To enter the Supernova Pitch competition, you will need to be one of the exhibiting startups attending GITEX Impact, October 16 – 20 at Dubai World Trade Centre. The startups that apply for the competition will then be required to pitch their ideas, with the semi finalists being announced closer to the time of the event.

Overall Supernova Champion: $100,000 cash prize to selected overall winner Winner per Category: $8,000 cash prize to selected winner per category

If I win, what happens next?

The team will be in touch regarding your cash prize and next steps 1 week after GITEX Impact 2023.

If I am not shortlisted to participate in the semi-finals, what can I do?

If you are not shortlisted, there are many opportunities to engage with investors and the wider GITEX Impact audience. We will be keeping a waitlist in case of any last-minute changes. Please note that we receive hundreds of applications per category and the shortlisting goes through multiple rounds of review to reach only a final 10 for the semi-finals and 2 for the finals.

What is the deadline to submit to enter the Supernova competition?

The deadline to submit on the Exhibitor Portal is August 1st 2023. Any date changes will be announced.

What should my pitch deck include?

Here are two good references for you: https://slidebean.com/blog/pitch-deck-structure https://www.ycombinator.com/library/20-deck

What should my pitch video include?

Your Pitch Video must be ONLY 60 Seconds or it will not be considered. Your Pitch Video must be in English and have a clear shot of your upper body (sitting or standing). Please submit your video by either a YouTube or a Vimeo URL. Check out Paul Graham’s advice on story telling when pitching: "Your goal, and your only goal, is to make investors feel it's not safe to cross you off. And there is a verb for convincing someone that something is not safe. It sounds dramatic, but your goal is to frighten them. But what frightens them? The possibility that you might become really big. They know there are maybe a few companies that will become really big….Before you start meeting investors, put together a rough draft of your fundraising vertebrae. These are the 3-4 points that compromise the narrative of why your company will be really big. Together, if investors believed in any of these points, they’d be afraid not to bet on you. As you do, keep in mind that there is an important distinction between what the business is and how you tell the story of what your business is. Your conversations with investors should influence the latter, not the former. No investor knows your business as well as you do.”

When will I find out if I have been shortlisted to pitch in the semi-finals?

The announcements of the shortlisted startups for the semi-finals will be done by September 15th 2023. Any date changes will be announced.

What are the judging criteria?

The general judging criteria is broken down to main areas. Please keep these in mind as you design your pitch deck, pitch video, and semi-finals, finals pitches! Idea: How innovative is this idea? Market Opportunity: Market Size, Competition, Scalability Business Model: Revenue Model, Pricing, Target Customers Traction: Any revenue, customers, investors? Team: Is a skilled team in place for the startup’s success?

If I was selected to pitch previously but wasn’t able to attend, am I entitled to spot in the semi-finals or finals?

No, there will be a new selection process each year. You will have to apply to be considered again. Similarly, if you are shortlisted for the finals after pitching in the semi-finals but you miss the pitch, you will be replaced with the next runner-up.

URB Incubator - GITEX Impact

OVERVIEW

URB Incubator is a Dubai-based accelerator program helping early-stage URBAN tech entrepreneurs.

The program is in line with UAE Net Zero by 2050 strategic initiative, a national drive to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. The URB Incubator is designed to accelerate the 2050 net zero initiative by fostering a bottom-up entrepreneurial spirit in the built environment in UAE. The start-up program will empower a new breed of innovators to become the next leaders of urban tech solutions for a sustainable future in UAE.

The mission of the URB Incubator is to improve urban quality of life in UAE. URB is looking for innovative, scalable and impactful early-stage start-ups in urban tech, to empower the urban tech community in UAE.

Get Your Pass

Programme
in numbers

10 million USD

funding opportunities

Main USPs

Global urban-tech accelerator program, investing in early-stage start-ups in urban tech. URB team of partners consists of international experts who have a proven track record in scaling startups to success.

Programme details

The 2023 incubator is for Urban Tech start-ups in the following categories

ENERGY

WATER

FOOD

SMART TECH

WASTE

MOBILITY

BUILDING MATERIALS

The shortlist of the 2023 URB Incubator

ONDER - Digital energy services for decentralized power systems
VERNE – Redefining waterborne urban mobility
DELIVERED – Increasing wellbeing through omni-sensory experience
THRASOS 3D – 3D printing for a sustainable future
SMART OASIS FARM – Water-independent controlled environment farm
HILO EV – A new generation of premium e-scooters

Key dates

Submissions Closed
Shortlist announcement

11 September 2023
Winners announcement

18 October 2023

winner reveal will be at Future Urbanism Expo on October 18th live at the show!

Get Your Pass

Benefits

The URB network connects founders not just to investors but also to talent & industry experts to help realise their visions.

Every start-up will benefit from this scaling program which will increase their valuation rapidly. The program mentors start-ups to reach a competitive advantage & leadership position. URB has world-class resources for urban-tech development & a global network of partners to scale start-ups with proven fundraising success.

The incubator focuses on the people behind the innovations, thus providing entrepreneurs with more than just the financial capital needed to succeed. The Incubator provides operational & continuity of specialised support throughout a start-ups early stage lifecycle. URB team of partners consists of international experts who have a proven track record in scaling startups to success.

Seize the opportunity to participate in the upcoming incubator program

Meet the Team

Testimonials

“The incubator program at URB is perfect for us and we are really glad that we are the winners of this first cycle, and I think it will be a great opportunity to showcase our technology at a larger scale in collaboration with URB.”

Dr. Saeed Al Khazraji, MANHAT

I would like to recommend everybody to apply. We are very excited for what is going to come to us in the future, and I believe together and only together we can create sustainable cities, towns, neighbourhoods, streets & the whole world. JUST APPLY”

Urbanitarian

“The breadth of the submissions which tried to address some of the most critical challenges that our cities are facing, made it very thrilling to judge and to narrow down a shortlist. Beyond environmental challenges, it was encouraging to see that submissions tried to address social challenges to create more inclusive communities. The submissions clearly highlighted the wide range of opportunities & challenges that urban planners, architects and designers need to think about for creating more liveable and resilient cities. As such, the incubator for sustainable cities is an important initiative to foster and promote sustainability within the built environment.”

Phil Dunn, Senior Manager, Terra Pavilion at Expo City

“We are delighted to partner with URB in our shared vision of enabling cities that are smart, sustainable, and responsive to citizen needs. Anthill supports bold entrepreneurs in the urban technology space who have scaled immensely; in the past year Anthill has supported our urban tech portfolio to raise combined $14M in early stage funding, expand to two new geographies each, on average, and activate marquee clients across business and government. We are certain that our partnership with the URB incubator will result in further opportunities for path-breaking, global urban technologies to scale in India.”

URB INCUBATOR