Startups from around the globe come to be mentored, learn to be business savvy

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 13 September 2015: TURN8, the successful seed accelerator initiative founded by DP World that encourages entrepreneurship and innovation has selected nine new startups for investment as part of round five of its programme

Some 23 startup companies at a market value of US $30 million have been established since the beginning of Turn8. The latest round follows a selection process to identify startups that have a promising business concept and who have had some experience testing the market. The international reach covers global markets with participants from the UAE (Dubai), Spain, Russia and Chile, the first South American startup applicant.

Yousif Al-Mutawa, Chief Information Officer at DP World, said: "This latest round reinforces the international flavor of the programme and proves that innovation is a global phenomenon. We are delighted to welcome the new applicants to Dubai, which once again is demonstrating its commitment to innovation in line with the vision of our leaders. DP World continues to take an active interest in establishing a culture of innovation in the UAE and Turn8 is a premier example of that effort."

Teams have already been flown down to Dubai and will soon begin the four-month mentorship programme to refine their business idea and gain practical training on how to run a successful enterprise backed by seed funding of US $30,000 to help them develop their projects. 

The start-up companies that were chosen for TURN8 round five are:

  • SaveSpace (Dubai) - Offers local pick up/drop off of boxes to customers for storing their belongings.

  • MedicSen (Spain) - A system designed for the intelligent and integrated treatment of insulin dependent diabetes mellitus.

  • FairFare (Kazakhstan) - Helps service consumers in uncovering concealed prices by means of peer-to-peer information sharing.

  • Mytriphoto (Chile) - Allows hotels to reach potential customers organically, improve online reputation and promote new sales with self-service photography

  • Rewardial (Romania) - A blogging outreach and user engagement platform

  • RealEye (Russia) - A mobile app that enables users to create their own route maps in cities between sites.

  • MakersBuilders (Dubai) - The first educational institute of its kind in the Middle East, aiming to become the leading provider of technology education for children and teenagers.

  • Foodiac (Finland) - A marketplace for private chefs and high-end catering.

  • 909Music (Dubai) - An online music library dedicated to licensing, producing and providing modern day, cutting-edge, quality rich music for media and avid music listeners worldwide.

TURN8 is a technology startup accelerator launched by DP World in 2013 to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship globally. Teams are selected from dozens of hopefuls that pitch their ideas at TURN8 events and via an online application.

-Ends- 

For media enquiries please contact:
Turn8
Asiya Shakirova
+971 4 319 7645
contact@turn8.co

Sanaa Maadad
Media Manager
DP World
Tel: +97150 5522610
sana.maadad@dpworld.com

Mike Vertigans
Communications Manager
DP World
Tel: +97156 6769324
michael.vertigans@dpworld.com

About DP World:
DP World has a portfolio of more than 65 marine terminals across six continents (1), including new developments underway in India, Africa, Europe and the Middle East.

Container handling is the company's core business and generates more than three quarters of its revenue. In 2014, DP World handled 60 million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent container units).  With its committed pipeline of developments and expansions, capacity is expected to rise to more than 100 million TEU by 2020, in line with market demand.

DP World has a dedicated, experienced and professional team of over 36,000 people serving its customers around the world, and the company constantly invests in terminal infrastructure, facilities and people to provide quality services today and tomorrow, when and where customers need them.

In taking this customer-centric approach, DP World is building on the established relationships and superior level of service demonstrated at its flagship Jebel Ali facility in Dubai, which has been voted "Best Seaport in the Middle East" for 20 consecutive years.

www.dpworld.com

(1)   As of March 2015

About TURN8
TURN8 is a seed accelerator program organized by DP World and powered by Innovation 360. The programme is designed to encourage innovative entrepreneurship worldwide, starting with Dubai. TURN8 seeks ingenious ideas that can be refined and brought to market through a 120-day seed accelerator. Visit www.turn8.co

© Press Release 2015