Denis Opudo
Dubai Internet City (DIC) hosted a two days STEP Conference for this year. The gathering attracted over 6,000 stakeholders from different disciplines. Some of the participants included startups, professionals, entrepreneurs, and students. More than 300 speakers from the technology ecosystem all over the world participated. The four parallel sessions took place at the American University and the DIC venues.
The opening speech came from Ammar Al Malik, Elias Bou Saab, and Ray Dargham. The three officials noted that STEP DIC partnership benefits the region. It helps in common vision attainment which focuses on the development of entrepreneurship. Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid stated the movement which has now grown globally.
Elias Bou, advocated for education sector collaboration. He added that the demand of global workforce changes. The education key players should to help in reforming the education system. The collaboration should provide training to the upcoming entrepreneurs. This will help to sharpen skills and expertise.
According to the International Data Corporation (IDC) report, ICT expenditure is $230 billion this year. This budget allocation represents about 2.7% increase from the previous year. In the last six years, STEP has realized remarkable growth.
Ray Dargham pointed out that there are several startups in MENA with innovative ideas. The conference provides a platform for networking which is ideal for future fintech ecosystem.
The STEP depends on the growth of entrepreneurs and startups in MENA. In5 Dubai company from Dubai also hosted ten startups at the DIC’s showcase event. The companies constituted of WakeCap Tech, WeAreVR, ReportCard and AtCash. Other startups included Booklava Ventures, Hopo, Airshoppers among others. The event aids in the development of startups from fintech to real estate business.
