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Expand North Star 2025 by GITEX GLOBAL opens today, celebrating ten years of startup innovation with its biggest edition yet

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11 months ago

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GITEX GLOBAL

Expand North Star by GITEX GLOBAL (https://ExpandNorthStar.com) is officially underway in the UAE as the world’s largest startup and investor connector event launched its landmark 10th anniversary in thrilling fashion on Sunday alongside thousands of local and international visitors.

Organised by Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), and hosted by the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, Expand North Star 2025 runs at Dubai Harbour from 12-15 October – convening leading founders, investors, entrepreneurs, business executives, and strategic public-private partners from across the globe. Its four-day programme is poised to elevate funding, scaling, and deal-flow levels – catalysing new partnerships and driving inclusive digital growth across emerging AI economies.

The UAE: Charting a Course to Global Startup Supremacy  

Since debuting in 2016, Expand North Star has become an epicentre of collaboration and investment – providing an inclusive global platform from which 8,000+ founders have scaled their businesses over the years. Building on this success, the 2025 edition connects over 2,000 of the world’s most disruptive startups with 1,200 international investors managing US$1.1 trillion in assets.

With the highest percentage of growth and late-stage startups anywhere, the event showcases the most disruptive solutions and projects spanning AI, climate tech, deep tech, digital health, and fintech. This follows the recently announced ‘The Emirates: The Startup Capital of the World’, a new initiative aimed at positioning the UAE as the world’s leading startup hub.

Reflecting the government’s ambition to foster innovation and attract global talent, the initiative aims to generate 30,000 new jobs by 2030 and create at least 10 unicorns – companies with valuations exceeding US$1 billion – by 2031.

Discussing the UAE’s AI strategy and vision during a keynote address, His Excellency Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, stated: “We don’t think like other countries; we think in multidecade intervals. We started investing in AI in 2008 – very early days. Abu Dhabi was investing in chips, in global countries, in companies that were focused on AI. Nobody expected that we could be a key player in the domain of AI. Against all odds, we are proving that we can. This is going to incentivise everyone – East and West.

H.E. Al Olama added: “It’s important for us to not only succeed, but for everyone who comes to the UAE to help us understand what we can do better. We do not claim to know it all – we claim to be the best students and the best listeners. One thing we promise is that if people come to us with advice, we are going to take it seriously and ensure that it’s implemented in the coming years.”

During a session titled ‘Scaling a digital future: How will emerging tech redraw the startup map of the next decade’, Hatem Dowidar, Global CEO of e&, said: “As the landscape evolves and technology and customer needs change, we may also see pivots and potential changes in companies’ investment criteria. There’s also 5G standalone – or 5.5G – this is something certain to enable a lot of new businesses, including startups. We also have to make sure that we are governing AI in the proper way to ensure data integrity and privacy. For example, within our ecosystem, we have implemented a full AI governance system that ensures data anonymity and customer privacy.”

The Presight AI-Startup Accelerator: A Springboard to Real Business and Global Reach  

As the landscape evolves and technology and customer needs change, we may also see pivots and potential changes in companies’ investment criteria

Among the UAE’s most celebrated enterprises participating is Presight, a G42 company and the region’s largest big data analytics company. One year on from the 2024 edition – where the Presight AI-Startup Accelerator was launched to nurture and accelerate early-stage ventures – the programme’s first cohorts with market-ready prototypes were unveiled.

The Presight AI-Startup Accelerator is the UAE’s first dedicated AI acceleration programme and the first created by a publicly-listed Middle Eastern technology company, leveraging Presight’s technical expertise, enterprise partnerships, and customer ecosystem to provide startups with direct commercial pathways and access to world-class infrastructure and mentorship opportunities.

Thomas Pramotedham, CEO of Presight, revealed: “There are many accelerator programmes around the world, but what’s different about ours is that we are creating a global platform. The UAE and Abu Dhabi has become the AI capital – and this is where technology and innovation meets. With G42’s ecosystem and the UAE’s reach, we offer our cohorts not only compute and expertise – but real business. And since then, they have met ambassadors, enterprises, and key stakeholders from the public and private sectors.”

