ALIBABA CLOUD AND DIFC HOSTED START UP CONTEST IN DUBAI

Sprii today presented their winning business idea at the Dubai International Financial Centre and was named MEA (the Middle East and Africa) regional champion of the Create@Alibaba Cloud Startup Program. This concluded the regional contests in China and 12 overseas markets that had taken place this year, before all the regional champions gather in Shanghai on October 13-14 to compete for the global championship. 

More than 200 business cases were submitted from a wide range of start-ups in MEA, covering areas such as e-commerce, taxation, online marketing and finance. Create@Alibaba Cloud, taking place in MEA for the second year, is a global startup program initiated by Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing arm of Alibaba Group. The program aims to empower startups across the globe with Alibaba Cloud’s comprehensive support network and innovative suite of cloud computing infrastructure services.

Following an intensive pitch process, Sprii, e-commerce technology start up from UAE was announced as regional winner and awarded the equivalent of USD 50,000 credit for Alibaba Cloud computing technology services. Sprii is a one stop shop site that is selling everything for moms across the Middle East region.

“We are excited to be representing MEA in the Shanghai Finals. Our e-commerce services rely on strong computing capabilities. Winning this competition will support our global expansion as we will become able to serve clients internationally through the global cloud infrastructure of Alibaba Cloud,”  Sarah Jones, CEO and Founder of Sprii said.

As part of the program, the start-ups competing in the MEA Championship will receive free credits equivalent to USD10,000 for Alibaba Cloud services as well as customized technology solutions designed by Alibaba Cloud architects. These benefits will help them scale their businesses rapidly and smoothly. In addition, they will obtain better access to international market opportunities facilitated by Alibaba’s global network, and will benefit from networking with various venture capital investors within Alibaba’s ecosystem.

Dan Hu, Head of MEA, Alibaba Cloud said: “Create@Alibaba Cloud celebrates the innovation of startups and provides these exciting drivers of change with access to Alibaba Cloud’s expertise, global resources, and incubation support. In MEA, it is encouraging to see such a wide range of aspiring entrepreneurs emerging from different corners of the region, and not just a few locations. We are also pleased to see that innovative ideas are directed at solving regional challenges as this aligns perfectly with Alibaba Cloud’s vision. We believe that small and medium businesses everywhere can address pressing matters globally by effectively utilising technological advancements.”

Alibaba Cloud hosted the MEA regional competition in partnership with Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC), one of the world’s top ten financial centres and a leading financial hub for the Middle East, Africa and South Asia, The Centre provides a world-class platform connecting the region’s markets with the economies of Europe, Asia and the Americas and facilitates growth in South-South trade and investment. The Centre offers all the elements found in the world’s most successful financial industry ecosystems, including an independent regulator and judicial system with a common-law framework, a global financial exchange and a vibrant business community. .

Salmaan Jaffery, Chief Business Development Officer at DIFC commented, “We are delighted to partner with Alibaba, an internationally recognised pioneer in digital disruption, to help young, ambitious entrepreneurs showcase their latest creations in the growing industry of cloud computing. A main pillar for us at DIFC has always been to support the implementation of new ideas that will help evolve the financial services sector across the region. As one of the top ten global financial centres and the leading financial hub for the MEASA region, we are committed to providing our members with access to the latest technology, a robust regulatory and legal framework, as well as a collaborative ecosystem.”

Alibaba Cloud’s strong support has proven a key success factor for startups. Marhababy, a mother and baby product e-commerce platform founded in 2013 by Dutch female entrepreneur Eveline Sleeboom in Dubai, was empowered by cloud products and services provided by Alibaba Cloud including container, database and traffic distribution after winning last year’s Create@Alibaba Cloud MEA championship. It also received one-on-one coaching on digital marketing and operations optimization, has now established a stable e-commerce platform equipped with targeted marketing capability, and has seen significant growth in user numbers and transaction volume.

For more information about this year’s Create@Alibaba Cloud program, please visit https://cacsc.aliyun.com.