Expand North Star reports record participation for 2024

Expand North Star (ENS) 2024, the world's largest startup and investment event, has broken records in international participation. The four-day event attracted 1,800 startups, 1,200 investors managing assets exceeding US$1 T, 59 unicorns, and thousands of visitors from over 100 countries. The event hosted 13,000 concierge-arranged meetings and 88% of startups participating for the 1st time.

German-based Clockin offered small businesses a tool for managing time tracking, employee data, and product management. Fabian Ebbert, CSO, Clockin, said: "Our tech is best for companies with deskless workforce of about 50 employees and provides solutions like time tracking, employee management, and job cost management. We came to ENS to understand if there is a need for our product in the UAE, and it seems like ample small companies haven't digitalised their processes yet. So, if things work out well with our new partners, we will expand here."

Other product highlights included:

- South Korean brand EYL's quantum random number generation chip, aimed at strengthening Internet of Things (IoT) security by generating encryption keys. - Physio's AI-powered device for predicting and managing neurodegenerative diseases. - UAE’s Wamda AI showcased its Sharp Vision camera system, mirroring human vision and extending operational range by up to 100x. The camera is designed for use cases like security and smart cities. 

Source: Expand North Star. Expand North Star concluded its 9th edition with record international participation and thousands of visitors from over 100 countries.

The 9th edition of Expand North Star shed light on the impact of AI on the future of creativity, money, Blockchain and the planet. One of the panels at Marketing Mania highlighted how consumers must learn to discern quality with an exponential growth in content creators and AI expected to disrupt the industry. 

UK-based Sir Martin Sorrell, Founder & Executive Chairman of S4 Capital, took it further and said: "Media planning and buying business will turn upside down. There are almost 250,000 people in the big firms who will not have jobs in the next three years for two reasons: Their tasks are relatively inefficient, and the second is a lack of transparency."

He closed with a compelling takeaway: "Learn three languages - Chinese, Spanish, Arabic, and code."

Thomas Debass, Chief Partnership Officer at the US State Department was among the speakers who emphasises the importance of deep tech. He said: "This platform is a public-private partnership in action. The government of Dubai is hosting the world, and what impresses me most is Dubai's vision for the future. This is where the Museum of the Future exists—not just as a symbol but as a challenge to think about what's next. Deep tech feels like the distant future, yet GITEX is making it happen now, even expanding into Morocco."

Powered by Deep Tech MENA and GIE (Global Innovation & Entrepreneurship), Expand North Star also launched Tech Transfer 3.0, a platform bringing together research institutes and scientists to turn breakthrough innovations into tangible products. This year further saw the debut of Sonar+D Creative Summit, set up in partnership with Sonar.