Applications now open for the UAE ‘Startup Clash’

Dubai, United Arab Emirates - Thursday, September 25th 2014 [ME NewsWire]

Afkar.me and in5 announced today that they will be co-hosting the UAE edition of ‘Get in the Ring’, part of the Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship (ECE) competition. The UAE ‘Olympics for startups’ will be held at in5 on October 11th, where a UAE national champion will be chosen. The UAE champion will battle against other promising startups and its entrepreneur from across the region in the regional final in Riyadh, ultimately winning the opportunity to pitch for an investment of up to €1,000,000 in the global final in Rotterdam.

Afkar.me, the region’s first full spectrum digital oriented product incubator run by Intigral, and in5, a Dubai-based innovation hub which supports start-up ICT and digital media entrepreneurs, are hosting the ‘Get in the Ring’ competition as part of their commitment to support the growth of MENA’s startup ecosystem and promoting Dubai as the region’s start-up hub.

“A million Euros and international visibility is going to dramatically transform anybody’s business,” said JJ De La Torre, VP of Digital at Intigral and founder of Afkar.me, “We have seen that it can be difficult for successful startups in the Middle East to gain access to international angel investment, by partnering with in5 and bringing this highly-acclaimed worldwide startup platform to the UAE, we are giving a home grown startup the opportunity to compete on the global stage.”

Majed Al Suwaidi, Managing Director of Dubai Internet City and Dubai Outsource Zone, said: “At in5, we support ICT and Digital media start-ups from idea creation, to implementation and right through to the commercial launch, and this joint initiative with Intigral is very much aligned with our business incubation goals. The availability of the right framework of mentorship, funds, and expert support form the most vital elements for success of a start-up. ‘Get in the Ring’ addresses all these points and provides a comprehensive platform to transform a good business model into a great business model. It is a great opportunity for talented entrepreneurs to showcase their skills and take their businesses to the next level.”

Competition rules state that the companies eligible to take part must be less than five years old, leaving applications open for those businesses which may already be on the path to success, but believe they can play a more significant role in their own market or sector.

The full criteria are:

    Start-up exists no longer than five years
    Entrepreneur is proficient in English language
    Start-up is seeking an investment of up to EUR 1,000,000
    Scalable and innovative business idea and or model

Three steps to success:

    Fill in the application on www.GITR.co/MiddleEast by the 5th of October.
    If pre-selected, you will be invited to pitch in front of an expert judging panel in the UAE GITR Startup Clash on the 11th of October. One national champion will be funded* to attend the regional finals (competing with eight teams from the wider Middle East) in Riyadh.
    Regional final will take place in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on 5th November. The regional winner will receive USD 5,000 which includes an all-expenses paid trip to international finals in Rotterdam, The Netherlands on the 21st of November

Further details are available on http://getinthering.co/

*Travel tickets sponsored by MidEast Creatives

- Ends -

About Afkar.me:

Afkar.me is an initiative by Intigral, MENA’s leading digital hub. Afkar.me supports the growth of the region’s digital sector by sourcing, incubating and developing innovative business ideas from start-ups and entrepreneurs both in the region, and globally. Afkar.me is the first full spectrum incubator developed in MENA that gives entrepreneurs everything they require to take their ideas from conception, to market and to revenue. Through Afkar.me Intigral will provide tangible benefits to start-ups, investors, Telco operators, and ultimately add long term value to the Middle East’s digital ecosystem. www.afkar.me

About Intigral

Formed in 2009, Intigral is a joint venture between STC and the Malaysian media conglomerate, All Asia Networks (ASTRO) with a current workforce of more than 200 professionals based in its Dubai and Riyadh offices. As the Middle East’s leading digital hub, Intigral creates, enables, develops and delivers digital experiences and products adding value to customers and partners at every stage of the value chain. Intigral’s work with some of MENA's biggest telecom companies also gives the company and its partner’s access to a combined customer base of 34.25 million users regionally. www.intigral.net

About in5:

The In5 innovation hub, launched by Dubai Internet City, aims to foster and promote entrepreneurship and innovation in order to further develop the technology start-up ecosystem in Dubai and the region. In5 provides infrastructure, support and a dynamic and engaging working environment to entrepreneurs from the early stages of idea creation through to idea implementation and the commercial launch of a product or service. It provides entrepreneurs with mentoring, training, networking opportunities and access to funding and is open to entrepreneurs of all nationalities wishing to start-up in the areas of ICT, mobile and digital media. www.in5.ae

About Get in the Ring

A non-profit event concept, initiated by the Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship to bring the most promising entrepreneurs from around the world in contact with investors and to inspire visitors to start their entrepreneurial journey.

Contacts
Grant Richmond-Coggan
Senior Manager, Corporate Communications, Intigral
Grant.Richmond@intigral.ne
T +971 4 436 1957
M +97155 605 6405

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