Abu Dhabi Youth Challenge+Techstars Startup Weekend

Program Overview:

Your Idea in 54 Hours!

The Abu Dhabi Youth Challenge+ (ADYC+) Techstars Startup Weekend is an immersive and experiential bootcamp designed for anyone interested in entrepreneurship and its potential to solve modern-day challenges.

During ADYC+, you will learn how to think, work and build like a startup in 54 thrilling hours. This immersive experience will connect you with top founders, mentors and partners. Over three action-packed days, participants will form teams, nurture ideas, develop prototypes and present them to judges.

This program is focused on creating solutions to benefit young children (0-8 years) and their families. The top three winners will win a fantastic array of prizes and receive post-program support to further develop their ideas. Select participants will also be able to grow personally and professionally through paid internships opportunities with leading startups.

The Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority and Techstars are calling all local innovators with an interest to tackle challenges in early childhood development.

Who is this event for?

What you will get out of the experience:

Connect with other creators: ADYC+ Techstars Startup Weekend is a great place to connect with passionate people driven to build something new. There is no better place to meet new potential founders, friends, colleagues, mentors and more.

Start something great: Knowing you’re not alone can make all the difference. ADYC+ provides many opportunities to engage and connect with like-minded individuals — and truly start something amazing.

Learn from the best: Learn what it really takes to innovate, disrupt and start a company from people who’ve been there. ADYC+ Techstars Startup Weekend features deep experiential learning guided by an experienced hand.

Improve your knowledge: You need more sector-specific skills and knowledge to take things to the next level. ADYC+ also offers participants (18-26 years) an internship opportunity with the startups at the Anjal Z (hyperlink) Techstars Founder Catalyst Program!

What you need to attend:

An open mind, curiosity and creativity. You do not need a startup idea to attend the event – you can either ideate from scratch with your team or join forces with another participant.
You may need your laptop or any technological device to work effectively throughout the weekend.
Motivation! This will be an incredible experience.

Challenges

You are invited to create innovative solutions that address one of the following four themes to benefit young children (0-8 years) and families in Abu Dhabi. You may address the challenges using any solution you have in mind with a preference to those that leverage AI.

Challenge 1: Intentional Parenting

How might we create immersive, interactive experiences that empower parents to foster their children’s holistic development at every growth stage? Parents face conflicting advice, work-life balance struggles and resource access disparities. We invite you to develop solutions offering real-time, interactive parenting tools. Imagine gamified learning systems, virtual reality experiences and community support networks providing personalized advice and engaging activities. These solutions can deliver tailored insights, manage screen time and help parents support their children’s online and offline development.

Challenge 2: Culture & Identity

How might we develop engaging solutions that enable children to explore and celebrate UAE culture, fostering a strong sense of community and belonging?

With globalization diluting traditional Emirati culture, children need help balancing their heritage with modern influences. We seek innovative approaches, such as interactive storytelling, virtual festivals, and digital art, to make cultural education engaging and meaningful. These solutions should help children share their cultural experiences, celebrate diversity, and showcase Emirati identity globally.

Challenge 3: Sustainable Family-Friendly Citites

How might we design child-centric cities that integrate nature, technology and sustainability to promote healthy development and social cohesion?

We invite you to create solutions that transform urban spaces into vibrant, sustainable environments for children. Explore eco-friendly playgrounds, smart infrastructure and community gardens that enhance safety, connectivity and effective use of public parks, supporting healthy development and resilience against environmental challenges.

Challenge 4: Out of School

How might we transform the out-of-school landscape with innovative, engaging activities that foster children’s development?

We seek ideas to transform museums, libraries, community centers, activity clubs and transportation hubs into dynamic play and learning areas with interactive exhibits, play-based learning zones and staff training programs that spark curiosity and creativity.

We invite solutions by offering workshops, family activities, and digital resources to empower parents and community leaders as active partners in children’s education. These innovations should ensure child safety, promote a supportive society and create stimulating environments outside school hours to enhance children’s development and nurture their interests.

Schedule

Check out our exciting schedule!

Date: 25-27 October 2024

Location:

twofour54, Yas Creative Hub, Abu Dhabi

*Transport will be provided

Friday, 25 October

Pitching and Team Formation

15:00 Registration and Networking
15:15 Welcome Remarks: Early Childhood Authority
15:30 ECA Speaker – Cecilia Vaca Jones, Senior Advisor at ECA
16:00 Speaker: Early Childhood Authority
16:30 Agenda Overview
16:45 Pitches
17:30 Team Formation
18:00 Workshop 1 – Lean Business Model Canvas & Teamwork
18:30 Dinner and Networking
19:00 Close of Day

Saturday, October 26

Teamwork and Mentorship

8:30 Day 2 Agenda and Breakfast
9:00 Workshop 2 – Customer Discovery
9:30 Teams begin to work
10:40 In-Person Customer Discovery
12:00 Workshop 3 – MVP
12:30 Lunch
13:30 Workshop – MVP and Intro to Pitching and Judging Criteria
14:10 Mentor Roundtables
15:00 Mentor Office Hours
16:00 Workshop 4 – Pitching & Judging Criteria
18:00 Dinner
18:40 Close of Day

