The Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority and Techstars have announced a Startup Weekend event that will bring together innovators, parents, entrepreneurs, and experts in a unique collaborative space that puts children at the heart of innovation.
The Abu Dhabi Youth Challenge Techstars Startup Weekend, hosted over three days from 3-5 March 2023, will invite local entrepreneurs to pitch their ideas for new startups that tackle and offer solutions to early childhood and parenthood challenges through technology.
The event will give entrepreneurs aged between 18-26 years the opportunity to meet with mentors, investors, and experts
The event will give entrepreneurs aged between 18-26 years the opportunity to meet with mentors, investors, and experts to present their ideas and a working prototype. The top three teams will receive a grant of up to AED 15,000 to further develop their startups.
A line-up of business experts, mentors, and coaches will take part in the event, including Ahmad Sufian Bayram, Techstars, EMEA Regional Manager; Vijay Tirathrai, Techstars Managing Director; Ghassan Haddad, General Counsel at CAFU; and Jonathan Steingiesser, Head of Product Design at Omnipresent. A keynote speech will be delivered during the event by Ayat Amr, Partner Development Manager at Injazat.
Ideas presented during the Weekend will cover issues related to the early childhood development space
Ideas presented during the Weekend will cover issues related to the early childhood development space as offering solutions to Parental Support and Education, Ed-Tech, Overall Development, Virtual Child Care and Protection, Overall Wellness, and Alternative Child Care Models.
Participants in the Startup Weekend are asked to present projects that meet the legal, technological, and scientific aspects of the solution offered. A panel of judges will use a set of criteria to evaluate pitches, such as problem and impact, execution and design, originality, feasibility, and business model.
The event represents the latest example of how the Early Childhood Authority works to help parents and children through tech-based solutions. The event will aim to make childcare and wellbeing an interactive experience for parents and carers involved and offer a competitive environment for creative ideas.
Entrepreneurs based in Abu Dhabi can apply to the Abu Dhabi Youth Challenge Techstars Startup Weekend.