28DIGITAL to showcase top startups & scaleups at Expand North Star 2025 in Dubai

28DIGITAL is the first pan-European innovation ecosystem to enter the Dubai market with the support of the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, following a landmark agreement between the two organizations. As part of this collaboration, 28DIGITAL will lead a delegation of high-potential startups and scaleups to Expand North Star 2025, the global technology event hosted by the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy from October 12–15 at Dubai Harbour. 

The initiative is part of 28DIGITAL’s Access-to-Market (A2M) Dubai program, which operates in partnership with the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, which supported 308 digital startups in the first half of 2025—a 39% year-over-year increase. UAE startups raised $541 million during the same period, with fintech leading funding rounds. 

The partnership provides European companies with market entry support, including assistance with company establishment and Golden Visa facilitation for selected participants.

The 28DIGITAL delegation is split into two tiers: startups exhibiting at the event and scaleups accepted into the elite ScaleX growth program. The selection reflects a focus on sectors where European deep-tech holds a competitive advantage: finance, digital infrastructure, healthcare, and specialized industrial applications.

• Finqbit: A Polish quantum computing startup focusing on the financial sector. Finqbit develops hybrid quantum-classical software platforms that tackle complex risk management calculations, such as derivative pricing and portfolio optimization, which are prohibitively time-consuming for traditional computers.
• Full Venue: This company addresses the digital transformation of physical event spaces. Its solutions aim to make venues more intelligent and responsive to visitor needs, optimizing operational efficiency and enhancing the overall attendee experience.
• Joiicare: Operating in the digital health space, Joiicare creates solutions for telemedicine and remote patient monitoring. Its technology platform is designed to make remote healthcare delivery more effective and integrated.
• Horsano: Demonstrating the breadth of deep-tech application, Horsano brings innovation to the traditional equestrian industry. Its solutions include advanced monitoring and analytics for horse training, health, and performance.

Three companies from 28DIGITAL's portfolio have earned entry into the exclusive ScaleX program, which selects 100 of the world's fastest-growing technology companies for premium treatment. 

• IDLoop: Specializing in biometric and industrial 3D imaging, IDLoop has developed what it claims is the world's first truly hygienic, contactless 3D fingerprint scanning system. After raising €10 million in funding, the company has refined an optical imaging system that captures fingerprints with greater accuracy than traditional contact-based scanners, addressing both security and public health concerns. Their technology has applications in secure access, border control, and consumer devices.
• Ariadne Maps: A success story born within 28DIGITAL’s own ecosystem, Ariadne Maps provides ultra-precise indoor localization analytics. Often described as "Google Analytics for physical spaces," its technology achieves centimeter-level accuracy using standard smartphone signals. For retail chains, airports, and event venues, this data offers unprecedented insights into foot traffic patterns, dwell times, and space utilization. The company secured $7 million in a Series A round to fuel its international expansion.
• Excalibur rounds out the ScaleX contingent, bringing advanced technology applications that represent the cutting edge of European innovation. While details remain closely guarded, their inclusion in this elite group suggests solutions that have caught the attention of both investors and industry leaders.

The ScaleX participants receive five dedicated meeting spaces within the exclusive ScaleX House, professional concierge services for investor and partner introductions, and access to the Supernova pitch competition with its substantial $195,000 prize pool. More importantly for long-term success, they receive fast-track support for Golden Visa facilitation and company establishment—essentially a streamlined path for European companies serious about Middle Eastern expansion.

For European startups and scaleups, this represents unprecedented access to Asian and African markets that might otherwise take years to penetrate through traditional expansion methods.

As European companies face increasing competition from both established tech giants and emerging market innovators, 28DIGITAL's approach suggests that success lies not just in developing superior technology, but in understanding how to position that technology within global business ecosystems. Dubai, with its unique combination of geographic advantage, business-friendly policies, and rapidly growing innovation infrastructure, offers European companies a strategic foothold in markets that represent the future of global economic growth.