Five new features set to enrich 10th edition of Expand North Star

DUBAI, 19th September, 2025 (WAM) -- Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, one of three chambers operating under the umbrella of Dubai Chambers, has unveiled five new features for the 10th edition of Expand North Star 2025, the world’s biggest gathering for startups and investors.

Organised by Dubai World Trade Centre and hosted by Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, the event will take place at Dubai Harbour from 12th to 15th October 2025.

This year’s edition will introduce five new features: ScaleX, the Consumer Tech Zone, North Star Green Impact, Deeptech MEA Summit and Digital Assets Forum. These additions are designed to significantly enhance the Expand North Star ecosystem, providing unparalleled opportunities for the global tech community to explore growth, funding, and collaboration.

Expand North Star brings together the world’s most sought-after founders, investors, entrepreneurs, and business leaders to explore the exciting opportunities emerging in Dubai and catalyse the future of the digital economy.

ScaleX is the official growth programme of Expand North Star Dubai 2025, designed to spotlight 100 of the world’s fastest-growing tech companies and unlock their expansion into the Middle East and beyond. This curated market access programme for breakout tech scaleups blends remote preparation with high-impact, in-person exposure at the event, connecting them with key partners and investors to accelerate their global journey.

The Consumer Tech Zone will showcase founders building the next generation of AR/VR hardware, smart health devices, lifestyle tech, and connected products. These demo-ready startups are backed by leading accelerators, government innovation programmes, and deep-tech hubs, representing the cutting edge of consumer technology.

Launching for the first time, North Star Green Impact is the new sustainability zone at Expand North Star, spotlighting startups driving climate and environmental innovation. From clean energy and circular economy to water tech and sustainable mobility, this zone connects global green-tech founders with impact investors, government buyers, and climate-focused partners. The launch comes as the climate-tech ecosystem in MENA gains strong momentum, supported by a 40 percent annual increase in venture capital investment during 2023.

The Deeptech MEA Summit serves as a premier platform for advanced technologies in the Middle East and Africa. It brings together visionary entrepreneurs, pioneering researchers, technology leaders, and forward-thinking government entities to drive innovation in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, robotics, and beyond.

The Digital Assets Forum will bring together a distinguished group of global experts to explore the fundamental transformations reshaping the financial sector’s infrastructure. Covering a spectrum from central bank digital currencies to tokenised assets and AI-powered risk management, the forum is set to address the most pressing issues defining the new era of the global financial system.

This edition will feature the world’s largest startup pitch competition, the Supernova Challenge 2.0, which will attract high-impact global startups with a US$200,000 prize pool. Building on its successful debut, the Corporate Arena will also return for its second edition, offering an exclusive platform for enterprise leaders to forge strategic collaborations with founders and investors.

Similarly, the Tech Transfer Innovation Forum is back to bridge the gap between research and business, connecting academia, scientists, and startups to elevate research-driven innovation. Specialised events also return, including Marketing Mania, the dedicated MarTech conference where founders and CMOs explore how AI and storytelling can build unforgettable brands.

The event continues its commitment to fostering young talent through the YouthX Unipreneur and Emaratipreneur platforms, which empower the next generation of innovators and homegrown entrepreneurs. Finally, networking will continue long after the sessions end with North Star by Night, a series of evening mixers and events designed to extend opportunities for connection and collaboration.

Expand North Star forms a key pillar of the chamber's strategy to establish Dubai as a leading global hub for innovation and technology, playing a vital role in driving economic growth in the emirate and beyond.