Middle East Seed Accelerator Scouting Silicon Valley Startup Scene

SAN FRANCISCO - June 18, 2013 - PRLog -- TURN8, a new seed accelerator program organized by DP World, is seeking innovative technologies and startup ideas from around the world, including Silicon Valley. On June 29, TURN8 will host an idea pitching marathon, called an Innov-a-thon, in Redwood City to scout for ideas from regional entrepreneurs and innovators.

“We are encouraging innovative and commercially-viable ideas from global and local innovators, as well as DP World employees and partners,” said Yousif Al Mutawa, Chief Information Officer, DP World. “Our aim is to support an innovation culture in the wider community by encouraging and supporting a mix of international and local ideas.”

TURN8 is scouting for ideas in regions with active startup scenes including the UAE, Egypt, Turkey, Europe and the USA. Proposed ideas can be in a variety of sectors including travel, trade, supply chain management, shipping, transport and logistics, logistics security, safety, sustainability and the environment.

At the one-day Innov-a-thon event, participants have a limited time to pitch their idea to the selection panel and other attendees. After pitching, participants form teams who work throughout the day, with the help of local business mentors, to refine their idea for a final pitch at the end of the day.

Those with winning proposals will be pre-qualified for the TURN8 seed accelerator in Dubai, UAE. If selected, they will be provided with workspace and professional mentoring for four months to develop their business model and prototype. Up to $24,000 funding per team is available to help them evolve their ideas from conception to commercialization.

TURN8 is also encouraging online idea pitches for those who cannot attend the Innov-a-thon event. Ideas submitted online are voted on by peers in the online community to become finalists for the selection committee. To submit an idea or vote for an idea online, go to http://turn8.ideascale.com/.

TURN8 is powered by i360accelerator, a Dubai-based startup accelerator from Innovation 360, the leading innovation management consultancy in the UAE. The Silicon Valley event is being jointly sponsored by local organizations nestGSV and TechWadi. To register for this event, go to http://innovathon-sanfrancisco.eventbrite.com/.

About TURN8

TURN8 seed accelerator program, organized by DP World and powered by i360accelerator, is designed to encourage innovative entrepreneurship worldwide, starting with Dubai. TURN8 seeks ingenious ideas that can be refined and brought to market through a 120-day seed accelerator. Visit http://www.turn8.co/.

About DP World

DP World is a leader in international marine terminal operations and development, logistics and related services. DP World has a portfolio of more than 65 marine terminals across six continents, including new developments underway in India, Africa, Europe, South America and the Middle East. Visit http://dpworld.com.