Expand North Star 2025 Draws 2,000 Startups, 1,200 Investors, And 40 Global Unicorns To Dubai

Dubai Harbour transformed into a pulsating hub of innovation as Expand North Star (ENS) 2025, a super connector event for global startups and investors, wrapped up its 10th edition.

Inaugurated by His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Ports and Borders Security Council, the event brought together more than 2,000 startups, 40 unicorns and 1,200 investors managing assets worth more than $1.1 Tn. 

Attendees from over 100 nations converged in Dubai between October 12 and October 15, catalysing fresh opportunities and deals in tech, the digital economy, AI, and more. 

Organised by Dubai World Trade Centre and hosted by Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, the 2025 edition set new records for scale and impact. With 13,000 pre-scheduled meetings driving deal flow, the event became a living map of global collaboration connecting early-stage founders, unicorn builders, policymakers and venture capitalists under one roof. 

The Innovation Cauldron

The event unfolded with a power-packed agenda featuring fireside chats and panel discussions on diverse themes like Unlocking the Next Generation of Unicorns; The Next Decade of Startup Innovation: Positioning UAE as the World’s Startup Capital; Driving Venture Capital Growth and Innovation with Sovereign Wealth Funds; Scaling Beyond Food to Super Apps; How CVCs Unlock Global Market Expansion for Corporations; Public Interest AI and the Corporate Imperative; and Driving Consumer Loyalty in a Hyper-Connected World, among others. 

The lineup of speakers and investors showed both range and depth. Sunita Grote of UNICEF Ventures, Lily Liu of Solana Foundation, Ramana Kumar from Paytm (Middle East) and Sung Sik of Samsung Ventures, among 350 others, led conversations that ranged from AI, entrepreneurship and deeptech to blockchain, youth innovation and decentralised finance. 

Global funds such as JP Morgan, SpeedInvest, Honda Xcelerator Ventures and Truffle Capital added weight to the agenda, offering founders access to capital and mentorship.

His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Ports and Borders Security Council, stated: “The remarkable growth of Expand North Star is a shining illustration of Dubai’s commitment to forging a prosperous future for all – one where startups are empowered, talents are nurtured, and the vast potential of aspirational partnerships and investments is realised.”

Beyond conference halls, the Supernova Challenge 2.0 – the event’s flagship startup competition – turned the spotlight on breakthrough pitches from startups, with a $300K prize pool.

Themed zones like ScaleX and North Star Green Impact featured fast-growth companies and sustainability innovators vying for scale and impact. 

The Deep Tech MEA Summit drew leading researchers to chart the region’s next quantum leaps, while the Digital Assets Forum mapped out the future of finance, from central bank digital currencies to tokenised assets and AI-driven risk management. 

Global Innovation Takes Flight 

Among the event’s biggest wins were landmark MoUs and investment announcements, solidifying growing cross-border collaborations. The gathering recorded a record turnout of Indian startup founders, who found access to international policymakers and peer networks, potentially fuelling new Indo-Middle East collaborations.

Indian founders described the summit as both an investment magnet and a global networking platform. 

Recounting his experience, Samir Tripathy, founder and CEO of DGLIDE, said, “It’s a massive, high-energy event bringing together top investors and industry leaders from across the ecosystem. I plan to leverage this platform to raise fresh capital for our next phase of growth.”

Abhijeet Kumar, cofounder of TableSprint and a second-time entrepreneur who previously exited from BigBasket, said, “It’s a high-energy event with a great mix of startups and industry leaders. I’m here to explore potential client partnerships and build visibility for TableSprint.”

Industry leaders also joined unicorn investors and policymakers at yacht parties, breaking new ground not only in business deals but in forging global ties. 

Innovative global startups highlighted product launches, spotlighting AR/VR hardware, smart health devices and connected lifestyle tech. Startups advancing clean energy, water tech and circular economy solutions made waves in the North Star Green Impact zone, linking up with impact investors and policymakers as climate tech funding continues to surge across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. 

Meanwhile, blockchain leaders, crypto exchanges and web3 unicorns brought together new momentum and regulatory insight at the Future Blockchain Summit, the event’s eighth successful edition. 

Across fireside chats and panel discussions, the event served as a catalyst consolidating Dubai’s position as a global capital for creativity, entrepreneurship and innovation.

With 40 unicorns participating with a combined $900 Bn+ valuation, ENS 2025 closed not as an ending but as a launchpad. The 10th edition turned Dubai into a living testbed for the future of tech, finance and sustainability. 

As the crowd dispersed, the message was clear that the next wave of global entrepreneurship isn’t waiting to happen, it’s already being built, and Dubai is a key stakeholder.