The inaugural edition of SuperBridge Summit Dubai closed today at Dubai’s iconic Museum of the Future, with a focus on the opportunity presented by large infrastructure projects needed across Africa, how venture capital funds are navigating the evolving investment landscape, and the burgeoning prominence of digital assets and their pivotal role in shaping the future of the financial landscape.
In her opening remarks presented by an AI avatar video on the second morning, Vanessa Xu, Co-founder, SuperBridge Council and Executive Chairman & CIO, VS Partners reflected on the vision of SuperBridge, as a “platform to discover and celebrate forward looking practical solutions, that are spread across disciplines, geographies and perspectives”, and the success of the previous day. Afternoon sessions on the first day included a conversation on the ethics of AI with Dr.Hong Jiang Zhang, Advisor to the Beijing Academy of AI, a session on the practical real-world applications of AI which included insights from Henry Haijan He, Executive Director and CFO, Kingsoft Cloud; an Executive Panel on the future of urban living, including Dr. Chao Wang, Founder and CEO of Ambilight; and a fireside chat on unleashing sustainability innovation.
Xu then looked ahead to the agenda for the second day of “cutting-edge conversations on digital assets, venture capital, and frontier technologies and geographies that have the potential to reshape global markets”.
In a panel session titled ‘Africa’s Underrated Opportunity: Challenging Perceptions Through Partnerships’, ministers from Africa discussed the transformation of cities. Making life easier for everyday people across the continent was discussed by regional leaders including H.E. Dr. Sahar Nasr, former Minister of Investment and International Cooperation in Egypt, H.E. Dr. Ghita Mezzour Morocco Minister of Digital Transition and Administration Reform and H.E. Aurelie Adam Soule, Benin Minister of Digital Economy and Communications.
Sharif El-Badawi CEO of Dubai Future District Fund, Abdulrahman Al Jiffry, Partner of 500 Global, Dr. Bing Xiang, Founding Dean and Professor of China Business and Globalization of Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business then discussed the strategic approaches of VC funds for navigating the evolving investment landscape in a Panel titled ‘Global Investment Slowdown: Navigating Promising Sectors Executive Panel Discussion’, identifying promising investment opportunities and the key trends shaping investment decisions in today’s challenging landscape.
Sarah Cocker, CNBC TV anchor, moderated a high-level panel entitled titled ‘Scaling Ventures: Navigating Global Markets with VC Funds and Tech Accelerators’, with leading VC managers discussing exciting market expansions across the region. Noor Sweid, Managing Partner of Global Ventures, Ruby Lu, Managing Partner of Atypical Ventures, Seena Amidi, Managing Partner of Plug and Play, and Jack Selby, Managing Director of Thiel Capital, outlined funds and tech accelerators shaping the future of innovation with interesting insights on the forces to succeed in global economies.
The day and the Summit wrapped up with an interactive panel discussion led by Marcel Kasumovich, Deputy Chief Investment Officer for Coinbase Asset Management, focused on the digital assets unlocking potential in an evolving technological and regulatory landscape. Holding the power to revolutionise financial services, Marcel explained the pivotal role of digital assets to drive unprecedented opportunities for industries to enhance value delivery for customers.
A pioneering initiative by KAOUN International, a subsidiary of Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), and the SuperBridge Council, the SuperBridge Summit Dubai was held in partnership with the 43rd edition of GITEX Global, the world’s largest and most influential tech event hosted in Dubai, attracting 180,000 tech executives and investors from 180 countries.
The date and location of the next SuperBridge Summit will be announced soon; please follow www.superbridgedubai.com for further updates.
