More than ten finance and investment deals and partnerships have been struck between young Arab entrepreneurs and investors during the second Arab Youth Startup Marketplace, AYSM, which was organised over the last two days by the Arab Youth Center, AYC, under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Presidential Affairs and Chairman of the AYC.

Held on May 1st-2nd, 2019, at the Emirates Towers, Dubai, the event was dedicated to bringing together aspiring Arab startups from across the Arab region for the purpose of showcasing their creative ventures, exchanging knowledge with like-minded creatives and industry leaders, and ultimately collaborating with investors to boost their growth.

As part of its initiatives, the AYSM seeks to establish a platform aimed at enhancing engagement between young entrepreneurs and investors from across the Arab world, creating an ecosystem that nurtures business leadership in creative industries and promotes knowledge exchange that results in business growth and prosperity.

Ohoud bint Khalfan Al Roumi, Minister of State for Happiness and Wellbeing; Dena Assaf, UN Resident Coordinator for the UAE; and Dr Marwan Ibrahim Alzarouni, CEO, Dubai Blockchain Center, visited the AYSM and gained insight about the creative startups on display.

Shamma bint Suhail Faris Al Mazrui, Minister of State for Youth Affairs, and Deputy Chairman of AYC, said that the Arab youth had proven their merit by presenting innovative solutions, game-changing ideas and ventures which underscore their desire and commitment to serving and contributing to the progress and prosperity of their communities.

''Easy-to-implement ideas into productive projects provided by the young entrepreneurs will support visions and efforts of governments in the Arab World to push development and prosperity wheels forward and encourage young minds to unleash their potential energies in areas of excellence and innovation so they can contribute in efforts aimed at building sustainable -innovation-driven economy,'' she added.

The event was organised in collaboration with strategic partners, including Global Entrepreneurship Network, National Program for SMEs, Google and Dubai Technology Entrepreneur Centre.