Kauffman Fellows Summit concludes
DUBAI: Kauffman Fellows Summit, an annual summit that brings together venture capitalists from around the world, concluded its four-day event in partnership with Dubai Future Foundation.
Held under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Dubai Future Foundation, the summit ran from 9 to 12 February, marking the first time the prestigious event was held in the Mena region.
Over four days, the event attracted more than 300 venture capitalists, investors, and entrepreneurs from 30 different countries, holding combined assets under management of US$38 billion.
Taking place at the Dubai Future District and commemorating its 25th anniversary, the event featured keynote speeches, panels, workshops, networking events, and peer-to-peer learning sessions for fellows to discuss ways to ignite economic growth through innovative enterprise in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of Dubai Future Foundation, emphasized that hosting of Kauffman Fellows Summit made it possible for many large investors and entrepreneurs to visit Dubai for the first time and experience what the city has to offer in terms of world-class infrastructure, attractive innovation ecosystem for talent and technology to thrive, a unique culture that promotes entrepreneurship, and sharing of experiences, best practices, success stories and investment opportunities, as well as an opportunity to learn about the UAE’S national initiatives and strategies.
Belhoul said that “Dubai Future District” will witness during the coming period a set of initiatives aimed at holding new international partnerships and developing future economic sectors that contribute to making Dubai an ideal destination for innovators with disruptive ideas and ambitious projects, by uniting the efforts of governmental, economic and financial sectors to provide greater financing and legislative facilities and options for businesses for the future of the new economy.
Highlights included introduction to deep technology, an overview of impact investing, how decision making is impacted by emotions and intuitions, navigating generational transitions and partnership changes. AI, healthcare, energy, Blockchain, cleantech, fintech, mobility and digital identity where also amongst the topics being discussed during the four-day event.