Marking its Kuwaiti debut, ArabNet is coming to Kuwait on October fourth and fifth to host a 2-day conference focused on the Kuwaiti and GCC market with the purpose of highlighting local trends, opportunities, startups and rising stars.
After the announcement of the $7 billion Kuwait National Fund for SMEs in 2013, the market has witnessed a surge in entrepreneurship support and institutions: funds, co-working spaces, and angels investors. This was further inspired by the $170 million acquisition of Kuwait’s Talabat.com, which marks the largest regional exit since Yahoo! Maktoob in 2009. ArabNet Kuwait will host the leading investors and stakeholders driving digital entrepreneurship in Kuwait and the MENA region; the Startup Demo and Ideathon competitions; as well as workshops targeted toward startup founders to boost their business.
The Kuwaiti ecommerce market was estimated at $1.26 billion in 2015 according to Payfort. Coupled with high GDP and a 91% Internet Penetration Rate, the opportunity for growth of online goods and service providers, as well as mobile transactions, is very high. ArabNet Kuwait will focus on trends and opportunities in ecommerce, omni-channel retail, online payments, digital banking and business transformation.
Social Media penetration in Kuwait is at 96% (one of the highest globally) leading in the MENA region on platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram. Kuwait is also home to the GCC’s most affluent online influencers. ArabNet Kuwait looks to highlight Social Media platforms and trends, native and programmatic advertising and video content, through panel discussions, workshops and the OMD academy.
The 2-day conference will consist of the TechFair, an exhibition area for leading digital companies and rising startups to connect, in addition to a full day of keynotes and panels covering digital media topics focused on technology in media and advertising influencers, brands and new age marketing; eBusiness topics will cover mobile enterprise, digital banking, and the state of ecommerce in Kuwait. Topics that will be also discussed related to technology include the latest hardware technology and innovations, retail mobile platforms and gaming, in addition to the landscape of entrepreneurs’ supporters in Kuwait.
ArabNet Kuwait will also hold a full day of workshops and discussions on parallel tracks dedicated to entrepreneurs and marketers. The workshops will focus on building skills and expertise, in addition to delving into the latest and hottest topics in media and entrepreneurship with market leaders.
Furthermore, two competitions will be held at ArabNet Kuwait. The first being the Ideathon competition for entrepreneurs with innovative digital ideas that have not yet been built, giving them the opportunity to turn their ideas into reality. The Startup Demo arrives as the second competition, and it is aimed at entrepreneurs with innovative digital young startups that are less than two years old, giving them the opportunity to showcase their company and network with investors and media outlets alike.
Sponsored by the renowned media agency OMD, Talabat.com, and others, ArabNet Kuwait features insights from speakers including Abdulla Elyas, co-founder and MD, Careem; Dany Farha, co-founder and CEO, BECO Capital; and Ihsan Jawad, Managing Partner, Middle East Venture Partners to name a few. The jury for the startup competitions includes Ramez Mohamed, CEO, Flat6Labs; Fares Ghandour, Partner, Wamda Capital and other investors.
Startups looking to compete in the Startup Demo challenge, and/or to know more and/or apply for Ideathon, head to: www.arabnet.me/conference/kuwait.
For more information and to book your space at ArabNet Kuwait, visit www.arabnet.me.
