Dubai Chamber launches Dubai Smartpreneur Competition for 2017

The Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in cooperation with the Smart Dubai Office has launched the second edition of the Dubai Smartpreneur Competition in line with the vision of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE VP and PM, and Ruler of Dubai to transform Dubai into a smart city.

Source: Dubai Chamber. A panel discussion was held during the event, 
focusing on the progress achieved by the UAE government on smart 
city and innovation-focused initiatives, as well as the initiatives and 
engines are expected to drive sustainable growth in the future. Panelists 
included Essa Al Zaabi, Senior VP, Institutional Support Sector, Dubai 
Chamber, and General Coordinator of Tejar Dubai; Younus Al Nasser, 
Assistant Director, Smart Dubai Office and CEO of Dubai Data; Kushal 
Shah, Partner, Roland Berger Strategy Consultants and Founder of 
Dubai Angel Investors; and Raed Hafez, Chairman, ElGrocer. 

The competition gives entrepreneurs the opportunity to become part of Dubai’s transformation into a global benchmark smart city, supporting the vision of Smart Dubai to make Dubai the happiest city on earth through technology innovation. It is open to all entrepreneurs based in the UAE.

In his welcome address, HE Hisham Al Shirawi highlighted that the Dubai Smartpreneur Competition has become a key platform for recognising and developing innovative ideas that have the potential to improve the local business environment and the wider society. “The benefits of this competition go far beyond financial rewards. Participants also get a unique chance to network with industry influencers, interact with mentors, and gain valuable feedback needed to improve and grow their businesses,” he said.

HE Dr Aisha bin Bishr, Director General of the Smart Dubai Office, said: “The Smartpreneur Competition is an important annual event that demonstrates the positive impact we can have when we work together. I applaud Dubai Chamber for leading this impressive event.

“These bright young entrepreneurs are essential to the success of our smart city ambitions. The second cycle of (the) Smartpreneur competition will not only be an opportunity to discover the best products and services improving city experiences. It will be an engagement platform to support local entrepreneurs to actively contribute to and lead our citywide transformation.” 

Last year, Dubai Chamber received 350 innovative ideas during the first cycle of the Dubai Smartpreneur Competition. The competition this year will take place under the umbrella of Dubai Start Up Hub, the official online hub of the Dubai startup and technology ecosystem, managed by the Dubai Chamber in collaboration with IBM. Participants are required to submit their business ideas in line with Smart Dubai dimensions such as smart economy, smart living, smart mobility, smart governance, smart environment, and smart people.

The entries will be critiqued by a judging panel. Participants who qualify will attend two full-day workshops on sector-specific training, mentorship, building relationships, and developing a full business plan. The first three winners will get a cash prize and the opportunity to join the Tejar Dubai entrepreneurship development programme for a year to help them turn their business ideas into reality. The programme is designed to support nascent entrepreneurs by providing them with training, mentorship and access to new opportunities, helping them to take their first steps into the business world.

Alibaba Cloud launches Create@Alibaba Cloud startup programme

Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing arm of the Alibaba Group, has launched its first global startup programme, Create@Alibaba Cloud. The initiative was first announced in Singapore, where Alibaba Cloud has international headquarters, and which will act as the regional hub for the programme.

Singapore was chosen as the regional hub for the programme because of the country’s strong links and access to other ASEAN markets, including Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. With its close connectivity and reputation as Asia’s most entrepreneurial economy, startups in the programme can easily build connections in Singapore and catapult themselves into neighbouring markets, the company said.

Source: Alibaba Cloud. Yu introduces Create@Alibaba Cloud.

Create@Alibaba Cloud champions startups and maximises their potential through Alibaba’s comprehensive support network and cloud infrastructure services. Yu Sicheng, Vice President of Alibaba Cloud, said: “Our focus has always been to empower our global customers with our cloud expertise to achieve greater global coverage and expansion into international markets. Through our programme, we hope to make our sophisticated networking solutions and big-data intelligence also available to startups and small enterprises to accelerate their business growth. This is Alibaba Cloud’s first global startup program, expanding from previous initiatives in (mainland) China and Hong Kong, and we’re proud to launch it here in Singapore.”

Programme benefits include zero investment in IT infrastructure, professional cloud architect support, and co-branding with Alibaba Cloud for qualified startups. One of the major benefits of the programme is up to US$10,000 in funding to cover IT costs. Alibaba Cloud can also help with the legal and compliance challenges of entering the China market.

