Future Technology Week, an upcoming event in Dubai, UAE featuring four of the region’s leading technology events, will host an event that will see the region’s leading young entrepreneurs pitch unique start-up concepts.

The Hive, the debut event, has been billed by organisers Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) as the ‘Start-up showdown of the century’.

During The Hive, the contestants will present breakthrough business concepts to a live audience and judging panel in a five-minute pitch on the first day of Future Technology Week.

The panel of judges includes Ibrahim Tadros, head, Business Development and Strategy, Wamda; Muhammed Mekki, founding partner, AstroLabs; Jonny Voon, IoT Lead, Innovate UK, and Shaun Moore, CEO and founder, Chui – the world’s smartest doorbell.

A one-day event, The Hive is supported by Dubai SME, the agency of the Department of Economic in Development (DED) in Dubai mandated to develop the SME sector, Wamda and Astrolabs, and runs in parallel with four specialised shows - Gulf Information Security Expo & Conference (Gisec), the Internet of Things Expo (IoTX), The Big Data Show and Gulf Enterprise Mobility Exhibition & Conference (Gemec) – being held from March 29 to 31 at DWTC.

“The Hive is a dedicated innovative platform for budding, ambitious entrepreneurs to present their entrepreneurial ideas and innovative start-up business concepts. It’s the start-up showdown of the century,” said Trixie LohMirmand, senior vice president, Exhibitions & Events, DWTC, the Future Technology Week organiser.

The contestants’ submissions will be judged on six criteria including practical use of product or solution, innovative use of technology, ease of implementation, sustainable business model, user adoption to date and difference to other products in the market. The Hive’s ultimate winner will be awarded a cash prize of Dh50,000 ($13,610).

“Technology and innovation together make an ideal SME platform for entrepreneurs and start-ups to pursue success. A key finding in our State of the SME report was that innovative SMEs tend to be more internationally oriented. The Hive initiative should be supported because any effort to inspire entrepreneurs and tech SMEs is an investment in sustaining innovation and enterprise growth,” said Saeed Matar Al Marri, deputy CEO of Dubai SME.

“IoT is driving many innovative start-ups and l expect listening to bright minds pitching their concepts will be informative and fun. I look forward to identifying the winner and keeping track of their evolution over coming months and years,” said Tadros.

“Dubai is quickly becoming a global hub for tech start-ups – specifically those targeting emerging markets - and AstroLabs is thrilled to see entrepreneurs from all over the world choose this city as their home. We are looking forward to hearing from the selected start-ups as they pitch their innovative concepts during the competition,” said Mekki.

The expansive Future Technology Week format will feature an interactive conference, innovative tech exhibition, security workshops, a Microsoft-sponsored live Hackathon and capture the flag code breaking competition.

IoTX opens on March 29 and concludes on March 30, the one-day Gemec runs on March 29, Gisec opens on March 30 and ends on March 31, and the one-day The Big Data Show runs on March 31. Meanwhile, the exhibition segment runs for three days from March 29 to 31. – TradeArabia News Service