The showcase underscored Presight’s growing influence in propelling the UAE’s AI innovation landscape, featuring 10 high-potential startups from around the world developing AI solutions with real-world impact.

Pramotedham’s participation coincided with Presight signing a partnership with the UAE Cybersecurity Council – one of many collaborations signed on a momentous opening day.

Prior to the signing, Dr. Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, Head of Cyber Security for the UAE Government, elaborated on the influence of entrepreneurs in supporting the national security mandate, stating: “Cybersecurity is firmly rooted in the DNA of everything that we do. Amidst so many technological aspects – be it AI today, quantum tomorrow, or something else in the future – safety and security will always be one of the main pillars to elevate and enhance next-generation startups and ensure people utilise technologies in the best ways possible. As a nation, our digital transformation focuses on the human-centric factor – and we see so many great entrepreneurs and aspirational thinkers supporting our national security and critical infrastructure.”

Brazil: An Innovation Powerhouse Building Bridges with the World  

With representation from 180 countries, 2025 is a record-breaking year for international participation at Expand North Star – where ApexBrasil, the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency, is the first-ever Country Partner. Across two pavilions, 55 startups and innovation hubs – specialising in AI, fintech, and more – are showcasing how Brazil is driving innovation and creating tech solutions for global challenges.

Convening Pioneering Unicorns and Visionary International Investors 

Expand North Star 2025 presents its largest-ever unicorn showcase with 40+ companies. Among those receiving significant attention were PsiQuantum (USA), a US$68 billion unicorn architecting the first fault-tolerant quantum system, and talabat (Kuwait), the MENA region’s leading on-demand online ordering and delivery platform valued at US$8.5 billion.

Others included Andalusia Labs (UAE), a global leader in digital asset risk infrastructure and one of the fastest unicorns in history – a billion-dollar company within 11 months of launching – and Carousell (Singapore), one of Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing e-commerce platforms.

From Europe and North America to Asia and the Middle East, Expand North Star also hosts the world’s most prominent multinational banking, venture capital, and investment institutions searching for the next era-defining ventures shaping the future of technology and innovation.

These include JP Morgan (USA), Daiwa Capital Management (Japan), Eurazeo (France), Octopus Energy Generation (UK), Qatar National Bank (Qatar), Raiffeisenbank (Austria), Samsung Ventures (Japan), and SBI Ventures (Germany).

Expand North Star 2025 continues on Tuesday.

For more information, please visit: https://ExpandNorthStar.com.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Expand North Star.

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Events

Wuhan takes its cultural showcase abroad at Duisburg China Festival

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6 hours ago

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September 9, 2026

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Duisburg China Festival

DUISBURG, GERMANY – Media OutRech Newswire – 8 September 2026 – The 2026 Duisburg China Festival kicked off here on Friday afternoon, with participation from some Chinese and German cities, aimed at strengthening ties between the two countries.

The three-day festival features a wide range of cultural booths and interactive zones showcasing traditional Chinese cuisine, culture and contemporary art.

On Friday evening, top-tier performing arts troupes from Wuhan, capital city of central China’s Hubei Province, jointly staged the festival’s opening gala. Nearly 40 artists presented more than a dozen distinctive programs spanning Peking opera, Hanju opera, Chuju opera, acrobatics, and ethnic song and dance.
 




 
The Duisburg China Festival is a vivid expression of exchange between China and Germany, allowing Germans to experience and understand China up close, said Chang Haitao, acting consul general of the Chinese Consulate General in Dusseldorf.

In 1982, Duisburg and Wuhan became sister cities, the first of its kind between Germany and China. The two cities have maintained close people-to-people and economic exchanges, forging a bond between them ever since.

