The Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development (KFED) declared that the registration for the third edition of the Pitch@Palace UAE rivalry has now been stretched to August 20, 2019. The competition will furnish Emirati entrepreneurs with an opportunity to pitch their innovative projects before a global audience in Abu Dhabi.

Mouza Al Nasri, Acting Chief Executive Officer, Khalifa Fund, underlined the significance of the Pitch@Palace UAE competition, which was launched in November 2016 in the presence of H.H. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and His Royal Highness Prince Andrew, Duke of York. She said that the competition intends to nurture the spirit of entrepreneurship in the UAE, especially among young people, and to create a new generation of Emirati entrepreneurs for the socio-economic progress of Abu Dhabi and the UAE, and that the Fund bolsters all initiatives that fall in accordance with its commitment to urge UAE citizens to become entrepreneurs and owners of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) capable of contributing to the growing national economy.

Al Nasri stated: We welcome Emirati innovators and entrepreneurs to participate in the third edition of Pitch@Palace UAE. This is their golden opportunity to turn their ideas into a reality and make their businesses successful. The competition has played a key role in reinforcing startups companies and SMEs in the UAE. It is a beginning stage for ambitious Emirati youth to display their projects before a global audience of influential personalities, who can help them, achieve global progress and congruity.

Pitch@Palace UAE is organized by Khalifa Fund in collaboration with the office of H.R.H Prince Andrew, Duke of York. It plans to impart a culture of innovation as well as support the Emirati youth in their adventure towards progress and leadership under the guidance of the UAEs wise initiative.

The competition is open to all Emirati entrepreneurs. The participating teams must comprise at least one UAE national, who will showcase the teams project to a select group of judges. The theme of this years competition is Technology Serving Humans, which highlights the importance of science and technology. Participants are encouraged to explore the potentials of technology such as robotics, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence in providing solutions to peoples daily lives.

The first round of the competitions On-Tour events will take place in Abu Dhabi on September 16, 2019 while the second round will be held on September 18, 2019 in Dubai. A boot camp for the qualified participants will be held for two consecutive days from October 6 to 7, 2019 while the closing ceremony of the competition will be held on October 9, 2019. Government officials and local and international economic experts are expected to attend the closing ceremony. The third edition of Pitch@Palace UAE will open new communication channels between the UAE and several other major global markets. The winners of this years edition will participate in the fourth edition of Pitch@Palace Global to be held at St Jamess Palace in December 2019.

The highly successful first and second editions of Pitch@Palace UAE received a total of 276 combined entries, 145 of which were accepted. Over the past two years, 110 Emirati entrepreneurs took part in the competitions On Tour events in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, while owners of 26 innovative projects qualified to the boot camp stage and were named finalists. Four Emirati entrepreneurs in the first and second editions showcased their prominent projects at Pitch@Palace Global in London. They were Faraj Al Faraj, owner of Brailleye project; Mansour Al Kaabi, developer of Dwak application; Saif Al Darmaki, owner of Artelus Software House company; and Abdulla Al Shimmari, founder of Foodate company.

To register or see more information, visit http://pitchatpalaceuae.com.