Destination Expand North Star roadshow held at Infopark

Kochi / October 16, 2026

Kochi, October.16: A roadshow titled Destination Expand North Star roadshow was held at Infopark, giving Keralam-based technology companies a chance to explore business opportunities in the UAE and connect with global investors.

Founders, business technology companies, and investors took part in discussions on UAE market entry, investment, customer acquisition, collaborations, and opportunities through Dubai’s technology ecosystem at the roadshow, organised by Zentral, a business hub based at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

Expand North Star 2026, described as the world’s largest start-up and investor connector event, will be held from December 8 to 10 in Dubai Expo City alongside GITEX Global, scheduled from December 7 to 11. The Kochi roadshow is part of the first phase of Destination Expand North Star, which covers Kozhikode, Thiruvananthapuram, Kanniyakumari, Coimbatore, Chennai and Bengaluru.

For the past few years, the State IT Department and companies in the government IT parks have been a regular presence at GITEX Global, held in Dubai.

The initiative aims to help founders identify suitable business opportunities before travelling to Dubai and make use of opportunities available through Expand North Star and GITEX Global.

Zentral Chief Executive Director Rafees Rahmathulla and Expand North Star Senior Sales Manager Julian Anderson spoke at the programme. Infopark and Government Cyberpark CEO Susanth Kurunthil, Zentral Business Head Doaa Deqheidy, Head of Operations and Projects Abeer Al Alawi and Partnerships Manager Aisha Zuha were also present.

Infopark, Cyberpark, Technopark, HiLITE Business Park, CAFIT, GTech and World Trade Centre locations in Thiruvananthapuram, Bengaluru, Chennai and Kochi are supporting the programme.

Mr Rahmathulla said 100 selected founders from India would be offered a special Dubai experience centred on Expand North Star and GITEX Global 2026. He said Zentral aims to help founders approach the UAE market with greater clarity by understanding their business goals and facilitating relevant connections.

Ms Al Alawi said Keralam’s strong talent pool and growing start-up ecosystem provide a strong foundation for companies exploring international markets.

Ms Deqheidy said Zentral would work with companies to understand their business models and objectives in the UAE, help with market-entry plans, and connect them with relevant resources.

ENDS

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