Fresh capital, bold founders: your Expand North Star insider News Flash #12

Expand North Star is stacking the deck with fresh Scale X Programme joiners, heavyweight funds managing billions, and entire ecosystems booking out pavilions. From touchless biometrics to AI-powered recycling, from $35B AUM giants to first-time pavilions, the floor is buzzing with founders, capital, and breakthroughs.

Here’s the latest drop on who’s in — and why you’ll want to be part of the action.

🚀 Scale X Programme — New Joiners

Excalibur (Slovakia) AI + defense. Fresh off a €500K seed, Excalibur is building next-gen security intelligence for Europe.

Ariadne (Germany) Raised €2M to bring privacy-first people-flow analytics to smart buildings and retail. Think “Google Maps for foot traffic” — without the data creep.

IDloop® (Germany) Closed €10M from the EIC Accelerator to roll out touchless fingerprint ID. No plastic cards, no PINs — just frictionless, secure access.

EcoPoint (Russia) AI-driven reverse vending machines with UAE factory plans on deck. Turning recycling into real infrastructure.

💸 New Capital at Expand North Star

Eurazeo (France) $35B AUM, 600+ portfolio companies. A heavyweight pan-European fund dropping anchor at North Star.

Oman Qatar Insurance Company (Qatar) $8B AUM. MENA’s insurance leader putting capital into insurtech + fintech.

Octopus Energy Generation (UK) $4B AUM. Europe’s renewable infra giant now in the room.

Samsung Ventures (South Korea) $2.5B AUM. Deep tech, semis, biotech — plus the backing of Samsung’s R&D muscle.

Truffle Capital (France) $1B AUM, 120+ companies backed. Fintech + biotech scale-up specialists.

Antler (UAE) $500M AUM. The pre-idea, pre-team backer betting on founders before anyone else will.

Citi Ventures (USA) $150M AUM. The fintech + risk-tech dealflow of Citigroup, now scouting here.

Ascent Energy Ventures (USA) $50M fund. Grid automation + energy efficiency play — software that powers the energy shift.

TS Ventures Fund (Serbia) $25M CVC by Telekom Srbija. First in the Balkans, early-stage founders take note.

🌍 Country / Hub Pavilions & New Partners Joining the Floor

Hub71 (UAE) Landing big with 105 sqm and Abu Dhabi’s top startups; Hub71 is the UAE capital’s flagship tech ecosystem — home to unicorns-in-the-making and global VC attention.

Keiretsu Forum (MENA) our former community partner joins, for the first time as an exhibitor bringing four startups and to launch Bank Morocco. As the world’s largest angel investor network, Keiretsu is now catalyzing fintech across North Africa.

Mobile and Electronic Devices Export Promotion Council (India) Scaling up with 14 pods; MEDEPC brings India’s startup surge to Dubai — a government-backed powerhouse fueling growth across the electronics sector.

The Authority of Social Contribution - Ma'an  (UAE) are showcasing twelve startups and running two sponsorship challenges — to promote healthier communities and inclusive opportunities. Abu Dhabi’s social innovation catalyst is turning public-private partnerships into scalable solutions.

Intersect Innovation Hub, Palestine Trade Center - PalTrade and Bank of Palestine make up our second Palestine Pavilion on the show floor. Across 70 sqm they are bringing seven startups.

Ghani Consulting (USA) are doubling space; this US-based growth advisor is bridging international founders into the MENA ecosystem.

Nevada Strategic Growth Initiative (NSGI) & InnoEnergy (USA/Europe) Five startup pods spanning Germany, Hungary, Estonia, and the USA. Europe’s leading energy innovation network is bringing cleantech champions into the global spotlight.

Khalifa Innovation Center (UAE) Making its debut with a 25 sqm showcase of five startups, the UAE’s newest incubator — backed by Mubadala and Khalifa University — is spinning national research into global ventures.

Connect 21 (UAE) Smart cities and IoT solutions from Expo City’s own tech backbone. This premiere 9 sqm booth brings the brains behind Dubai’s mega-events to the urban innovation space.

IT PARK Uzbekistan will host five startups, and a workshop — Uzbekistan’s national IT accelerator is putting Central Asia’s founders on the global map.

At Expand North Star 2025, ecosystems don’t just connect — they ignite. Be part of the action!

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