Expand North Star concluded with Korea’s AIM Intelligence claiming first place in the Supernova Challenge 2.0
- Once again, the UAE hosted the world’s leading tech visionaries, investors and startups as Expand North Star concludes its milestone 10th edition
- The world’s largest startup and investment connector event witnessed the 10 Supernova Challenge 2.0 entrants pitch their startups live on stage at Dubai Harbour
- Korean AI security startup AIM Intelligence won the US$100,000 top prize, with Chucao Technology Consultants, and Aerialoop named runners up
Expand North Star, the world’s largest startup and investor event, as part of GITEX GLOBAL, concluded today at Dubai Harbour. Attendees witnessed Korea’s AIM Intelligence win the Supernova Challenge 2.0, with Chucao Technology Consultants (Chile), and Aerialoop (Ecuador) placing second and third, respectively.
Showcasing the final 10 groundbreaking innovations from across the globe, and with a total prize pool of US$300,000, the Supernova Challenge 2.0 drew large international participation, highlighting the UAE’s position as a global hub for tech entrepreneurship.
Wrapping up today, the landmark 10th edition of Expand North Star’s comprehensive four-day programme has attracted 2,000 exhibiting startups and more than 1,200 investors, with assets under management (AUM) exceeding US$1.1 trillion.
AIM Intelligence Triumphs in Supernova Challenge 2.0 Grand Finale
In a thrilling display of innovation, Korean startup AIM Intelligence beat the nine other finalists during the Grand Finale of today’s competition, clinching the top prize of $100,000. This groundbreaking AI security company is focused on making generative AI safe and reliable.
Recognised by Meta, Anthropic, and global accelerators, its mission is to set the global standard for AI reliability and lead the future of Physical AI Safety, securing both digital models and embodied AI systems.
Speaking after their decisive win, Haon Park, Co-Founder of AIM Intelligence, shared his vision for how this significant achievement will accelerate the company’s growth, saying: “We are absolutely honoured and excited to receive the first-place award. As an AI security and safety company, we are solving a very frontier challenge. We have a lot of clients in Korea, but now we are expanding globally, and through the Supernova Challenge 2.0, we will be able to expand into the Middle Eastern region. That means we need the talent, and we need the resources, so this prize money is important.”
Chucao Technology Consultants from Chile secured second place, winning $50,000 for its innovative patented nanometal injector that boosts mineral recovery in leaching and flotation, achieving up to 7.3% higher gold recovery in pilot tests with top mining companies.
Meanwhile, Aerialoop from Ecuador claimed the third-place prize of $25,000. Its cutting-edge unmanned aerial vehicles solutions have already helped build Latin America’s largest drone network.
10 Years, 6 Winners, 1 Stage: An Entrepreneurial Legacy
Expand North Star today hosted a special session featuring previous winners of the Supernova Challenge 2.0. Celebrating a decade of innovation, this panel united six former competition winners on stage. These trailblazing founders from Brazil, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, the UAE, and the UK, shared how $100,000 in equity-free capital shaped their journeys, and revealed their wins, global exposure, challenges, lessons, and resilience to inspire the next wave of global startups.
“For us, winning the Supernova Challenge 2.0 helped accelerate trust in the market and, because we primarily sell to public sector and enterprise organisations, trust is incredibly important. This takes a long time to build, but by winning Supernova Challenge 2.0, it accelerated this project and we’ve managed to secure clients in the region, and also here in Dubai with Dubai government, so it was critical for us,” said Alp Katalan, MENA Commercial Lead of Desolenator – an innovative modular tech water desalination company that won the top prize in 2022.
Meanwhile Simon Gordon, CCO of Accredify, a Singaporean startup that authenticates cross-platform credentials, said winning the Supernova Challenge 2.0 in 2023 helped accelerate brand recognition: “GITEX and, obviously the Supernova Challenge 2.0, is one of the most renowned competitions in the region, so it really helped to put our name out there. It was a stamp of approval that helped us work with some key customers over here.”
New Fund Launched to Support Home-Grown Ventures
Crescent Enterprises launched a AED 250 million investment programme to build home-grown ventures with global potential at Expand North Star. Crescent Enterprises announced it is scaling CE-Creates, its venture-building platform, with fresh capital and new leadership. Badr Jafar, CEO of Crescent Enterprises, said of the fund launch: “The UAE has become a launchpad for serious builders, and our collective vision is for the country to be known as the start-up capital of the world. With CE-Creates, our venture building platform, we’re helping entrepreneurs convert purpose into performance – locally proven, globally competitive.”
Industry Impact of Expand North Star
As Expand North Star drew to a close, some of the leading tech disruptors, visionaries and investors reflected on the impact of the UAE’s tech-friendly environment and the show’s landmark 10th edition.
Jayesh Patel, the CEO of Wio, said the UAE offers a fantastic environment for tech entrepreneurs to accelerate their scaling prospects. “I think we are blessed to be in an ecosystem where the government builds a lot of capabilities, which we consume, that help us grow. The place is buzzing. There’s a tonne of people moving here, and local new businesses starting. So, we are in an incredibly positive environment. And I think, for the next 10 years, I see hyper growth in the UAE,” he said.
Following the launch of its Presight AI-Startup Accelerator at Expand North Star in 2024, Presight has received 120 applications from AI startups from around the world looking to be part of its accelerator. “This has reinforced for us that Expand North Star is where ideas turn into deals. It’s a place for serious founders to connect with capital, partners, and the momentum to grow. This is a perfect platform for the Presight AI-Startup Accelerator,” said Magzhan Kenesbai, the company’s Chief Growth Officer.
Digital Asset Forum panellist, Lucy Gazmararian, is also the Founder & Managing Partner of Token Bay Capital. She believes what makes Expand North Star so special is the focus on technology. She said: “ Expand North Star has brought together all the crypto people so that everyone can really have meaningful connections because we’re all in the same space. It is that concentration of talent, investors, startups, government bodies, and regulators, all coming together from all around the world that makes it unique. This is a global event, making it very impactful opportunity for everyone to participate and be a part of that.”