Yu noted that Alibaba Cloud already has startup programmes as well as incubation centres at the Alibaba campus, and is looking to expand the ecosystem and resources to Singapore and globally. Programme partners currently include the Silicon Valley Association of Chinese Entrepreneurs Inc (SVACE), Hanhai Investment, and the Hong Kong Science Park.

As part of the programme, participants will receive funding for investments into IT infrastructure for the first year, technology training for professionals, tailormade IT solutions designed by Alibaba Cloud’s architects and one-on-one post-sales support.

Create@Alibaba Cloud also empowers startups with better access to overseas markets and potential connections. Programme participants will receive support through Alibaba Cloud’s global start-up partners’ network for funding, working spaces, and incubation, as well as the ability to leverage Alibaba’s resources in entering the China market. Participating startups will also be invited to join Alibaba Cloud’s marketing campaigns, both online and offline.

As part of the programme, a series of competitions will be rolled out in key regions including ASEAN markets, Hong Kong, Korea, the Middle East and Europe. These will identify startups with good business potential. Regional winners from the competitions will have the opportunity to pitch their business ideas and conduct live product demos at the annual Alibaba Computing Conference Hangzhou Summit in October 2016. During the programme rollout, cloud workshops, entrepreneurship talks and other activities will be held in these key regions.

Pang Heng Soon, General Manager of Infocomm Investments (IIPL) said: “We are constantly looking at ways to continue building a robust ecosystem for startups in Singapore through initiatives such as the Create@Alibaba Cloud programme. For startups to succeed they will need both technical knowhow and market insights; through a support programme like Alibaba Cloud, entrepreneurs will gain access to cloud capabilities and insights on cross-border expansion to reach their full potential.”

Pang describes the startup ecosystem in Singapore.

Pang said that startups in the software and Internet space in particular have departed in the past decade from the traditional business expansion model of first developing a product and then getting funding. An iterative model of selling a business model, getting the funding and then completing or refining the product is now in place. "They try fast, learn fast, fail fast, and do it again if they fail," he said.

Dr Sun Wenting, Singapore-based CTO of artificial-intelligence based data analytics platform AD+, operates completely on Alibaba Cloud. The startup tried out the services last year and committed to moving fully onto Alibaba Cloud this year, said Dr Sun. The company is also part of the company's startup programme.

Dr Sun explained that her research and development team is located in both Singapore and China. "Alibaba Cloud has cross-border capabilities that can help us collaborate more closely," she said. "We can (also easily) connect with Chinese investors and potential clients."

Dr Sun introduces her company and its flagship AD+ platform, which helps gain sales conversions more easily through the application of artificial intelligence.

A  similar entrepreneurship initiative by Alibaba Cloud in mainland China, established in March 2015, has cooperated with over 40 venture capital and investment funds, supported nearly 10,000 startup projects and  worked closely with over 200 incubators in China. The global initiative is offered "in the same spirit" as the China initiative, but targets local startups, and could be very different in terms of the type of offline events and content, Yu noted.

The regional entrepreneurship support in Singapore dovetails with a recently-launched Singapore data centre and a focus on customer and partner acquisition in this part of the world, Yu added, as Alibaba Cloud moves to replicate its success in China in the rest of the world. "We have a major partnership with a major telco haven't announced yet," he said of partnerships in Singapore. "We're in the process of entering into more partnerships that we're going to announce at the Yunqi Conference in Shenzhen in the next two weeks."

Interested?

Read the TechTrade Asia blog post about the Singapore government's push to strengthen the core of the infocomm sector

posted from Bloggeroid

HubSpot for Startups makes entry easier for young companies

HubSpot, a marketing and sales automation technology provider, has introduced HubSpot for Startups, designed for startups working with accelerators, incubators and entrepreneurial organisations.

The solution helps small businesses gain traction on their marketing and sales with a 90% discount on HubSpot products, which include customer relationship management (CRM), sales, and marketing solutions.

"HubSpot for Startups allows young, growth-driven companies to maximise their marketing and sales efforts right from the start and helps set them on a path to success,” said Itai Boublil, Global Marketing Lead at Impact Hub Network, and former CMO at Impact Hub Singapore. Impact Hub Network is a global business Incubator that offers an ecosystem of resources, inspiration, and collaboration opportunities for members.

