6:48 pm - February 14, 2026
Dubai prepares for the expanded 2025 edition of its flagship tech event, unveiling new features focused on sustainability, advanced technology, and digital assets to cement its position as a global innovation hub.
Dubai is gearing up to host one of the world’s biggest and most influential gatherings of startups and investors — the Expand North Star 2025 event. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, it will take place from October 12 to 15 at Dubai Harbour. Organized by the Dubai World Trade Centre and hosted by the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, this year’s event plans to introduce five new major features, expanding its ecosystem and solidifying Dubai’s reputation as a global innovation hub under the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33).
This expanded lineup includes the launch of ScaleX, the Consumer Tech Zone, North Star Green Impact, the Deeptech MEA Summit, and the Digital Assets Forum. Each of these focuses on different sectors and growth opportunities within the tech landscape.
ScaleX, for one, is a flagship growth program aimed at shining a spotlight on 100 of the world’s fastest-growing tech companies. It’s a mix of virtual prep stages and impactful in-person exposure—designed to connect chosen scaleups with strategic partners and investors, helping them expand into the Middle East and beyond. Basically, this initiative responds to the need for pathways into new markets that can help promising firms grow faster and more broadly. According to the official event website, ScaleX hopes to be a catalyst in these companies’ global journeys by offering key resources and connections.
Meanwhile, the Consumer Tech Zone will highlight the latest tech innovations aimed at consumers. Think startups working on augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR), smart health devices, lifestyle gadgets, and connected products. These startups are supported by top accelerators, government innovation programs, and deep-tech hubs, showcasing cutting-edge tech ready for demos to a global crowd. This platform is meant to spark investor and partner engagement, giving a boost to consumer tech innovations.
One of the newer and more topical features is North Star Green Impact—a specific sustainability zone focusing on startups making headway in clean energy, water tech, sustainable mobility, and circular economy projects. Given the rapid growth of the climate-tech sector—noticeably a 40 percent increase in venture capital investments in MENA last year—this zone connects green-tech founders with impact investors, government bodies, and climate-focused partners. Its launch aligns with the region’s increasing push toward environmental innovation, tackling urgent climate change and sustainability issues head-on.
Notably, the Deeptech MEA Summit is also being introduced. It’s a high-profile platform centered on advanced tech fields like artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and robotics. The summit aims to bring together visionary entrepreneurs, researchers, tech leaders, and government officials—all working to spark innovation in these complex areas. The goal here is to overcome regional challenges through strategic partnerships and shared resources—building a thriving deep-tech ecosystem that involves academia, industry, and government sectors.
Another key addition is the Digital Assets Forum, where global experts will explore how blockchain, tokenization, and AI are changing the financial world. Topics on tap include central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), tokenized assets, and risk management—covering the major issues in the evolving landscape of digital finance. This highlights Dubai’s goal of positioning itself as a leader in digital finance innovation—a critical platform for knowledge-sharing among top industry minds.
Of course, the event is not just about new features. It’ll also include popular programs like the Supernova Challenge 2.0, which offers a $200,000 prize pool to motivate startup innovation. Additionally, the Corporate Arena, designed to foster collaboration between big companies and startups, and the Tech Transfer Innovation Forum will make a return. For younger entrepreneurs, programs like YouthX Unipreneur and Emaratipreneur remain key parts of the event, supporting the next wave of innovators.
Since its start in 2015, Expand North Star has gradually become a central part of Dubai’s broader economic diversification plan. It aligns with the D33 vision of transforming the emirate into a global hub for tech and innovation. The increased focus on deep tech, green initiatives, digital assets, and consumer tech reflects both global trends and regional ambitions for breakthrough technologies and sustainable solutions.
Industry insiders point out that the launch of North Star Green Impact is especially timely—particularly as the region accelerates efforts to meet tough climate goals. Dubai’s strategies are increasingly favoring green investments, and this event should help forge connections that speed up the development and deployment of environmental tech.
Overall, Expand North Star 2025 promises to be a landmark event for startups, investors, and tech leaders. It offers a wide range of opportunities for networking, collaboration, and growth. It’s a clear reflection of Dubai’s strategic plan to harness innovation for economic expansion and sustainability, not just within the Middle East but on a global scale.
