Nicholas Kee, from Kee Farms, pitching at the Expo live Innovation event at Expo City Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
Nicholas Kee, from Kee Farms, pitching at the Expo live Innovation event at Expo City Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
Nicholas Kee, from Kee Farms, pitching at the Expo live Innovation event at Expo City Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
Nicholas Kee, from Kee Farms, pitching at the Expo live Innovation event at Expo City Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Climate start-ups compete in Dubai for $50,000 Expo Live Innovation grant


Anjana Sankar
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More than 40 climate start-ups are competing for $50,000 in funding offered by the Expo Live Innovation programme.

The event, which kicked off on Wednesday at Expo City in Dubai and ends on Friday, attracted innovators from countries all over the world including Nepal, Germany, French Polynesia, Tunisia, India and Brazil.

Each candidate has 15 minutes to deliver their ideas to a judging panel during a three-day pitching event at Terra, the Sustainability Pavilion at Expo.

They will address environmental challenges such as deforestation, biodiversity depletion and global warming.

Winners will be awarded a $50,000 grant to develop their projects, accompanied by valuable technical guidance along with the opportunity to display their work at Cop28, which is being held at Expo City Dubai this year.

Yousuf Caires, executive director of the Expo Live Innovation programme says he wants all participants to win. Chris Whiteoak / The National
Yousuf Caires, executive director of the Expo Live Innovation programme says he wants all participants to win. Chris Whiteoak / The National

"We want anyone with a solid solution that will transform communities and address the climate crisis to win," Yousuf Caires, executive director of Expo Live Innovation, told The National.

"The $50,000 will be a game changer for them."

Mr Caires emphasised that the diverse range of competing companies illustrates how climate change is a priority for innovators.

"It is clear that it is not just countries discussing climate change," he said. "Those directly affected by it are actively seeking tangible solutions."

This year the Expo grant is uniquely linked to Cop28 and will open doors for the competing companies to exhibit their projects and forge connections with other foundations and investors.

The funding will also allow them to make lasting contributions to the fight against climate change.

Measuring biodiversity value

Endangered Wildlife, a software company from Estonia, is one of the companies that pitched to judges on the opening day of the event.

The company's aim is to combat the climate crisis by assigning a financial value to individual biodiversity species through its software, Biodiversity Valuator.

With a unique and protected methodology, the software calculates the biodiversity value based on the species' location.

Shana Vida Gavron, chief executive of Endangered Wildlife, pitching at the Expo City Dubai event on Wednesday. Chris Whiteoak / The National
Shana Vida Gavron, chief executive of Endangered Wildlife, pitching at the Expo City Dubai event on Wednesday. Chris Whiteoak / The National

"We cannot address the climate crisis without saving our biodiversity," Shana Vida Gavron, chief executive of Endangered Wildlife, told The National.

She said that their software had calculated the biodiversity value of the Arabian oryx in the UAE at €81 million ($22.05) and that of the ghaf tree at €77 million.

"These concrete figures make it easier for sustainability reporting and integration of biodiversity into decision-making processes," she said.

"Winning the Expo grant would enable the company to expand our database – incorporating data for thousands of species from around the world."

Tree planting in Nepal

The Green Alliance is another start-up competing for the $50,000 prize.

The Dutch company, which focuses on planting trees in Nepal to restore landscapes, has an ambitious plan that involves planting 10,000 trees on 20 hectares of land and training 2,400 farmers.

But the company's plan extends beyond reforestation.

Matthijs van Rijn, co-founder and director of The Green Alliance, told The National that they are committed to empowering communities.

"We help people plant and take care of fruit-bearing trees that communities can harvest," he said.

If the company secures the Expo grant, Mr Van Rijn said his goal is to develop a user-friendly app that allows for tree registration using pictures and GPS co-ordinates.

"The app will serve as a vital tool to connect with farmers in remote areas, and advise them in taking care of the plants as well as give them financial stimuli for doing it," he said.

Among other companies vying for the $50,000 prize money is German company BioConsult, which aims to map the whale population using high-resolution satellite imagery of oceans to identify biodiversity loss in the oceans, and Tunisia-based Ecobees that offers solutions for remote monitoring of beehives.

The Expo Live Innovation programme received 430 applications and 43 start-ups from 37 countries made the shortlist.

The winners will be announced in the next two weeks.