"At Impact Hub we build ecosystems that inspire, connect and empower people to realise enterprising ideas for sustainable impact, supporting them from early-stage startups to mature ventures in their local market and beyond. The access to the HubSpot software, and the support that comes along with it through the HubSpot for Startups programme is a complete game changer in helping to make that happen."me

In 2015, HubSpot saw 150% year-over-year programme growth and has more than 250 certified member accelerators and incubators, with accelerators, incubators and startups in 26 countries.

As a former startup, HubSpot understands the unique pain points of young companies. HubSpot Co-founder and CTO Dharmesh Shah said: “HubSpot is dedicated to helping high-growth businesses grow and succeed. We’ve been there, and this programme is a way to expand our commitment to entrepreneurs and help excellent new businesses get ahead.”

Interested?

Apply

posted from Bloggeroid

Cowork at a beach resort, make new connections

Startup events and incubation programmes are typically local or held over short periods. The organisers of Coworking Camp are addressing the need to network farther afield for a longer time with an upcoming six-week programme that allows startups and digital nomads to network and develop business opportunities with likeminded individuals at a comfortable pace.

Source: Coworking Camp website.

“Even though new coworking spaces are opening every day, and there is a flurry of startup events and incubation programmes, it is sometimes difficult to make meaningful connections with other startups from different cities. Coworking Camp is specifically designed to let you meet founders that can help you to grow your network and to help each other to reach the next stage in your business. Plus it provides the opportunity to relax and recharge your batteries for a week or two,” says Matthias Zeitler, the Chief Coworker.

Coworking Camp was conceptualised by Romy Sigl, Owner, Coworking Salzburg, and Matthias Zeitler, Founder and CEO of MarkTheGlobe, a global search engine optimisation (SEO) company.

Many of the event formats used at Coworking Camp were invented at Coworking Salzburg. Sigl organised the first Coworking Camp in El Gouna, Egypt in March 2014. Thirty-nine entrepreneurs, startups and makers attended a week of networking and workshops, and the organisers say the outcome exceeded everyone's expectations, with strong relationships built and long-term collaborations begun.

For Coworking Camp Turkey, Coworking Camp provides a temporary coworking space at off-season rates at a five-star resort in Kemer, Turkey, by the beach. Participants may choose to stay the full six weeks from November 3 to December 15, 2014, or for a minimum of a week.

Source: Majesty Mirage Park Resort website.

Events held at Coworking Camp include speed networking, a Showtime presentation session, and group discussions, with ample time to focus on day-to-day work activities. Optional sightseeing activities are available on the weekends. 

Zeitler noted that Middle Eastern and Asian incubators have said that their Founders find Coworking Camp Turkey of interest as they can meet founders from Europe and also because it is easy for them to get a visa for Turkey. "We already have Middle Eastern and Asian startup registrations from Pakistan, UAE, and the Philippines," he said.

A ticket for three weeks costs €350 and includes a coworking membership, access to all events, and a fixed desk at an open desk area at the Majesty Mirage Park Resort.

Hotel accommodation and the cost of travel need to be paid separately. The organisers estimate that it would cost €400 for a week and €1,500 for six weeks for the all-inclusive hotel accommodation and the flight to the Antalya region in Turkey.

Small businesses in Taiwan get more support

Taiwan microenterprises are poised to get more help from the government. Premier Jiang Yi-huah has urged government agencies to work together to help these businesses reach their ideals and goals at the January 3 launch ceremony for the Go Incubation Board for Startup and Acceleration Firms (GISA).

According to Jiang, there are about half a million small and medium-sized enterprises with capital of NT$1 million to NT$50 million (US$33,557 to US$1.68 million) in Taiwan today, accounting for 82 percent of all companies in Taiwan. 

“This startup board represents a significant breakthrough in the government’s economic policy as it will help microenterprises raise the capital they need to develop into viable businesses,” said Jiang. 

The Executive Yuan has also pooled together resources for microenterprises, including the National Development Fund managed by the Council for Economic Planning and Development and the startup board set up by the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC). 

The 19 startups listed on the GISA board include tech companies as well as cultural creativity companies, agricultural businesses, fishery and livestock companies, biomedical firms and social enterprises.