Qafila wins at Intelak, accelerator lead by Emirates Airline competing with applicants from all over the World
Dubai, 29 September 2019: Qafila, the UAE’s first digital freight forwarder, has been selected by Intelak, the UAE’s aviation, travel and tourism-focused incubator, as one of the 4 winners of its sixth cohort. Winners were selected from a pool of more than 100 applications from around the world, following a week-long intensive pre-incubation bootcamp with ten finalists and finally a Shark-Den style demo day with judges; Alex Alexander – Emirates Group Chief Technology office, Rania Rostom – GE’s Chief Communications & innovation officer, Yousuf Lootah – Director of Tourism Development & Investments, and Hans Henrik Christensen – VP of Dubai Technology Entrepreneur Campus.
Qafila will get a chance to work closely with program partners such as Emirates to develop new and exciting pilot for Air cargo in the coming months, leveraging technologies such as big data, AI and real-time data exchange for logistics in UAE that will help both demand and supply side of cargo.
Sixth-round winners include: Elves, from Egypt, a human-first virtual assistant developed as a lifestyle solution for busy people; and Safety Line, from France, which takes a big data approach to underused ground radar data to unleash unprecedented airside analytics for more efficient, safer, and greener airport operations.
Also Read: QAFILA IS SELECTED BY IN5 INCUBATION PROGRAMME
Eddy Travels, from Lithuania, is an AI travel assistant that helps travel companies sell and provide support to customers 24/7 on any chat app, while Qafila, from the UAE, provides a real-time data exchange platform that helps solve cargo sector inefficiencies and pain points by connecting various sector stakeholders
This round saw more than 100 applications which were submitted – the highest number in Intelak’s history – supporting the UAE’s vision to become a global hub for startups and entrepreneurship. Intelak is led by Principal Partners GE, the Emirates Group, and Dubai Tourism (the Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing).
The four winning startups will each receive a cash prize of AED 50,000, which will be distributed at key milestones on their entrepreneurial journey. They also will take part in Intelak’s two-month intensive learning-by-doing incubation program. This consists of structured workshops, mentorship, and a space to build their venture at DTEC, a tech startup hub located in Dubai Silicon Oasis.
The incubation will kick off on October 4th and will conclude with an Investor Demo Day in December. This pitch event gives each startup the opportunity to present to industry experts, angel investors, and venture capitalists for potential further collaboration and/or investment.
About Qafila
Qafila is an Arabic word used during the silk trade by Arabs meaning “Caravan”. Merchants would team up with Qafila to carry their goods on horses and camels connecting the two worlds of east to west and vice versa through trade.
Qafila moves freight and we understand its a complex process. Last year we embarked on a journey to become the region’s first digital freight forwarder that uses tech-knowledge and technology to solve that complexity.
Not only do we move freight but we do it by simplifying logistics! With a simple touch, swipe – or even a click – you can do things like Book, Ship and Track, any time – any where.
About Intelak
Meaning ‘taking off’ in Arabic, Intelak supports young entrepreneurs to become part of the innovative ecosystem in the UAE. Since its launch in 2016, Intelak has garnered over 1,100 applications; more than 110 teams have participated in the pre-incubation bootcamp; and 24 teams have been named winners, receiving thousands of hours of mentoring and collectively more than AED 1.2 million in equity-free seed funding from the principal partners.
Official News Coverage About Intelak
Middle East GE Blog – Travel is in the Air: New Intelak Incubator Winners Named
Zawya – Winners of Intelak’s Cohort 6 present bright ideas to redefine the travel industry
