Treverity recently completed the first half of the Dubai Future Accelerator (DFA), an accelerator comprised of seven entities ranging from Dubai Electric and Water Authority (DEWA), to Emirates Airline to the Dubai Municipality Government. We arrived on June 15th, alongside more than a dozen companies from around the world. The 9-week program, designed to facilitate international business opportunities for innovative companies, provided office space, mentorship and an introduction to business in Dubai and the Middle East – a market of nearly 2 billion people.
Since our applications focus on providing unparalleled situational awareness for utilities, we had the pleasure of working closely with the talented DEWA engineers. As with US-based utilities – and other large service providers across industries – finding intuitive, technical solutions that enhance workers’ ability to do their job, rather than presenting additional challenges, is a recurring issue.
In affiliation with the DFA is the World Economic Forum’s Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). One of the themes of the 4IR is the understanding that even though emerging technologies inevitably bring innovation they also carry risk. As described by 4IR, risks are mitigated through a process of human centric design to better integrate technology. At Treverity we understand that technologies need to deliver value for users, including new, intimidating- sounding technologies like AI (artificial intelligence), Machine Learning, and Big Data. The participants of 4IR use the term cognification, we use the term Human Integration Software.
The mentorship of companies such as DEWA has been incredible and the last five weeks passed quickly. The DFA team was a great partner to work with; they facilitated connection across industries and customers and they guided us on how to establish and conduct business in the UAE. Overall, working closely with innovative companies and their leadership has emphasized the opportunities we all have to expand beyond our industries and even beyond our borders.