DUBAI, (Pakistan Point News - 16th Aug, 2018) Intelak, the first industry-focused aviation, travel and tourism incubator to be established in the UAE, has boosted the innovation ecosystem in the country by encouraging a number of young entrepreneurs to come together and transform their ideas into reality.
Intelak, whose name in Arabic means ‘to take off’, has helped three cohorts graduate effectively through the programme. Over the three cohorts, a total of 800 teams submitted ideas for consideration out of which 60 teams were selected for participation in an innovation boot camp. 12 teams were selected to go through the 90-day intensive accelerator programme at the end of which the teams made business pitches to investors as well as key stakeholders to the principal and founding partners.
The success of the startups at Intelak is measured by their continuation beyond the programme. To date, Intelak has experienced a success rate of about 75 percent.
Dubz was one of the first success stories that emerged from the Intelak incubator programme. The startup was one of the winners of the first Intelak cohort, where the Dubz team pitched a practical and technology-enabled service to collect and deliver passenger baggage before or after flights from passengers’ homes or hotels in Dubai. dnata, an air service provider and part of the Emirates Group, has acquired a majority stake in Dubz.
H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chief Executive of Emirates Group, said, "Intelak has induced a ripple effect of stimulating the broader innovation ecosystem in Dubai and the UAE. With Dubz and our other success stories, we are confident that more innovators in the country will be inspired to step forward to participate with their ideas. In keeping with Dubai’s vision to use innovation as one of the core pillars for progress, Intelak aims to offer a nurturing environment to innovators and in the process, redefine the aviation, travel and tourism space by infusing fresh and creative ideas into the industry."
Established in September 2016, the aim of Intelak has been to bring together budding entrepreneurs, ideators and mentors together on a platform and using this platform to build an innovative ecosystem which would redefine the future of aviation, travel and tourism industries not just in the middle East but globally.
"The accelerated adoption of disruptive technologies and transformational thinking is fundamental for Dubai to lead the industry in capturing the true value of today's radically evolving global travel and tourism sector. Integral to this future-proofing effort is the enablement of a deep rooted culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, in line with the Dubai 10X initiative established by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, facilitated by active cross-ecosystem collaborations for knowledge sharing, idea generation and concept manifestation," said Helal Almarri, Director-General of Dubai Tourism.
