The World's Largest Startup
and Investor Connector Event

The hub for business impact, accelerating the world's most sought-after startups towards rapid growth and bringing together the entire startup ecosystem. Expand North Star is the annual go-to event for startups, investors, accelerators and tech enthusiasts to source funding, investment deals and stay up to date with the industry.

 
 
 

NORTH STAR’S BIGGEST AND BUSIEST EDITION YET!

73,650

Attendees

1,733

Exhibiting Startups

1,000+

Investors

650

Speakers

17

Conference Tracks

A COMPLETE CITY TAKEOVER

2

Incredible
Locations

6

Tech Focused
Days

8

Unmissable
Shows
Banner Map

2024 UNVEILED:

UNFOLDING NEW PATHS & ELEVATING
YOUR FAVOURITE FEATURES

THOUGHT LEADERS AND CHANGEMAKERS AT EXPAND NORTH STAR

Supernova Challenge 2.0

THE WORLD’S LARGEST EARLY STAGE STARTUP PITCH COMPETITION

The Supernova Challenge 2.0 offered founders the opportunity to take home a cash pool of $200,000 equity-free!

Selected exhibiting startups had the chance to pitch directly to investors at the monthly Qualifiers, providing additional exposure and investor introductions prior to Expand North Star.

UNLOCK SUCCESS IN DUBAI: A HUB FOR STARTUP EXPANSION

 
 

US$ 8.2 Billion

IT spending in

UAE by 2023

US$ 8.2 Billion

IT spending in

UAE by 2023

Up to US$ 1 Billion

Investments in

UAE Cloud Data Centers by 2026

Up to US$ 1 Billion

Investments in

UAE Cloud Data Centers by 2026

AED 353 Billion

AI’s Contribution to

UAE’s GDP by 2030

AED 353 Billion

AI’s Contribution to

UAE’s GDP by 2030

#1

Dubai’s Rank

for economy in innovation

#1

Dubai’s Rank

for economy in innovation

US$ 11.7 Billion

raised across

306 scaleups since 2010

US$ 11.7 Billion

raised across

306 scaleups since 2010

#1

For starting

a new business in 2022

#1

For starting

a new business in 2022

50,000

companies in Dubai’s

free zones fostering a vibrant ecosystem

50,000

companies in Dubai’s

free zones fostering a vibrant ecosystem

75%

success rate

in bringing innovative solutions to market

75%

success rate

in bringing innovative solutions to market

Inspiring words from the community

 

the number 1 choice for the global startup community

EXPONENTIAL IMPACT OF
NORTH STAR 2023

8,900

Pre-arranged concierge meetings

1,800+

Meetings between startups, corporates & governments

100+

Startups raised funds with investors they met at north star

14

Startups won aed 1 million in cash prizes

LATEST NEWS

Explore
Our Shows

Expand North Star is proud to feature industry defining events, Fintech Surge, Future Blockchain Summit, Marketing Mania, and GITEX Impact, while being inspired by the World's largest and best rated tech event, GITEX GLOBAL.

This is the flagship platform for startups to shine as well as grow through interactive Q&As, mentorship, product showcase, meetings, pitch competitions and conference sessions.