Many multinational companies as well as established small and medium businesses, take up the bulk of floors pace at the Gitex technology exhibition in Dubai. But Prashant K Gulati, the mentoring director and past president of the Middle East chapter at TiE (formerly The Indus Entrepreneurs), explains why he also helped carve out a little room for budding entrepreneurs.
TiE is a global not-for-profit that provides business mentoring as well as funding opportunities to entrepreneurs. Why did you also try to reserve some space for them at Gitex?
We understand start-ups have no chance exhibiting here.
Because of the costs?
Because [the show is] the most successful. Let's be fair. They have a right to ask for a certain price. Everybody wants to be here. At this point in time, we also understand that start-ups can't afford it, so we did a deal with Gitex.
How so?
We used our Rolodexes to get them a conference [on mobile apps and content] for free. Because this hall was new, nobody would come here, so we actually brought the footfall and they sold more square feet because of that. In return, they [Gitex] gave us some [space].
You've put together a lounge for entrepreneurs, which obviously helps them with networking but also gives them a space to present some of their services. How else does this 80-square-metre spot aim to assist them?
Every day we have start-ups that come in, pitch, get mentored and meet possible investors. We have Intel Capital, for example, helping us mentor. They tell [entrepreneurs] how to pitch, how to build the company, which direction to take and this kind of stuff. Usually we give them an hour, but sometimes they sit for two hours. If they want, they can continue it afterwards.
How has the state of entrepreneurship changed in the Emirates since you helped open TiE in Dubai nearly a decade ago?
It's changed. One: it's become fashionable to talk about entrepreneurship. Before that we'd have to explain to people what entrepreneurship was. It's not that people didn't have entrepreneurship before; Dubai was built on entrepreneurship … But over time, we believe we need to add more and more people, otherwise you cannot succeed.
And what state is the sector in today?
There's a lot to be done. I personally believe we have our work cut out, because first of all we don't have a very long history. There's also very few educational institutions. We don't have a great educational background. Third is there's a very large portion of people here who are expats, so they tend to come from other places and don't have roots in the ground. But if we look around, the majority of companies are small companies, so we need to support them.
* Neil Parmar
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Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
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Umtiti (8'), Griezmann (29' pen), Dembele (63')
Italy 1
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What is graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
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Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
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Rating: ****
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