Source: Noah Wire Services
- https://gulfbusiness.com/new-features-unveiled-for-expand-north-star-2025/ – Please view link – unable to able to access data
- https://gulfnews.com/business/dubai-announces-biggest-ever-expand-north-star-with-five-new-features-for-2025-edition-1.500276536 – Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy has announced five major new features for Expand North Star 2025, marking its 10th anniversary. The event, scheduled from October 12–15 at Dubai Harbour, will introduce ScaleX, Consumer Tech Zone, North Star Green Impact, Deeptech MEA Summit, and Digital Assets Forum. These additions aim to expand the event’s ecosystem, creating fresh opportunities for entrepreneurs, investors, and business leaders to connect, collaborate, and scale innovation. The article provides detailed insights into each feature and their objectives.
- https://www.expandnorthstar.com/scaleups – ScaleX is the official growth programme of Expand North Star Dubai 2025, spotlighting 100 of the world’s fastest-growing tech companies. Designed as a market access initiative, ScaleX combines virtual preparation with high-impact in-person exposure during the event. The selected scaleups will be connected with strategic partners and investors to support their expansion into the Middle East and global markets. The programme aims to accelerate the global journey of these companies by providing them with the necessary resources and connections.
- https://www.expandnorthstar.com/deeptech-mea-summit – The Deeptech MEA Summit serves as a premier platform for advanced technologies in the Middle East and Africa. It brings together visionary entrepreneurs, pioneering researchers, technology leaders, and forward-thinking government entities to drive innovation in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, robotics, and beyond. The initiative creates a thriving ecosystem where deep tech innovations can scale through regional challenges, strategic partnerships, and access to resources that accelerate impact across academia, industry, and public sector stakeholders.
- https://www.expandnorthstar.com/creative-economy – Expand North Star 2025 introduces the Consumer Tech Zone, a dedicated area showcasing startups in AR/VR hardware, smart health devices, lifestyle technology, and connected products. These demo-ready startups are backed by leading accelerators, government innovation programmes, and deep-tech hubs, representing the cutting edge of consumer technology. The zone aims to provide a platform for these startups to present their innovations to a global audience, fostering connections with potential investors and partners.
- https://www.expandnorthstar.com/green-impact – North Star Green Impact is the new sustainability zone at Expand North Star, spotlighting startups driving climate and environmental innovation. From clean energy and circular economy to water tech and sustainable mobility, this zone connects global green-tech founders with impact investors, government buyers, and climate-focused partners. The launch comes as the region’s climate-tech sector accelerates, buoyed by a 40% annual rise in venture capital funding in 2023. The initiative aims to foster collaboration and growth in the green-tech ecosystem.
- https://www.expandnorthstar.com/digital-assets-forum – The Digital Assets Forum will unite experts to discuss how blockchain, tokenisation, and AI are reshaping financial systems. Covering topics from central bank digital currencies to tokenised assets and risk management, the forum will explore opportunities and challenges within the rapidly evolving global financial infrastructure. The forum aims to provide a platform for in-depth discussions and knowledge sharing among global leaders in the digital assets space, addressing the most pressing issues defining the new era of global finance.
Noah Fact Check Pro
The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first
emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed
below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may
warrant further investigation.
Freshness check
Score:
10
Notes:
The narrative is current, dated September 22, 2025, and reports on recent announcements regarding the Expand North Star 2025 event. No evidence of recycled or outdated content was found. The event is scheduled for October 12–15, 2025, at Dubai Harbour, marking its 10th anniversary. ([gulfbusiness.com](https://gulfbusiness.com/new-features-unveiled-for-expand-north-star-2025/?utm_source=openai))
Quotes check
Score:
10
Notes:
The narrative does not contain any direct quotes.
Source reliability
Score:
10
Notes:
The narrative originates from Gulf Business, a reputable news outlet known for its coverage of business and economic developments in the Middle East. This adds credibility to the information presented. ([gulfbusiness.com](https://gulfbusiness.com/new-features-unveiled-for-expand-north-star-2025/?utm_source=openai))
Plausability check
Score:
10
Notes:
The claims about the new features of Expand North Star 2025—ScaleX, Consumer Tech Zone, North Star Green Impact, Deeptech MEA Summit, and Digital Assets Forum—are consistent with other reputable sources. For instance, Gulf News reported on these additions on September 20, 2025. ([gulfnews.com](https://gulfnews.com/business/dubai-announces-biggest-ever-expand-north-star-with-five-new-features-for-2025-edition-1.500276536?utm_source=openai)) The narrative aligns with Dubai’s strategic initiatives to position itself as a global hub for innovation and technology.
Overall assessment
Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): PASS
Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): HIGH
Summary:
The narrative is current, originates from a reputable source, and presents information consistent with other reputable outlets. No signs of disinformation or recycled content were found.
