The Kauffman Fellowship summit is set to commence tomorrow in Dubai, as the emirate fortifies its reputation for convening the world’s top talent to power a knowledge-based economy.

Held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, the summit will run until 12th February 2020.

Hosting the summit comes as part of the recently announced Dubai Future District, an initiative launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, which seeks to support Dubai’s economy through various projects including the provision of a dedicated fund to promising startups and entrepreneurs.

Marking its 25th anniversary, the annual Kauffman Fellowship Summit is set to gather 300 global entrepreneurs, investors and venture capitalists from over 30 different countries to develop a global network and discuss the innovation, business collaboration and investment climate of the Middle East and the UAE.

Starting from Monday, the event will feature keynotes, panels, workshops, networking events, and peer-to-peer learning sessions for fellows to discuss ways to ignite economic growth through innovative enterprise in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, 4IR.

Founded in 1995 by American pharmaceutical entrepreneur Ewing Marion Kauffman, the Kauffman Fellows Programme is a two-year venture capital fellowship which today boasts 589 fellows across 46 countries, and who have collectively overseen 7,700 deals since the programme’s inception. One hundred firms have been founded by Kauffman Fellows.

As Dubai cements it position as a knowledge-based economy, home to a thriving start-up scene fostered by DFF’s new economy-focused initiatives, hosting one of the world’s most revered venture capitalist programmes stands to advance the emirate’s economic competitiveness and attractiveness to a range of global players with a proven eye for enterprise and entrepreneurship.