KT+150 Summit kicks off with Elevator Pitch competition, networking, performances

From tips to improve productivity and personal efficiency to nuggets of wisdom on how to build their personal brand, attendees of the KT+150 Summit were treated to one masterclass after another at the morning session. While one content creator encouraged the youngsters to believe in their ideas, another advised them to find mentorship when starting out in the field.

“If you think you have a great idea, just go for it,” said Rizwan Taj, who creates aviation education videos. He explained how he had ignored his wife’s advice to create social media content of his job as an aviation instructor before finally doing it during the pandemic. He currently has over 240,000 followers on Instagram.

Recommended For You

Look: Aamir Khan's next production 'Happy Patel' to be directed by Vir Das

'My wife is inside': How 71-year-old man's photo became symbol for Hong Kong fire

Pearl Initiative celebrates 15 years of advancing governance excellence in the Gulf region 

England to get even more positive against Starc threat, says Anderson

RIT Dubai hosts UAE’s youngest university student

 

Meanwhile content creator Bisher Zumot advised the attendees to get a mentor if they were looking to make it big as an influencer. “Find a mentor,” he said during a panel discussion. “If you are mentored right, you can save a lot of time. When I was starting out, I concentrated on a lot of things which were not necessary. In our business, time is money and anything that can save you time is a good investment.”

Finding a gap

Sabelle Beraki, CEO and Founder of Belle Dolls explained how she found a gap in the market when shopping for toys for her relative. “Growing up I never found dolls that looked like me,” she said. “As an adult, when I was shopping for my niece, I understood that nothing had changed.”

Looking to launch her own range of dolls, Sabelle struggled to find capital and worked for six months as a cashier at a grocery store to make the money for her first set of dolls. She advised the attendees to make mistakes, learn from them and keep moving forward.

In her talk, motivational speaker Neetu Choudhury explained to the guests how the average person must make 350,000 decisions in a day and how this creates mental clutter. She gave tips on how to be efficient in their day to day lives.

Colourful start

The inaugural KT+150 Summit got off to a colorful start at the Helipad by Frozen Cherry on Thursday morning. Khaleej Times Chief Content Office Ted Kemp and Head of Multimedia and Social Media, Ahmed Nokari welcomed guests and invited them to make the best use of the day. “This event is about unapologetic ambition and is about serving that ambition,” said Ted in his opening speech. “Your ambition is the future of the UAE.”

The summit brings together the young innovators, changemakers, and boundary-pushers who made the inaugural KT+150 list for a day of discussions, networking opportunities and an afterparty headlined by a Rolling Stone MENA music festival. 

One of the highlights of the event is the KT+ Elevator Pitch competition which gives one young entrepreneur a chance to win Dh250,000 in media exposure across all KT publications. Three top finalists will have their pitch videos played throughout the day and the winner will be announced at the end of the day. The participants will then be invited to attend the afterparty which will continue into the night. Ted pointed out that one-third of those on the KT+150 list were either already running or looking to start their own business. The Dubai Founders HQ, one of the sponsor of the summit, created a networking zone for the young entrepreneurs to network. 

It was in October that the KT+150 list was revealed- cataloguing 150 bold and exciting changemakers across 15 categories. The list spans everything from social impact to food, AI to esports, real estate to education, and much more.

Nasreen Abdulla

nasreen@khaleejtimes.com

Nasreen Abdulla is a Special Correspondent covering food, tech and human interest stories. When not challenged by deadlines, you’ll find her pulling off submissions on the jiu jitsu mats.