Less than two weeks until STEP 2019 – the largest tech-conference in the Middle East! Are you excited?! Because we surely can’t wait for it! Got your discounted tickets? We’re also happy to mention (and low-key brag), that Startup MGZN is a media partner with STEP!
As you probably know, this year, STEP 2019 will be held on February 13th and 14th, at Dubai Internet City, and they’ve got some amazing activities lined up for you! STEP 2019 will include 4 conferences, fireside sessions, debates, pitching competition for startups, Volkswagen mobility challenge, and a lot more! And let’s not forget – influential figures. The festival can’t be complete without prominent speakers and experts from all around the world, can it?
This is why we took it upon ourselves to list you with some of the influential speakers that we look forward to at STEP 2019. Here they are:
- Ali Jaber – Famously known for being a judge at “Arabs Got Talent”, Ali Jaber is a Dean, Mohammed bin Rashid School of Communication at American University of Dubai (AUD) Group TV Director, Middle East Broadcasting Corporation, MBC. Ali has built a television station, consulted for Dubai Media Incorporated’s revamp of satellite channels, and is now in charge of MBC’s 13 television channels. Ali Jaber will be present at the STEP Digital conference, so make sure you catch him up!
- Mona Ataya – CEO and Co-Founder of Mumzworld.com, Mona is one of the most inspiring women in the Middle East. A proud mum of 3 and ranked on the Middle East’s 100 Most Powerful Arabs, Mona managed to grow Mumzworld from a business plan on paper to a brand reaching 2.5 million mothers across the region. Mumzworld is the leading e-commerce platform for mothers to shop for their babies and children in the Middle East. Mrs. Ataya will be present at STEP Start.
- Sharif El-badawi – Partner at 500 Startups, Sharif manages 500 Startups’ MENA fund, focusing on seed stage investments. He’s also the Chairman of TechWadi, where helps connect MENA startups with Silicon Valley. Sharif was previously the Partner Lead to VCs and Startups at Google where he worked with top tier VCs. In addition, he joined AdMob, where he led performance advertising strategy for Google’s largest customers in North America covering Mobile, Search and Display ads. He’ll be present at STEP Start.
- Dr. Sana Farid – A Bahraini pioneer in Healthtech, X Reality, and Artificial Intelligence, Healthcare Futurist, and an avid researcher that’s determined to use future tech solutions for societal well-being. Dr. Sana also has a background in Surgery and Simulation training where has contributed to renowned universities such as RCSI, Stanford, and Oxford. She will be present at the STEP X conference.
- Jon Richards – Co-Founder and CEO of yallacompare, the Middle East’s leading comparison site. Jon has been an entrepreneur from an early age, and is a master of digital marketing and a keen follower of financial technology developments. He’ll be at the STEP Start Conference.
- Mustafa Shamseldin – Vice President of PepsiCo for the MENA, Mustafa has more than 20 years of sales, marketing, and general management experience in both small and mutl-billion dollar businesses in more than 20 countries across the Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey. He previously worked in various different companies including Procter & Gamble, Henker, and Americana Foods. If you’re interested in knowing more about him, he’ll be at the STEP Digital conference.
- Amr Awadallah – Co-Founder and CTO of Cloudera, Amr was previously the Vice President of Product Intelligence Engineering at Yahoo! And ran one of the very first organizations to use Hadoop for data analysis and business intelligence. Amr Awadallah will be there at the STEP X conference.
- Jenny Zeng – MSA Capital Managing Partner with 18+ years of experience in the Chinese VC industry and also the organizer of the first series of Angel Investing events which pioneered the concept of angel investing in China. She was also the founding Executive Director of the China Venture Capital Association in 2002, and in 2004 she founded one of the first Financial Advisory firms in China called Maple Valley.Jenny Zeng will be at the STEP Start conference.
- Tammer Qaddumi – Founding Partner of VentureSouq, with more than 7 years in the venture capital space, working with assets valued over $3 billion. Tammer previously worked with the Office of Presidential Personnel at the White House in Washington, D.C. amongst other key roles at UBS & HSBC in New York and Dubai. Tammer will be present at SEP Start.
- Helen Al Uzaizi – CEO of BizWorld UAE, Egypt, and Jordan, Helen is an established businesswoman and an active community member working with children and refugees. She has over 17 years of experience in nonprofit management, social development, and fundraising and marketing. She’s also the Founder of Future Entrepreneurs, a platform that aims to empower youth entrepreneurs in the MENA. Helen will be at the STEP Start Conference.
Of course there are way more awesome speakers that will be there at STEP 2019, you can check out the full list here.
Hurry up and get your tickets though, we heard they’re on sale!
Make sure you check out STEP’s Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to be up to date with their awesome announcements.
And don’t forget to follow @startupmgzn on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for the full live coverage of STEP 2019!