I went to Dubai for one of the world’s biggest tech conferences. Here’s what I learned.
What do self-driving flying cars, camels on the beach, and shredded gold lattes have in common?
They can all be found at a tech conference, in Dubai, of course.
I was fortunate to be part of Coplex’s delegation at GITEX this year. The long-standing conference is the biggest technology week and startup show in MENA and South Asia. One hundred thousand people crowded the World Trade Center in Dubai to see the best in innovation — a perfect setting in a city that unites ancient history, tradition, modernization, and futurism with best-in-class everything.
In the United Arab Emirates, time seems to stand still — but just for a second. Dubai is a sea of sand and a population dressed in black and white, quickly juxtaposed by a menagerie of disorienting modern sights such as exquisite highrises, $500k luxury cars, and the world’s best restaurants and shopping. Only the souqs and variety of regional food offer reminders of old Dubai.
The contemporary country respects traditional Emirati wear. The men dress in white kandoura robes with ghutra and agal (headdress and cord) with leather sandals. Stunning women float through the streets, clad in head-to-toe black. These abaya (a light coat over western clothes) or jalabeya (a long-sleeved full-length dress) are paired with a shayala, a black scarf draped over their heads.
An avid traveler before having kids, I hadn’t yet made it to the Middle East. Making the decision to go was a no-brainer; I had FOMO from not going last year, am a mompreneur with a serious need to get far away some days, and am married to a commercial real estate developer. For both me and my husband, the trip offered us a chance to geek out in tourism, tech, and architecture. We even stopped in Cairo to see the pyramids. It felt fitting to see the world’s first skyscrapers before taking in the now tallest.
Getting there was easy. Coplex handled the hotel and conference tickets and landed a discount on Emirates Airline. Preparing a pitch, an investment deck, and collateral for exhibiting sparked an opportunity to think through parts of my business in a fresh new way.
The most intimidating factor was to be an early-stage American startup in the coaching industry. All you had to do was look around to see leaps and bounds in AI, fintech, medicine, etc. The likes of Google, Microsoft, and Alibaba were exhibiting just steps away. What was my startup doing there?
My startup is Priizm, a platform that immediately and confidentially connects people with top coaches for a third of the cost. We are embracing the best parts of the antiquated $24 billion coaching industry while innovating access and affordability for the way people live today. Nestled amongst international innovation at GITEX, my marketplace was surprisingly relevant. I found kindred spirits in the companies there, like the UAE-grown startup modernizing custom tailoring through technology and the Dubai police, who are using advancing technologies to keep their residents safe. Consistently, I saw companies leveraging an idea, solution, or essence that worked and making it better. I spoke to more than 20 passers-by who were interested in Priizm, met with two potential investors, and was able to get expert advice from multiple “mentors” the conference organizers matched me with. I’ve experienced endless follow-up and have a company proposing to bring Priizm’s platform to India!
Because it’s Dubai, people ask me, “What’s the craziest thing you saw?”
A few come to mind: a story-high remote controlled robot, a drink served in a steaming lantern, a standard-issue golden toothbrush at the world’s only 7-star hotel, a unique 24/7 nightlife scene, His Highness Shaikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum (Ruler of Dubai and Prime Minister and VP of the UAE) walking by my startup’s booth, a dancing dinosaur in a club, a fellow traveller escorted out of a water park, the Shiggy doing his own challenge, camel racing. . .oh, and of course, the view from the tallest building in the world.
I must admit that aside from being the reason my “starchitect”-savvy husband got to see the Burj Khalifa, the best part of the experience was being with the Coplex team and its other ventures. As a mother and startup founder, the daily grind can be isolating and lonely. Spending time with a group of like-minded, energy-rich creators in a faraway land offered the alchemy I needed to come back with fresh ideas and energy. Sometimes you have to go far to find a tribe. Who would have imagined I’d find myself in one of the oldest civilizations making new friends? Sometimes you have to look to the past to be inspired to look forward.
The GITEX trip to Dubai with Coplex was a whole-person journey that gave me the opportunity to integrate all of who I am. The founder, woman, mother, wife, nightlife-er, tech geek, adventurer. I went to the fanciest place in the world, yet having the experience of integration and tribe holds more value to me than one of those first class rooms on an Emirates Airbus, or a two-story room at the Burj Al Arab.
I have personally overcome challenges to start a family, start my own business and, certainly, to have both at the same time. It takes embracing what you value, while leveraging your potential to have the future you want. In fact, it takes a spirit like the one you’ll find at GITEX in the UAE.