Impressed by the performance of the Chinese artists, Duisburg Mayor Soeren Link said that the opening gala was unforgettable for its standard, quality, richness, and the many different facets it presented.

Duisburg attaches great importance to its sister-city relationship with Wuhan and hopes to continue strengthening German-Chinese friendship as well as exchange and dialogue between the two sides, said Link.

Markus Teuber, commissioner for China affairs at the Mayor’s Office of Duisburg, said the rich array of theatrical, song and dance performances brought by Wuhan offered German audiences an excellent window into Chinese culture, and expressed hope that the two cities will continue to deepen cultural exchange in the future.

For Yang Jing, deputy director of the Wuhan Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, the presence of Wuhan city at the festival “marks an important step in Wuhan culture’s global outreach.”

The Duisburg China Festival is an annual signature cultural event for the city, injecting fresh grassroots momentum into the development of German-Chinese friendship.
 




 

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Energy

UR Energy’s Abel Manumbu Brings Regional Power Focus to African Mining Week (AMW) 2026

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1 day ago

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September 8, 2026

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UR Energy

Manumbu will join a panel examining the infrastructure needed to support Africa’s mineral value addition corridors

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, September 8, 2026/APO Group/ –Abel Manumbu, Founder and Managing Director of UR Energy Limited, has been confirmed as a speaker at the African Mining Week (AMW) 2026 conference, taking place from October 14–16 in Cape Town.

Manumbu will participate in the Enabling Africa’s Value Addition Corridors panel discussion, sponsored by the Africa Finance Corporation. The session will examine how reliable energy infrastructure can support mineral processing hubs and downstream manufacturing investment across Africa.

 




  

His participation comes as UR Energy advances power projects across Southern and Eastern Africa, with a focus on renewables, flexible generation, grid integration and project finance. In Malawi, the company is advancing the 75 MW AZA gas-to-power independent power producer project in Salima, located near the ESCOM Nanjoka substation.

The project is designed to strengthen electricity supply in a region hosting several mineral developments, including the Kasiya rutile-graphite, Kangankunde rare earths, Kanyika niobium, Kayelekera uranium and Salima titanium projects.

UR Energy is also developing the 65 MW Kanawa Kishapu Solar PV and Battery Energy Storage System project in Tanzania under a Memorandum of Understanding with the Tanzania Electric Supply Company. The project forms part of the company’s broader strategy to develop power infrastructure supporting industrial and mining demand.

Across the Nacala Corridor connecting Mozambique, Malawi and Zambia, UR Energy is working to develop LNG supply chains aimed at providing baseload and captive power solutions for industrial and mineral processing projects.

Manumbu’s participation at AMW 2026 will bring an energy infrastructure perspective to discussions around Africa’s mineral value addition corridors, as governments and industry seek to expand domestic processing while addressing the power requirements associated with new mining and industrial developments.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.

 




 

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Business

Inaugural Tanzania Investment Forum to bring opportunities to the global capital market

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1 day ago

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September 8, 2026

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Tanzania

The Forum will bring together senior Tanzanian government ministers and officials, international investors, development finance institutions and business leaders to explore Tanzania’s expanding investment landscape and the opportunities emerging across its priority growth sectors

LONDON, United Kingdom, August 21, 2026/APO Group/ –The High Commission of the United Republic of Tanzania in the United Kingdom, and NMB Bank Plc, the Strategic Organising Partner of the Forum, today announced the Tanzania Investment Forum 2026, taking place in London on 8 October 2026, in partnership with Invest Africa (www.InvestAfrica.com).

 




  

We are honoured to announce that Hon. Dr Mwigulu Lameck Nchemba (MP), Prime Minister of the United Republic of Tanzania, will attend the Tanzania Investment Forum as Chief Guest and deliver the Government’s keynote address.

The Forum will bring together senior Tanzanian government ministers and officials, international investors, development finance institutions and business leaders to explore Tanzania’s expanding investment landscape and the opportunities emerging across its priority growth sectors.

