If you missed the highlights from Day 1 of GITEX Technology Week 2017, click here. Right then – here are the highlights from Day 2 of GITEX Technology Week 2017.
Emerging Tech Will Reshape the Future of Healthcare Services
Presenting on ‘Disrupting the doctor patient relationship: Social media, AI and VR’s interface with the healthcare industry to improve universal patient care,’ Dr. Shafi Ahmed, Associate Dean, Barts Medical School, showcased the innovative use of technology in the healthcare ecosystem.
Having pioneered the integration of emerging technology and treatment, Dr. Ahmed’s live operation on Google Glass was streamed to 14,000 students and trainees across 132 countries and 1100 cities. Using Snapchat Spectacles, he trained 200 medical students, with the operation being viewed 100,000 times.
Dr. Ahmed said that he was very excited about the future of medicine and the fourth industrial revolution creating a confluence of enormous amounts of technologies which will improve patient outcome and efficiencies of the healthcare system. Talking about emerging technologies, he highlighted that artificial intelligence, blockchain, VR/AR, and genomics will become commonplace, thereby shaping the future of healthcare practice and education.
Technology Has Encouraged a Rise in Entrepreneurial Thinking: Sophia Amoruso
Sophia Amoruso, founder, GIRLBOSS Media talked about the inspiration behind her career change, the journey of failing and succeeding and often, taking the unconventional route. Speaking to an audience of start-ups and aspiring innovators, Sophia said, “I think entrepreneurs are both ‘born’ and ‘made’; either you’re someone born with an innate hunger and a determination to survive and succeed, or you follow a more traditional route out of college, learning the landscape and mechanics of the game until you can strike out on your own – both work. Technology really has levelled the playing field and encouraged a rise in entrepreneurial thinking. This is especially true for someone who is a bit less social, technology has enabled these people to build something that is really important, and has a real value – we’ve seen so much of that in recent years. The more diverse your skillset, the more options you have to build something. My main advice is resilience (things don’t always go as planned), persistence and a self-awareness of your own strengths and weaknesses. This last one is especially important when starting to hire staff, you need to choose those people with a complimentary skill set to your own.”
Dubai Internet City Shows Off “The Smarter Journey” at GITEX
Dubai Internet City (DIC) marks its 18th outing at the GITEX Technology Week 2017. Throughout the week, on the DIC pavilion, partners Visa, Canon, Samsung and Uber, will be offering visitors a highly interactive glimpse into what the city of the future will look like.
Under the theme The Smarter Journey, DIC and its partners have created a seamless ecosystem which will take visitors on a journey through four distinct urban districts, showcasing innovative technologies and smart solutions as part of everyday life embedded in work, family, retail and leisure environments. With a focus on immersive experiences, the smart ecosystem brought to life at the DIC pavilion translates the Smart Dubai initiative into reality in a highly interactive and tangible way.
GITEX Future Stars Hosts Saudi Accelerator Day
With Saudi Vision 2030 now well underway, GITEX Future Stars hosted Saudi Accelerator Day with strategic participation of key members of the Kingdom’s start up ecosystem to help reinforce the on-going diversification and expansion of the kingdom’s entrepreneurship drive and agenda.
A host of impressive Saudi startups took center stage at the event, representing the ambitions and rapid success of the Nine Tenths Startup Accelerator, a program run in partnership with King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) Entrepreneurship Center and designed to foster startups and support entrepreneurs with revolutionary ideas.
The event saw participation from the champions of the Nine Tenths Startup Accelerator program, like Saydl, Cura, Ajeer, Munjiz, Serviis and Labayah, who showcased their innovative ideas on a global stage to help launch and scale new Saudi ventures.
Trey Goede, Head of Portfolio and Investment Management at Wa’ed Ventures said, “Over the last four and half years, Wa’ed Ventures has worked tirelessly to support the Kingdom’s entrepreneurship ecosystem and general socio-economic development through our ventures and investments. We are extremely excited to be a part of a bold, new platform that seeks to redefine the global startup agenda through unique GITEX programs and look forward to drawing out the best innovations and ideas from across the world. GITEX Future Stars gives us the perfect opportunity to engage with our peers, inspire a new generation of entrepreneurs and outline new opportunities to complement our portfolio of successful ventures while seeking to empower our national agenda and accelerate the strategic direction for the global innovation roadmap.”
iflix Founder Shares Lessons Scaling Businesses Across Asia to Four IPOs
Patrick Grove, founder of highly successful tech companies including iFlix, took to the stage to talk about his remarkable success and provide insight about personality traits to cultivate as successful entrepreneur. He highlighted that key common traits of entrepreneurs are resilience and stubbornness, which lead to a sense of persistence and perseverance.
Talking about emerging markets, he said, “I love working in in emerging markets. Often one of the keys to business success in Asia, Africa and the Middle East is the concept of Idea Arbitrage. This involves taking a business idea from a larger, more developed market and reproducing it in a developing market. One of the things I’ve noticed about emerging markets is people’s addiction to mobile phones which is much, much greater than in the west. This means that if your business relies on mobile phones (for example for payment), it has the potential to grow exponentially in this region. So, if you notice a good idea that’s based around mobile phones gaining traction in a western market, you actually have the opportunity to build a bigger enterprise and enjoy a greater level of success than the original entrepreneur you are emulating.”
Silicon Valley Visit for Winner of Inaugural Accenture Innovation Awards
The finals of the Accenture Innovation Awards concluded, with start-ups from around the world being judged by a jury comprising of senior executives from Accenture, Expo 2020 Dubai, Fintech Hive at DIFC and Etisalat Digital.
The award is part of an initiative that aims to support up-and-coming talent and identifies the best ideas that use technology to solve tomorrow’s problems, today. The winner will now travel to Silicon Valley, part of an all-expenses paid trip, with Accenture assisting them in investor meetings.
