Expand North Star 2025 opened at Dubai Harbour on 12 October, marking ten years of the UAE’s flagship startup meet-up. The show runs through 15 October and brings 2,000+ startups and 1,200 investors from 180 countries—backed by a packed programme across AI, climate tech, deep tech, digital health and fintech. Expect deal-flow, real pilots and a few unicorn selfies.
The UAE’s pitch: build here, scale everywhere
The message from the stage was simple: the UAE is playing the long game on AI and startups, with fresh targets for jobs and unicorns.
- Ten-year milestone edition, positioned as the world’s largest startup–investor connector.
- New national push: “The Emirates: The Startup Capital of the World.”
- Targets: 30,000 jobs by 2030 and at least 10 unicorns by 2031.
- H.E. Omar Sultan Al Olama: the UAE thinks in “multidecade intervals” and started investing in AI in 2008.
This year’s North Star is framed as proof of scale: 2,000+ startups and 1,200 investors with US$1.1 trillion AUM, plus the highest share of growth and late-stage startups of any tech show, according to organisers. It tracks with a broader national push to make the UAE the “Startup Capital of the World”, with hard targets—30k jobs by 2030 and ten unicorns by 2031. The AI brief is explicit too. As H.E. Omar Sultan Al Olama put it, the UAE has been making AI bets since 2008 and aims to keep learning fast.
What’s new on stage: policy to prototypes
Opening-day sessions mixed AI governance, 5G-era opportunities and founder-friendly data rules.
- e& CEO Hatem Dowidar flagged 5G-SA/“5.5G” as a startup enabler.
- Emphasis on AI governance for privacy and data integrity.
- Programme aims to “elevate funding, scaling and deal-flow.”
Sessions stuck to practical themes—where the telecom stack is headed, and how governance keeps customer data safe while AI rolls into production. Dowidar’s call-out of 5G-SA hints at new service layers for startups. The organisers also framed the week as a deal-engine, not just a demo floor, with explicit intent to accelerate funding and scaling across emerging AI economies.
Presight’s accelerator shows its first prototypes
One year after launch, Presight brought its first AI-startup cohorts with market-ready demos—and signed a new cybersecurity partnership.
- Presight AI-Startup Accelerator unveiled first cohorts with working prototypes.
- Market positioning: UAE’s first dedicated AI accelerator, first by a publicly listed Middle East tech firm.
- CEO Thomas Pramotedham: focus on “global platform” and real commercial pathways.
- New tie-up: partnership with the UAE Cybersecurity Council.
A year after launching at North Star 2024, Presight’s accelerator moved from promise to product. Ten startups showed AI solutions built for real-world use, with the accelerator leaning on Presight’s compute, enterprise network and mentorship to push companies into paying pilots. The company also signed with the UAE Cybersecurity Council—another sign that AI commercialisation in the UAE is moving alongside national security and governance goals.
Brazil steps in as the first Country Partner
International footprint keeps growing, with ApexBrasil leading a record year for country pavilions.
- 180 countries represented in 2025.
- ApexBrasil is the first-ever Country Partner.
- 55 Brazilian startups and innovation hubs across two pavilions.
Brazil is front-and-centre this year. ApexBrasil’s debut as Country Partner brings 55 startups focused on AI and fintech across two pavilions—useful deal-hunting ground for investors looking at LatAm–MENA bridges. The country push aligns with the wider 180-nation footprint, which keeps making Dubai Harbour feel like a world expo for startups.
Unicorn watch: who’s drawing crowds
The largest unicorn showcase yet—spanning quantum to food delivery—pulled investors to the front rows.
- 40+ unicorns at the show.
- Names called out: PsiQuantum (US$68B, fault-tolerant quantum), talabat (US$8.5B, delivery), Andalusia Labs (digital-asset risk), Carousell (SEA e-commerce).
- Big-ticket investment houses on site—JP Morgan, Eurazeo, Octopus Energy Generation and more.
The unicorn theatre was busy for good reason. Between PsiQuantum’s quantum ambitions and talabat’s MENA-scale logistics, the spread tells founders what late-stage investors are actually banking on. Regional stories such as Andalusia Labs show how fast UAE-based companies can climb when the product hits timing and regulation right. Add the presence of global banks and VCs, and the signal is clear: the cheque-writers are here to work, not just wander the marina.
When and where is Expand North Star 2025?
It runs 12–15 October 2025 at Dubai Harbour.
How big is it this year?
Organisers cite over 2,000 startups and 1,200 investors from 180 countries.
What sectors are in focus?
AI, climate tech, deep tech, digital health and fintech feature prominently.