As one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies, Tanzania continues to record GDP growth of between 5–7%, supported by economic reforms, political stability and the country’s ambitious Vision 2050 development agenda. Against this backdrop, the Tanzania Investment Forum will provide a platform for international investors to engage directly with Tanzanian policymakers and business leaders, gain insight into the country’s national investment priorities and identify opportunities for partnership and capital deployment.

The programme will explore Tanzania’s economic outlook and reform agenda, alongside the investment framework shaping the country’s next phase of growth. Discussions will focus on five priority sectors:

  • Critical Minerals and Mining
  • Energy and Renewable Energy
  • Infrastructure, Transport and Logistics
  • Agribusiness and Food Processing
  • Manufacturing and Industrial Development
  • ICT and the digital economy
  • Financial Services
  • Tourism

 

The Tanzania Investment Forum is a strategic platform to connect global investor interest with Tanzania’s priority sectors and accelerate capital deployment

Beyond high-level dialogue, the Forum will place a strong emphasis on converting investment interest into tangible opportunities. Targeted business-to-business and business-to-government meetings will connect investors with Tanzanian companies, government representatives and key decision-makers, supporting deal origination, partnership development and capital mobilisation.

H.E. Mbelwa Kairuki, High Commissioner of the United Republic of Tanzania to the United Kingdom, said:

“Tanzania is entering an important phase of its economic transformation, with strong fundamentals, a clear long-term development vision and significant opportunities across sectors that are critical to both our national development and the global economy. The Tanzania Investment Forum provides an important platform to showcase these opportunities directly to international investors and to deepen the partnerships needed to translate investment interest into lasting economic value. We look forward to welcoming Hon. Dr Mwigulu Lameck Nchemba (MP), the Prime Minister of the United Republic of Tanzania, and senior leaders to London as we strengthen Tanzania’s position as a destination for long-term, sustainable investment.”

Chantelé Carrington, CEO of Invest Africa, said:

“Tanzania has the scale, resources and economic momentum to play an increasingly important role in Africa’s next chapter of growth. The opportunity now is to connect the potential with the capital, expertise and partnerships required to deliver it. The Tanzania Investment Forum will bring investors into direct dialogue with the policymakers and businesses shaping the country’s investment landscape, creating a practical platform for identifying opportunities, building partnerships and moving from interest to investment. We are delighted to partner with the High Commission to bring this conversation to London and to support stronger commercial ties between Tanzania and the international investment community.”

 

 

Ruth Zaipuna, MD & CEO of NMB Bank, commented:

“Tanzania stands at an important inflection point for long-term capital, offering investable opportunities across infrastructure, energy, agribusiness, manufacturing, critical minerals and the digital economy. As East Africa’s Largest Listed Bank by market value, and Tanzania’s leading financial institution, NMB Bank is uniquely positioned to connect global capital with bankable opportunities that support the country’s growth agenda. Our scale, balance sheet strength, sector expertise and deep local relationships enable us to structure financial solutions, mobilise partnerships and help channel capital inflows into productive investments across Tanzania. The Tanzania Investment Forum is a strategic platform to connect global investor interest with Tanzania’s priority sectors and accelerate capital deployment. We are proud to co-organise the Forum with the High Commission of Tanzania in the UK and support, Tanzania’s ambition of strengthening global investment links and converting investor interest into sustainable economic value.

The Forum comes at a time of growing international interest in Tanzania’s role in Africa’s economic development, particularly across critical minerals, energy, infrastructure, food systems and industrialisation. By bringing together government, investors, DFIs and the private sector, the Forum aims to strengthen the connections between Tanzania’s national development priorities and global sources of capital and expertise.

The Tanzania Investment Forum 2026 will take place on 8 October 2026 in London, United Kingdom and is convened by the High Commission of the United Republic of Tanzania in the United Kingdom and delivered in partnership with Invest Africa.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Invest Africa.

 




 

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