// CASE STUDY // with Expand North Star alongside it from December 8 to 10. GITEX is the world’ s largest technology trade event, and having our startups operating in this B2B environment is a huge opportunity for sales and partnerships. A founder’ s stand is now a short walk from the enterprise buyers and government decisionmakers they want to reach.

What do SMEs gain from attending Expand North Star?

They get the whole ecosystem under one roof. At Expand North Star, they meet investors who together manage more than US $ 1 trillion in assets. Across GITEX GLOBAL, they meet the enterprises that could become their biggest customers and the government entities shaping regulation, procurement and national digital strategies. Last year, GITEX brought together more than 6,500 exhibiting companies and over 1,000 government entities.

Start-ups invest real time and money to attend, so the programme is built around return. Here, a founder can raise capital, sign a pilot with a corporate and meet a ministry in the same week. The Investor Programme arranges meetings in advance, the Corporate Arena connects start-ups directly with large companies and the Founder’ s Pass gives early-stage companies an affordable way to take part.

How important is it to hold events like Expand North Star alongside GITEX GLOBAL?

Start-ups grow when they are close to their customers, and this is where the customers are. That’ s why this reunion matters so much. Start-ups need capital, customers and credibility. Investors want deal flow. Enterprises and governments need innovation they can actually deploy. When all of them are in separate places, those connections are slow and expensive. When they share one venue, connections happen quickly and lead to real outcomes.

What’ s the biggest challenge for SMEs right now?

For most founders I speak to, it comes down to getting through the right doors. The real challenge is moving from early traction to scale. Many SMEs can build a strong product, but winning large contracts and entering new markets is much harder. That usually depends on access: to enterprise buyers, to the right investors and to the government stakeholders who shape procurement and regulation.

Those doors are often difficult for a small company to open. That is exactly what this combined week addresses. Putting start-ups, investors, corporates and government entities in one place removes many of the barriers that slow SMEs down and turns introductions into partnerships.

How do SMEs fit into the conversation around AI?

Right at the centre, SMEs are where AI becomes real. Governments and large enterprises are setting AI strategies and investing in infrastructure, but much of the practical innovation comes from smaller, faster companies. They build the applications that put AI to work in healthcare, finance, logistics, energy and public services.

What SMEs often lack is a route to deployment. At GITEX GLOBAL, AI is the core theme, and the enterprises

IT WILL CREATE CONNECTIONS ACROSS THE ECOSYSTEM THAT SIMPLY WEREN’ T POSSIBLE WHEN THE EVENTS WERE HELD AT SEPARATE VENUES.

GITEX GLOBAL draws more than 200,000 tech executives from over 180 countries, most of them at C-level. Bringing Expand North Star back alongside it means every startup has access to that audience, and every enterprise has access to the next generation of innovators.

Intelligent SME. tech

15