they will have heavy participation.
AIM Startup’s Community Partners include Dtec, Impact Hub, The Cribb and 1776 as well as various investor partners, including the Dubai based WOMENA network.
Judged by a panel of distinguished experts providing valuable feedback, AIM Startup is a platform where the world’s most promising and disruptive startups will be given an opportunity to expose innovative solutions to the 15,000 global participants of the Annual Investment Meeting – a perfect place for entrepreneurs to meet business leaders, decision makers, government officials and investors directly. The platform will also serve to facilitate the exchange of ideas, cross-border trade and expansion into new markets and to gain capital investment.
