Global startups, tech firms connect $1.2trn worth investors at Dubai World Trade Centre

Investors, world’s largest technology enterprises alongside governments, experts, startups, academia, and researchers are currently at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) for the 44th edition of the world’s largest tech and startup event, GITEX GLOBAL.

This year’s edition is expected to redefine the world’s digital economy and AI ecosystem as global startups, tech firms connect with investors and venture capitalists with over $1.2 trillion in Assets Under Management (AUM).

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The six-day event themed “Global Collaboration to Forge a Future AI Economy” also connects the most innovative global founders with new markets, enterprise customers, and an influential pool of investors and venture capitalists. These include SOSV, Bessemer Ventures, Lightrock, Sinovation Ventures, and the European Innovation Fund.

This year’s event comes on the heels of global AI market projected to reach $621 billion in 2024 and soar to $2.7 trillion by 2032.

Given its influence and impact now and in the future, the technology takes centre stage at GITEX GLOBAL 2024 with over 3,500 enterprises presenting the latest breakthrough innovations in AI, IoT, data, and the cloud.

Expand North Star, the world’s largest startup and investment show, runs concurrently at Dubai Harbour from October 13-16– hosted by Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy and organised by DWTC. The event also presents an expanded events programme that transforms the UAE into an AI universe epicentre.

With over 6,500 exhibiting companies, 1,800 startups, and 1,200 investors from more than 180 countries participating across 38 halls of innovation and business opportunities, these blockbuster events will see the UAE “strategically propel the next generation of AI-driven technologies”.

Trixie LohMirmand, Executive Vice President of DWTC, the organiser of GITEX GLOBAL and Expand North Star, said: “At GITEX GLOBAL in Dubai, we shall close the year with significant manoeuvres from our tech community by doubling down on global collaborations and intensive engagements amongst all involved. Through these efforts, we shall forge competitive advantages in the race towards regional and international digital supremacy.

“With international participation in GITEX GLOBAL 2024 rocketing by almost 40 per cent, it’s a barometer of the unstoppable ambitions of many young rising digital nations who are now confidently forging their ways into the future global AI economy through GITEX. As the world’s most global tech event brand with events in Germany, Singapore, Morocco, and Nigeria alongside Expand North Star, we are committed to strategically propelling the next generation of AI-driven technologies via startups, scale-ups and unicorns.”

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“Dubai’s pro-innovation frameworks are the bedrock of tech advancements that serve a greater purpose. GITEX GLOBAL is a springboard to unlock this potential, and as the region’s leading tech hub, Dubai Internet City has been a proud partner for decades in its mission towards a brighter future. Our community is pleased to connect innovators from more than 3,500 companies across fields like artificial intelligence (AI), Web3, digital transformation, and beyond to realise this vision,” Ammar Al Malik, Executive Vice President of Commercial at TECOM Group PJSC and Managing Director of Dubai Internet City, said ahead of the event.

Abu Dhabi’s most influential companies and organisations, including the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC) and G42 Group with its leading enterprises Presight and Khazna, will reinforce the Emirate’s position as an emerging global AI nexus. Other tech giants participating are Adobe, Alibaba Cloud, AWS, Builder Ai, Dell, Google, Honeywell, Huawei, IBM, Lenovo, Microsoft, Nvidia, Oracle, Salesforce, SAS, solutions by STC, and Tech Destination Pakistan.

Also presenting the year’s largest AI event, GITEX GLOBAL will deliver 120-plus hours of AI and deep tech-focused content across various topics, facilitating discussions on the implications of AI in Future Health, Digital Finance, and EdTech. Following the wildfire pace of AI adoption and the unprecedented growth in data storage demand, the event is also launching the region’s largest Data Centre Symposium in 2024, featuring the industry leaders Datalec, Kerno, Khazna, Legrand, NTT Data, Schneider Electric, Vertiv, among many others.

The programme builds anticipation ahead of the all-new AI Everything Global 2025. This event – taking place in Abu Dhabi (February 4) and Dubai (February 5-6) will gather some of the world’s most visionary AI tech companies to construct an innovative, fair, and responsible AI industry of the future.

The world’s largest startup and investment event, Expand North Star will foster the next frontier of tech and innovation.

Additionally, Expand North Star will seek to redefine the future of money, blockchain, and creativity through leading co-located events GITEX Impact, Fintech Surge, Future Blockchain Summit, and Marketing Mania. Accelerating the next generation of scaleups, the world’s largest start-up pitch competition, Supernova Challenge 2.0, also graces GITEX GLOBAL with the winners claiming a share of the $200,000 prize pool.

GITEX GLOBAL 2024 will welcome the highest international attendance in its history, welcoming over 400 government and digital development agencies from around the world.

Alongside GITEX GLOBAL regulars, the new nations debuting this year will showcase their latest groundbreaking tech innovations.

Next week marks the largest European participation at GITEX GLOBAL with over 35 European countries exhibiting alongside 1,000-plus SMEs and 450-plus startups from debuting countries, including Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal, Serbia, and Slovenia.

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Many rising digital nations from Latin America are also behind the record-breaking international involvement, as are those from Central and Southeast Asia. Joining long-time GITEX GLOBAL participants such as China, Japan, South Korea, and India are several debutants – Singapore, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan amongst them.
While promoting international business development, entrepreneurship, and investment engagements to benefit enterprises, organisations, and SMEs alike, GITEX GLOBAL welcomes the European Innovation Council for the first time, Europe’s biggest deep-tech investor.

It will also see significant collaborations with global organisations from all continents, such as the European Innovation Council, Tech Destination Pakistan, IE University, University College London (UCL), Johns Hopkins University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and key corporate ventures from leading tech enterprises such as Sony, Honda, Standard Chartered, QIC, and many more.