Expo funds global projects - in pictures

  • Ignitia provides easily accessible, highly accurate weather forecasts to small-scale farmers in the tropics, so they can make more informed agricultural decisions. Photo: Expo 2020 Dubai
    Ignitia provides easily accessible, highly accurate weather forecasts to small-scale farmers in the tropics, so they can make more informed agricultural decisions. Photo: Expo 2020 Dubai
  • Ignitia aims to become West Africa's go-to provider of tropical weather forecasting services. Photo: Ignitia
    Ignitia aims to become West Africa's go-to provider of tropical weather forecasting services. Photo: Ignitia
  • Ignitia is one of 140 projects to receive a grant from Expo 2020 Dubai under the Expo Live programme. Photo: Expo 2020 Dubai
    Ignitia is one of 140 projects to receive a grant from Expo 2020 Dubai under the Expo Live programme. Photo: Expo 2020 Dubai
  • Farmers are given smartphones with the Ignitia app downloaded to monitor weather patterns. Photo: Ignitia
    Farmers are given smartphones with the Ignitia app downloaded to monitor weather patterns. Photo: Ignitia
  • Created in Sweden, Ignitia is now used by farmers in Ghana and Nigeria. Photo: Ignitia
    Created in Sweden, Ignitia is now used by farmers in Ghana and Nigeria. Photo: Ignitia
  • Ignitia provides farmers a 48-hour weather forecast by text message. Photo: Ignitia
    Ignitia provides farmers a 48-hour weather forecast by text message. Photo: Ignitia
  • Suyo beneficiary Jairo Garzon smiles after receiving the paperwork for the entitlement of his house in Medellin, Colombia. Photo: Suyo
    Suyo beneficiary Jairo Garzon smiles after receiving the paperwork for the entitlement of his house in Medellin, Colombia. Photo: Suyo
  • Suyo helps with the registration of property for low-income families in Colombia. Photo: Expo 2020 Dubai
    Suyo helps with the registration of property for low-income families in Colombia. Photo: Expo 2020 Dubai
  • An estimated 70 per cent of families in Latin America do not formally register their property due to complicated and expensive processes. Suyo seeks to change this. Photo: Suyo
    An estimated 70 per cent of families in Latin America do not formally register their property due to complicated and expensive processes. Suyo seeks to change this. Photo: Suyo
  • Through Suyo, families can register their properties and live more securely as well as access loans. Photo: Suyo
    Through Suyo, families can register their properties and live more securely as well as access loans. Photo: Suyo
  • Suyo works with farm and factory workers, low-income families and large companies on properties in urban and rural areas. Photo: Suyo
    Suyo works with farm and factory workers, low-income families and large companies on properties in urban and rural areas. Photo: Suyo
  • The Expo Live grant has helped Suyo improve its technology and expand its work to help more families. Photo: Suyo
    The Expo Live grant has helped Suyo improve its technology and expand its work to help more families. Photo: Suyo
  • Suyo assists marginalised communities register their claim on family land in Colombia. Photo: Suyo
    Suyo assists marginalised communities register their claim on family land in Colombia. Photo: Suyo
  • Suyo presents a man with his documents that prove land ownership. Photo: Suyo
    Suyo presents a man with his documents that prove land ownership. Photo: Suyo
  • Munch Bowls is a company in South Africa that has developed an edible wheat bowl able to hold food, from hot soups to salads. Photo: Munch
    Munch Bowls is a company in South Africa that has developed an edible wheat bowl able to hold food, from hot soups to salads. Photo: Munch
  • The bowls are eco-friendly, edible, create no waste and are completely biodegradable. Photo: Expo 2020 Dubai
    The bowls are eco-friendly, edible, create no waste and are completely biodegradable. Photo: Expo 2020 Dubai
  • Munch bowls can hold hot soup for up to five hours before softening. Photo: Expo 2020 Dubai
    Munch bowls can hold hot soup for up to five hours before softening. Photo: Expo 2020 Dubai
  • The crisp wheat bowls, small saucers and canapes are manufactured in Cape Town and can keep for 15 months on a shelf. Photo: Expo 2020 Dubai
    The crisp wheat bowls, small saucers and canapes are manufactured in Cape Town and can keep for 15 months on a shelf. Photo: Expo 2020 Dubai
  • Bowls were initially kneaded and rolled by hand but the Expo Live grant was used to produce a moulding machine. Photo: Munch
    Bowls were initially kneaded and rolled by hand but the Expo Live grant was used to produce a moulding machine. Photo: Munch
  • The factory went from manually producing 1,500 bowls a day to 500 an hour. Photo: Munch
    The factory went from manually producing 1,500 bowls a day to 500 an hour. Photo: Munch
  • AgUnity is a start-up founded in 2016 in Australia to help more than 1 billion smallholder farmers in the world. Photo: Expo 2020 Dubai
    AgUnity is a start-up founded in 2016 in Australia to help more than 1 billion smallholder farmers in the world. Photo: Expo 2020 Dubai
  • AgUnity allows farmers to buy and sell their produce in a way that can maximise their profit. Photo: AgUnity
    AgUnity allows farmers to buy and sell their produce in a way that can maximise their profit. Photo: AgUnity
  • The AgUnity app was developed in Australia but is used in Papua New Guinea. Photo: Expo 2020 Dubai
    The AgUnity app was developed in Australia but is used in Papua New Guinea. Photo: Expo 2020 Dubai
  • The app enables farmers to record all transactions in an immutable ledger, to plan better, buy and sell more easily and share resources. Photo: AgUnity
    The app enables farmers to record all transactions in an immutable ledger, to plan better, buy and sell more easily and share resources. Photo: AgUnity
  • Tech engineer Abu Muadh (R) developed an app to help workers such as Abdul Qadeer (L) learn languages and improve work skills. Antonie Robertson / The National
    Tech engineer Abu Muadh (R) developed an app to help workers such as Abdul Qadeer (L) learn languages and improve work skills. Antonie Robertson / The National
  • Abu Muadh says Expo support gave his start-up much-needed exposure. Antonie Robertson / The National
    Abu Muadh says Expo support gave his start-up much-needed exposure. Antonie Robertson / The National
  • The app includes short video tutorials on how to introduce yourself in short sentences, gives practical information about shapes, colours and names of vegetables and fruit to familiarise workers with the language of the hospitality sector. Antonie Robertson / The National
    The app includes short video tutorials on how to introduce yourself in short sentences, gives practical information about shapes, colours and names of vegetables and fruit to familiarise workers with the language of the hospitality sector. Antonie Robertson / The National
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About Proto21

Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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Engine 60kwh FWD

Battery Rimac 120kwh Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2) chemistry

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Transmission: Six-speed automatic

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Fuel economy, combined: 10.7L / 100km

Dubai World Cup nominations

UAE: Thunder Snow/Saeed bin Suroor (trainer), North America/Satish Seemar, Drafted/Doug Watson, New Trails/Ahmad bin Harmash, Capezzano, Gronkowski, Axelrod, all trained by Salem bin Ghadayer

USA: Seeking The Soul/Dallas Stewart, Imperial Hunt/Luis Carvajal Jr, Audible/Todd Pletcher, Roy H/Peter Miller, Yoshida/William Mott, Promises Fulfilled/Dale Romans, Gunnevera/Antonio Sano, XY Jet/Jorge Navarro, Pavel/Doug O’Neill, Switzerland/Steve Asmussen.

Japan: Matera Sky/Hideyuki Mori, KT Brace/Haruki Sugiyama. Bahrain: Nine Below Zero/Fawzi Nass. Ireland: Tato Key/David Marnane. Hong Kong: Fight Hero/Me Tsui. South Korea: Dolkong/Simon Foster.

Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

Fixtures:

Wed Aug 29 – Malaysia v Hong Kong, Nepal v Oman, UAE v Singapore
Thu Aug 30 - UAE v Nepal, Hong Kong v Singapore, Malaysia v Oman
Sat Sep 1 - UAE v Hong Kong, Oman v Singapore, Malaysia v Nepal
Sun Sep 2 – Hong Kong v Oman, Malaysia v UAE, Nepal v Singapore
Tue Sep 4 - Malaysia v Singapore, UAE v Oman, Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu Sep 6 – Final

Dubai World Cup factbox

Most wins by a trainer: Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor(9)

Most wins by a jockey: Jerry Bailey(4)

Most wins by an owner: Godolphin(9)

Most wins by a horse: Godolphin’s Thunder Snow(2)

Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage

Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid 

Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani

Rating: 4/5

Bio:

Favourite Quote: Prophet Mohammad's quotes There is reward for kindness to every living thing and A good man treats women with honour

Favourite Hobby: Serving poor people 

Favourite Book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Favourite food: Fish and vegetables

Favourite place to visit: London

Updated: May 11, 2023, 11:08 AM