The Middle East is embracing digital disruption with technology at the heart of economic diversification. As governments look to increasingly partner with the private sector to help drive growth and efficiencies, Unbound Bahrain will showcase the latest innovative products and services being developed by startups from around the world.

• Tom Goodwin, EVP, head of innovation, Zenith USA (Publicis): Tom is the #1 voice in Marketing on LinkedIn with over 690,000 followers. He is also one of 30 people to follow on Twitter by Business Insider and in the top two people in Advertising to follow (FastCompany). An industry provocateur and commentator on the future of marketing and business, he’s a columnist for the Guardian, TechCrunch and Forbes and frequent contributor to GQ, Ad Age, Wired, AdWeek, Inc, The World Economic Forum and Digiday.
• Tim Draper, Founder, Draper Associates: One of the world’s most well-regarded Venture Capitalists, co-founder of Draper Fisher Jurvetson. DFJ’s core funds have raised more than $5 billion and is invested in more than 300 companies. Tim was ranked 52 on the list of the 100 most influential Harvard Alumni, and seventh on the Forbes Midas List, and is known as the Creator of Viral Marketing. He was named Always-On’s #1 top venture capital deal maker.
• Waleed Alballaa, Partner, STV VC: STV, based out of Riyadh, and anchored by Saudi Telecom, the largest telecom company in the Middle East, is the largest venture capital fund in the region. As one of STV’s key staff, Waleed Alballaa has been responsible for some of the fund’s key operations and continues to be a leading voice in shaping the Middle East investment scene.
• Hussain Mohammed Al Mahmoudi, CEO, Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park (SRTIP): Mr. Hussain serves a dual role as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the American University of Sharjah Enterprises (AUSE) and as the CEO of the Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park (SRTIP). Mr. Hussain has held leadership roles at leading regional and international companies such as the Royal Dutch Shell Group, Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC), and several Dubai Holding entities.

Initiatives at Unbound Bahrain will include the Unbound50 Zone, a competition to showcase the latest start-ups across the MENA region, as well as the Female Founders Challenge, a platform for women in tech to pitch their pioneering ideas. In addition to this, Unbound Bahrain will host pitch-to-investors sessions, which provide start-ups with the opportunity to raise awareness of their product in front of an international audience.

Source Credit: Trade Arabia
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