The Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development (KFED) has announced that 78 of the total 94 entries submitted to the Pitch@Palace UAE will compete in the competition’s third edition to win the title of the most innovative technological project.
Of the total number of competing entries, 44 participating projects will be featured at the ‘On Tour’ event in Abu Dhabi on September 16, 2019, while the remaining 34 projects will participate at the second ‘On Tour’ event scheduled in Dubai on September 18, 2019. Projects selected by the panel of judges during the ‘On Tour’ events will then join the boot camp on October 6 and 7, 2019, before they proceed to the competition’s closing ceremony, which is scheduled on October 9, 2019. High-level officials, dignitaries, and executives of prominent local and international companies will be part of the closing ceremony.
The 2019 Pitch@Palace UAE follows the previous successful editions of the competition, which was launched to support creative and innovative ideas and provide UAE entrepreneurs with an opportunity to showcase their proposals before a group of industry professionals and business owners. Pitch@Palace is a platform where small and medium enterprise (SME) owners can receive vital help and support for their respective businesses to ensure the continuity of their companies.
Mouza Al Nasri, Acting Chief Executive Officer, KFED, said that the new edition aims to enhance the communication link between the UAE and key global markets. The winners of the competition will get the chance to compete in the fourth edition of the Pitch@Palace Global at St. James’s Palace in London in December 2019.
Al Nasri added “The third edition of the Pitch@Palace UAE, which will be hosted in Abu Dhabi, a global destination for entrepreneurial innovation and creativity, will run under the theme ‘Technology Serving Humans’ to highlight how new technologies affect our daily lives. The choice of this year’s theme is part of KFED’s strategy to foster innovation and entrepreneurship among citizens, in line with Abu Dhabi’s vision to support creativity and drive technological transformation in keeping with the government’s economic diversification policy. The Fund will continue its efforts to create a new generation of Emirati entrepreneurs, develop the local SME sector, and encourage young people to come up with new and excellent ideas.”
In every stage of the competition, the finalists will present the different aspects of their innovative technological projects, including the scientific and technical elements, to demonstrate how their proposals can positively impact the daily lives of the people. They will focus on how technologies such as robotics, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence can support the everyday needs of the local communities.
