Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism, Miral, Etihad Aviation Group and Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) have partnered with Wamda to launch Fikra Labs acceleration programme.
The new concept, held at the Etihad Innovation Centre, will nurture and incubate MENA startups, and drive innovation within the capital’s travel and tourism sector.
It will provide mentorship opportunities, a $100,000 investment prize and the chance to structure the business in the city’s international financial centre Abu Dhabi Global Market.
It was launched in line with the UAE Innovation Month, which aims to strengthen the country’s position as a global innovation hub, and will take place across multiple phases.
After the initial registration process, the selected contestants will participate in a four-week incubation process, where they will tackle specific travel and tourism challenges set by the four partners.
They will be mentored on their ideas, before refining their business plans and developing prototypes in partnership with industry experts.
The final day of the programme will be a one-day event in which the finalists will attend working sessions with the Wamda team and industry experts to finalise their prototype, pitches and presentation decks.
They will then pitch their ideas to the jury and participate in a Q&A session. The day will conclude with an awards ceremony, where four winners will be announced.
Each partner will select one winner to work with directly after the programme is over.
The ultimate reward for each winning startup is a potential $100,000 investment by the relevant partner.
Registration is now open at www.fikralabs.ae, and closes on March 5th, 2018.
Follow us on
