Etisalat UAE, branded etisalat by e& today announced that it is inviting ideators and start-ups to pitch their next big business idea at the third edition of the ‘Hello Business Pitch’ competition, providing an innovative platform to support the growing entrepreneurial ecosystem in the country.

After two successful series of the Hello Business Pitch competition, this year’s edition is open to aspiring start-ups (up to 3 years in operation) and innovators who have novel disruptive ideas and require the capital to kickstart the business.
Esam Mahmoud, Senior Vice President, SMB Sales & Marketing,, etisalat by e&, said: “We’ve always believed in supporting entrepreneurs and SMBs as they make a difference in our society through their pioneering and innovative business ideas. Over the years, the competition has become the bridge that enables their growth to the next level while we stay committed to the aspirations of the UAE leadership to be a leading sustainable knowledge-based and innovative hub globally.

“This year, the competition comes with an exciting twist as we open the doors for a wider community of ideators and entrepreneurs to pitch their innovative ideas. We look forward to receiving submissions, enabling the space for pathbreaking ideas to come to fruition and implementation,” said.

Last year, the competition received an overwhelming response with hundreds of submissions from aspiring startups in UAE, with YallaGive winning first place, Key2enable Assistive Technology and App4Legal taking the second and third position. This year, a total of 6 winners will be announced, whereby 3 disruptive ideators and 3 ambitious startups will walk away with cash prizes worth AED 350,000.

The registration for entries has already begun and it is open for a limited period only. Interested participants can register at https://etisalat.ae/pitch3 and they will be notified if they got shortlisted by a jury panel of subject matter experts who are joining the competition from various industries and verticals.

Etisalat Group has changed its brand identity to e&, effective on February 2022. Its strategy aims to accelerate growth through the creation of a resilient business model represented by Group’s main business pillars.

The telecoms business currently continues to be led by etisalat by e& in the Group’s home market and e& international markets, upholding the Group’s rich telecoms heritage, bolstering the strong telecoms network and maximising value for the Group’s various customer segments.

Ramping up the digital services for individuals to elevate their digital-driven lifestyle, e& life brings next-generation technologies through smart platforms in entertainment, retail and financial technology. e& enterprise focuses on maximising value through its end-to-end solutions in cybersecurity, cloud, Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), as well as deploying mega projects, in order to enable the digital transformation of governments, large-scale enterprises and corporates. e& capital allows the Group to focus its efforts on driving new mergers and acquisitions while maximising shareholder value and strengthening the Group’s global presence.