Dubai Silicon Oasis to Host Second Entrepreneur Day Competition

Winner to walk away with US$10,000 cash prize and incubational support

Dubai-UAE: 16 November, 2015 – Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA), the regulatory body for Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO), the integrated free zone technology park, today announced its plan to host ‘The Entrepreneur Day’ (TED) business plan competition on December 9, 2015 at its wholly owned Dubai Technology Entrepreneurship Centre (DTEC), the largest of its kind in the Middle East.

Organized for the second consecutive year, The Entrepreneur Day aims to provide an ideal platform for entrepreneurs focusing on technology products or solutions to grow their businesses and achieve long-term goals. The competition invites emerging entrepreneurs to submit their start-up proposals, prototype products or business plans before Thursday, November 26, 2015.

Eight shortlisted applicants will get the opportunity to pitch their business plans to a live audience and judging panel on the day of the event. The winning start-up, to be announced at the conclusion of the competition, will walk away with a cash prize of US$10,000, as well as a free trade licence, flexi-desk space within DTEC and incubational support.

Speaking on the initiative, Hans Christensen, Director at DTEC, said: “Last year’s inaugural competition received great interest and uptake from young and talented professionals. This was our inspiration for going ahead with the second edition of The Entrepreneur Day this year. As per the key findings of the survey on technology start-ups and emerging SMEs in the MENA region that we launched last year, 68 percent of respondents said it is difficult to source adequate funding to establish start-ups and 75 percent articulated the challenges in securing office spaces that fit their budgets, among many others.”

Hans added: “We have leveraged these findings to help identify solutions to the challenges that start-ups and entrepreneurs in this region are facing, and provide them with the support needed through DTEC that is today home to more than 185 start-ups and 240 entrepreneurs from over 50 countries.”

Interested start-ups in the fields of technology, Islamic digital economy, Travel Tech and smart city initiatives are invited to register their participation in the competition ahead of the November 26 deadline by visiting: https://www.f6s.com/ted2015.

Additionally, attendees can also register online to attend or exhibit in the showcase area at the event (bitly.com/ted2015). This new feature will further encourage start-ups to showcase their companies and the products and services they offer.

A wholly-owned entity of the government of Dubai, DSO operates as a free zone technology park for large enterprises, medium and small companies looking to set up their offices in Dubai.