The Rise of New Industries & How to Seize Those Opportunities
ArabNet Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Scott Amyx presented a logical mapping of the Vision 2030 and National Transformation Plan 2020 to how the Kingdom can begin to systematically create new industries to transform the Kingdom and impact GCC. Mr. Amyx discussed technological disruptions that’s affecting mankind and every society in the world. He provided a framework for turning the Kingdom’s vision and what the World Economic Forum calls the Fourth Industrial Revolution into comparative advantages for KSA.
Under the patronage of the governor of Small and Medium Enterprises Authority, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), represented by Badir Program for Technology Incubators and accelerators, hosted the fifth ArabNet Riyadh – the largest and most influential digital conference in the Kingdom.
A key focus of the forum was the National Transformation Plan and its impact on the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem in Saudi Arabia, along with strategic goals and initiatives related to digital innovation and entrepreneurship.
The ArabNet Riyadh 2016 featured prominent speakers, among them, Prince Dr. Turki Bin Saud Bin Mohammed, President of KACST; Mazen Aldawood, Deputy Governor of The General Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises; AbdulRahman Aljadhai, CEO, Elm; Ahmed El Alfi, Founder and Chairman, Sawari Ventures, Co-founder, Flat6Labs; Fahd Hamidaddin, Chief Commercial Officer, King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC); Nathan Hull, Chief Commercial & Content Officer, Elly’s Choice; Scott Amyx, CEO, Amyx+; Sumeet Jain, General Partner, LUMA Capital Partners and Todd Embley, Director at Paris.
The National Innovation track explored strategies for fostering the knowledge economy at the national level, covering the roles of the government and the private sector in stimulating entrepreneurship and innovation, as well as smart cities and corporate digital transformation.
Extended panel discussions in the National Innovation track were held, aimed at focusing on knowledge economy related strategies across the kingdom, exchanging ideas about best practices and plans for effective contribution in encouraging innovation and building knowledge economy, and the role of smart cities and digital transformation in companies, while the Media track tackled how the future of online media is being shaped in Saudi Arabia and the region, and how brands, agencies and publishers are adapting to new platforms.
The Investment track focused on encouraging investments in technology startups, bringing together venture capitalist, LPs, private equity funds, and corporate venture capital initiatives.
