Desolenator, a Dutch startup that develops solar-powered water purification technology, was announced the winner of the Supernova Challenge at North Star, securing the top prize of $100,000, with 13 category winners each taking home $8,000 in prize money from the competition.
The Supernova Challenge is the biggest start-up pitch competition in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia and, with $200,000 in cash prizes, a major highlight of North Star. This year’s Supernova Challenge attracted over 600 applications from startups from over 41 countries, who battled it out for the region’s biggest prize and the North Star Dubai Supernova Champion title.
26 finalists from countries including Brazil, Bahrain, USA, Romania South Korea, Canada, Latvia, France, Vietnam, Nigeria, Kenya and Oman pitched in front of a judging panel of global icons and tech influencers, including David Cohen (co-founder of Techstars), Mike Butcher (Editor-at-large at Techcrunch), Karim Konsowa (Associate, Dubai Future District Fund), O.G Arabian Prince (co-founder of N.W.A), Natalie Colby (Managing Partner of Norrsken22), and Susan Marie (EVP of Strategy, Arizona Commerce Authority).
Alexei Levene, the co-founder of Desolenator, accepted the grand prize money of $100,000, saying, “Winning this incredible prize really demonstrates how sustainability – and the world’s water crisis in particular – is now front and centre of global and regional agendas. This award also highlights how Dubai, and the UAE are taking a leadership position on the most intractable sustainability issues facing the world. We are delighted to win the North Star Supernova challenge and this prize money will contribute towards our work to tackle the global water crisis around the world.”
The winner of the Top MENA Start-up Award was Galactech from Oman, an entertainment e-sports company. Galactech CEO Houcem Maiza said: “GITEX GLOBAL is the biggest tech event in the world – so this is an incredible showcase for our company – but winning best MENA start-up is particularly important to us as this is our market.”
One of the Supernova judges, David Cohen, CEO and Co-founder of Techstars, said North Star Dubai and the Supernova Challenge are now essential highlights on the international tech calendar. “I love the fact that so many companies from around the world are here in Dubai and that the quality has been consistently so high. It has been an honour to judge such an amazing set of companies and a lot of fun.”
Trixie LohMirmand, Executive Vice President, Events Management, Dubai World Trade Centre, said: “North Star Dubai and the Supernova Challenge offer a unique opportunity for international start-ups to take transformational steps in the growth journey. The Supernova Challenge continues to attract the leading innovators of the future, all of whom choose North Star Dubai as a platform for engaging with global investors and bringing their ideas to the Middle East region. The ideas showcased at North Star Dubai and the Supernova Challenge have the potential to make a significant impact on the digital economy.”
