AIBC Dubai 2022: Top 6 highlights of an Emerging Tech Success Story

From Cross the Age’s fantastic display to the heart pounding Pitch competition, Dubai’s Summit had something for everyone and received acclaim from the global emerging tech community

AIBC Asia hit the ground running with Day 1 seeing over 9000 delegates, speakers, investors and entrepreneurs registering and populating our expo floor and panel stage with some of the leading figures in the emerging tech space.

Between the three conference stages, stellar VIP lounges and even the live Esports Tournament, our lucky delegates were spoiled for choice when it came to how to spend their time, represent their business interests or learn more about an ever evolving space. While we would be hard-pressed to highlight all of the most exciting moments of the Summit, you can find a list of the top 6 attractions below to freshen up your memory and whet your appetite for Toronto.

6.) The AIBC Awards and Charity Drive

Sponsored by My Liquidity Partner and the Ruby Family Foundation while being celebrated to the tune of soulful jazz and the colourful aerial dancers of the Al Baraha Ballroom, the Awards Night provided the best and brightest of the emerging industry with a stage and spotlight to celebrate their achievements. From the VC of the year to project with the most significant social impact, the Awards kept delegates on the edge of their seats and awarded the movers and shakers edging the industry towards mass adoption.

Ending on a very humanitarian note, the Charity Auction saw the crowded room bid over a series of three art pieces with the proceeds going towards the SiGMA Group’s charitable arm, the SiGMA Foundation. With even the highest echelons of Dubai’s society participating, the auction saw €31,500 being raised towards charitable causes with the Foundation having an active presence in the Developing World.

The auctioned items were:

Derek Mason’s Nano(cellulose) which sold for 13 thousand dollars.

The Bitskull of Mary Crawley NFT by Gnonevil which sold for 11 thousand dollars.

Finally, Look Over by Red and Zoow24 sold for 7.5 thousand dollars.

5.) AIBC Pitch

Pitting some of the most innovative and passionate projects in the emerging crypto-space against each other, the AIBC Pitch saw pioneering entrepreneurs compete for the grand prize of up to $500,000 dollars worth of equity investment as well as a suite of other benefits.

While the sheer potential of a number of these projects was beyond palatable, Hussain Nikkar from NSAtech took home the grand prize through his pioneering combination of frontier tech and sports.

Elaborating on his win, Nikkar stated that;

I’m really excited to be here, it’s a really good atmosphere. I would like to thank the AIBC team for choosing me as the winner. I have met many new people and made so many new connections here, this event was amazing.

We are not in competition with other companies. We would love to make close connections leading up to friendships because we know and understand that in this market when you connect and combine as in partnership with a good network, you can easily improve and promote yourself. We are looking forward to this.

4.) Cross the Ages exhibition

Taking the stages and Awards by storm with a mixture of costumed warriors, live displays and deep discussions on the past, present and future of the gaming industry, Cross the Ages’ first debut at AIBC was a stunning success. Through the perfect balance between showmanship and industry insight, the CTA team left their mark on the GameFi and Emerging Tech community as a whole.

3.) Investors Breakfast

Building the future of the industry during the most important meal of the day, the AIBC Investor’s Breakfast gave entrepreneurs the opportunity to pitch their ideas to a panel of well-fed investors with Akon himself involved, who himself was focusing of impact investment in Africa itself.

Groundbreaking projects such as IoTeX, Aetherius, Astra Metaverse and more participated in this landmark opportunity to display their potential to a board of investors with opportunities for synergy and support to follow.

2.) GameFi: the future of online gaming and beyond

At the nexus of DeFi, NFTs and the gaming industry, GameFi has been taking the emerging tech world by storm, attracting the best talent from the orthodox gaming world and creating new and innovative business models such as Play-to-Earn (P2E.)

Always at the bleeding edge of innovation, GameFi had a solid presence when it came to the AIBC Summit as a whole. This included an exclusive Pitch contest sponsored by Seedify and a stage for the best and brightest of the sector to illustrate its future moving forward.

Coming ahead of the pack when it came to the Pitch, DeepMine’s brilliant artwork and dark, brooding atmosphere took home the grand prize as the Sci-Fi Metaverse strategy game of the future. In a surprising turn of events, their presentation impressed the panel of judges so much that Bijan Alizadeh, founder of Cypher Capital and judge, broke ranks to offer $200,000 of personal investment on top of the $500,000 equity investment provided by the prize.

The stage hosted pioneers within the Metaverse such as Dr. Kim Nevelsteen, Frank Fitzgerald, Niko De Jonghe and more who elaborated on the exciting future that the next generation of digital networks had.

1.) Thought-leadership from the industrial leaders of today and tomorrow

The AIBC Summit is first and foremost a community of technologists, visionaries, entrepreneurs, investors and innovators. Therefore, the AIBC Stage platformed some of the most important discussions in the macrocosm that is the nascent but revolutionary industry of deep tech.

Involving brilliant minds such as Ben Goerztel, Lars Rinnan, Loretta Joseph, Dr. Jane Thomason and many many more, the many panels of the event covered vital aspects of this emerging industry such as the role of Blockchain in the developing of a sustainable economy, how Regulation can be adapted for a decentralized world, the UAE’s place in world beyond the Fourth Industrial Revolution, how Artificial Intelligence can empower instead of dominate the human race and so much more.

Planning to stay at the forefront of tomorrow’s economy? Join us for our next AIBC Summit at Toronto in June. Our Early Bird tickets are already available for a limited time offer.