Sunday, 27 Oct

Presentations and Judging

9:30 Breakfast
10:30 Day 3 Agenda and Internship Opportunity
11:00 Teams working & Tech Check
12:30 Internship Announcement with the Founders Catalyst Pitches
13:00 Lunch and Networking with the Anjal Z Founders
13:30 Teamwork
14:00 Pitch Feedback Sessions
17:00 Final Presentations
18:30 Speaker: MBZUAI
19:00 Judging and Awards
19:30 Dinner and Celebrations
20:00 Close of Day

Judges

Mentors

Speakers

Mohamed Hamad Almazrouei

Head of Cognitive Solutions at Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority

Ghina El Kassem

Regional CTO - Partnerships & Transformation at Microsoft

Rawdha AlMeraikhi

Director of Outreach @ MBZUAI

Katie Smith

Head of Startup Community, Techstars

Keltoum Zniber

Head of Programs at AHOY

Tarek Ghobar

Co-Founder at Paymennt.com

Ahmed Sobhy

CEO of XIOT

Alex Pavel

Managing Director, APAC & Middle East at Sovos, Chairman – GENA Middle East Chapter

Cecilia Vaca Jones

Senior Advisor, Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority

Hamdan Al-Ali

PhD candidate at MBZUAI

Prizes

ADYC+ Techstars Startup Weekend (25 October – 27 October)

Eight winners will be announced and invited to join the ADYC+ Post Program.
All participants receive a participation certificate.

ADYC+ Post Program (November 2024)

The top eight teams join the ADYC+ Post Program, a month-long incubation initiative designed to help them further develop their startup ideas. The teams will work with a dedicated program manager and best-in-class mentors, industry experts and ecosystem leaders to refine their idea, work on their implementation strategy and build an MVP.
At the end of the ADYC+ Post Program, three winning teams among the eight will be eligible to access equity-free grants of up to USD 10,000 per team.

Internship Opportunity!

We’re excited to offer an exclusive part-time paid internship opportunity for selected participants to work for the six startups of the
Anjal Z Techstars Founder Catalyst Program! This hands-on experience involves contributing to a growth-stage startup’s proof-of-concept project, providing valuable insights into the dynamic world of startups.

Partners

FAQs

Am I eligible to join the bootcamp?

Any person above the age of18 years old and living in the United Arab Emirates can join the bootcamp.

Can I pitch my existing business?

Yes, as long as your idea aligns to one of the challenges mentioned above.

What if someone steals my idea?

The event will be a collaborative forum for sharing, learning, building and having fun. As such, by registering as a participant, you acknowledge that any ideas you or anyone else shared throughout the event contribute to the overall experience and community. If you, as a participant, are worried about someone stealing your ideas, you can limit your pitch to the rough outline of the idea without giving away key information.
“One can steal ideas, but no one can steal execution or passion.”

Can I join with my team?

Yes, but each member must register individually.

Do I have to participate in all three days?

Apart from organizers, selected coaches, speakers, and the press, everyone who attends the event must participate for all three days. This is important to preserve the weekend’s ‘vibe’ (“no talk, all action”) and minimize distractions/disruptions for working teams.
However, a “Sunday Presentations Only” registration option is available for those who wish to view only the teams’ final presentations.

How do I prepare?

Do some research. Market research and background information will help you better understand the problem you’re trying to solve.

How do teams address the issue of Intellectual Property / Ownership?

As with any startup, the team decides. ADYC+ doesn’t support or participate in signing any legal documents at the events themselves. While Mentors with legal backgrounds are often present and able to give general advice, they are not permitted to give specific legal counsel.
It helps to be clear about your individual expectations from the start.

What are the judging criteria?

The judges will use the following criteria to review all pitches:
Validation

Is the solution faster, cheaper and a better service than what the competition is offering?
Is the intervention completely new and innovative or is it more effective, efficient and economical than what currently exists?

Team Dynamic

Does the team complement each other well?
Do they have a healthy dynamic as well as present and answer questions well together?

Business Model

How do you plan on making this a successful business?
Are you solving a problem? (value proposition)
Is your idea unique?

Execution & Design

What was the overall level of quality and thought put into the pitch by the team?
Did the team properly support and present their solution with clear effort?

Impact

Is the solution creating a positive impact on society, the environment, beyond what the competition is offering?
Is the intervention introducing new and innovative ways to address existing problems or having a more significant effect than current solutions?

Is there transportation available for the event?

Yes, there will be a morning and evening shuttle (to and from the event) on all three days.

What are the terms of the participation?

By participating in the event, you grant Techstars permission to capture photos/videos of the event and use them for marketing purposes so we can continue to offer exceptional Techstars programs worldwide.
By registering for this Techstars event, you agree to our Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, and Media Release Policy. If you have questions, please email privacy@techstars.com.
By registering, you have been accepted to receive communications from Techstars Central, LLC, including future invitations to Techstars Demo Days, network events, resources and more. You can unsubscribe from communications at any time by emailing privacy@techstars.com.
Get more information about the event on the event landing page or contact Nick Murray, Operations Associate at Techstars (nick.murray@techstarsassociates.com).

adycstartupweekend@network.techstars.com