Angel Rising Investor Education Symposium highlights UAE's role in shaping the future of global economy
By: Zawya
The Symposium welcomed CEO of China SilkRoad Investment & Development Winston Ma Wenyan; and President and CEO of Ken Miller Capital in New York Ken Miller, among others
Data from local angel investors:
- The UAE is among the most important markets for locally-based investors, with 55 percent of them prioritizing the UAE over other global markets.
- FinTech remains the leading industry for early-stage investors, accounting for 29 percent of angel investments.
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) is emerging as a key field of interest for angel investors in the UAE, with 18 percent of investors watching it closely.
Abu Dhabi: The UAE is among the most important markets for locally-based investors, with 55 percent of them prioritizing the UAE over other global markets - a key trend that emerged from angel investors at the fifth iteration of the Angel Rising Investor Education Symposium.
Organized by startAD, the Abu Dhabi-based global accelerator anchored at NYU Abu Dhabi and powered by Tamkeen, the Symposium was held yesterday, March 23, under the patronage of the UAE Ministry of Economy, and in partnership with VentureSouq.
Under the theme Looking East: The New Digital Silk Road & The Future of the Global Technology Order, Angel Rising shed light on the UAE’s role in shaping the future of the global economy with the emergence of new technologies and markets in China, India, and Africa. The Symposium welcomed a number of leading experts including CEO of China SilkRoad Investment & Development Winston Ma Wenyan; and President and CEO of Ken Miller Capital in New York Ken Miller, among others.
Other trends from angel investors at the Symposium highlighted that 25 percent look to invest in businesses based in Europe, followed by the MENA region at 23 percent, North America at 22 percent, Asia at 22 percent, and the remaining look at Africa and South America.
NYU Abu Dhabi Vice Provost for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Associate Dean of Engineering, and startAD Managing Director Ramesh Jagannathan said: “In any entrepreneurial ecosystem, angels play an important role by stepping in when the startups’ valuations are murky at best. Their role becomes ‘mission critical’, as the digital economies of the second Machine Age powered by AI and Deep Learning, begin their determined march along the 21st Century Silk Road. The three billion plus global middleclass consumers lining up along the Silk Road come from all walks of life, from diverse cultures, with significantly less buying power than their western counterparts. There will be over 300 million people above 65 years of age in China alone with special needs in terms of healthcare, home care, transportation, and security. The needs of almost half of the global population along the Silk Road are ‘now and urgent’. They will strongly shape the scope of the second Machine Age, paving the Silk Road with myriad entrepreneurial ventures, produced and sustained by local angels, serving local customers. startAD is committed to supporting the UAE to be a leader in the region.”
Source: zawya.com