Expand North Star: Scaling Startups from 180 Countries
▼ Summary
– Expand North Star 2025 is the world’s largest startup and investor event, attracting over 2,000 startups and 1,200 investors from 180 countries.
– Brazil is the event’s first official Country Partner, with over 50 Brazilian startups showcasing their innovations and fostering international partnerships.
– New countries like Ecuador and Chile are participating, with Ecuador presenting 22 companies and Chile featuring 12 innovative service companies across various sectors.
– The event features investors managing over $1.1 trillion in assets, focusing on discovering new opportunities and co-investing in high-quality innovation.
– Dubai World Trade Centre signed multiple international partnerships to support business growth and align with Dubai’s goal to create 10 unicorns and 30,000 jobs by 2031.
Expand North Star 2025 has firmly established itself as the world’s premier startup and investor gathering, attracting a remarkable assembly of over 2,000 startups and 1,200 investors from 180 different nations. This landmark 10th-anniversary edition, part of the larger GITEX GLOBAL event, underscores the critical role such forums play in scaling the global digital ecosystem, especially following a year where global venture capital investment reached a substantial $368 billion.
The four-day program, running from October 12th to 15th, is specifically designed to supercharge funding opportunities, accelerate scaling efforts, and generate unprecedented deal flow. Its core mission is to catalyze powerful new partnerships and drive inclusive digital growth, with a particular focus on emerging AI economies.
Brazil’s participation marks a historic milestone as the event’s first-ever official Country Partner. A delegation of more than 50 of the nation’s most dynamic startups is showcasing their innovations. Tatiana Riera, Chief Operating Officer at the Dubai Office of ApexBrasil, emphasized the strategic importance of this collaboration in her opening remarks. She highlighted that Brazil, home to over 20,000 startups, possesses one of the world’s most significant ecosystems for venture capital and private equity. “Our presence here is about building bridges between Brazil and the world, with Dubai being a key partner,” Riera stated. “This event is a platform for co-creating the future, strengthening ties between Brazil and the UAE, and fostering global connections.”
The event’s expanding global influence is further evidenced by the debut participation of new nations. Ecuador is proudly presenting more than 22 companies, including 20 startups offering solutions ranging from AI-powered banking to advanced medical technologies. Felipe Ribadeneira, the Ecuadorian Ambassador to the UAE, expressed pride in their participation and pointed to significant future collaborations, including a planned technology logistics corridor memorandum expected to be signed at the upcoming World Government Summit.
Similarly, Chile is making its first appearance at Expand North Star with a contingent of 12 innovative service companies. These firms represent a diverse array of sectors, including mining, education, finance, construction, and entertainment. The concurrent Chile-Dubai Innovation Summit, hosted at the Chilean Pavilion, is a strategic move to deepen Chile’s presence in the UAE and broader Middle East, supporting the nation’s goals for export diversification.
The event also serves as a powerful magnet for global capital, drawing venture capitalists and private equity investors collectively managing over $1.1 trillion in assets. This staggering figure is a testament to the event’s profound economic impact. Dr. Jorg Goschin, CEO of KFW Capital, praised the UAE’s innovation-centric environment, identifying it as a natural partner for scaling opportunities originating in European markets. He emphasized his organization’s goal to make venture markets more accessible through increased transparency and clearer exit pathways, noting the UAE’s potential to accelerate co-investment into high-quality European innovation.
To solidify its role as a global nexus for business growth, the Dubai World Trade Centre, the event organizer, announced several key international partnerships on the first day. Agreements were signed with entities including Presight, 28 Digital, ApexBrasil, and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia. These collaborations reinforce the centre’s standing as an inclusive global platform that has already empowered over 8,000 founders to scale their ventures.
Ultimately, GITEX GLOBAL and Expand North Star are central to the Dubai government’s ambitious vision. The initiatives are strategically aligned with goals to foster innovation, attract world-class talent, generate 30,000 new jobs by 2030, and cultivate at least 10 unicorn companies valued over $1 billion by 2031.
(Source: MEA Tech Watch)
