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What a difference 18 months makes! Over the last year and a half I have been to the Middle East 7 times and I have to say that things are looking up! There is something special in the air. My journey began at SW Dubai last May where I met over 400 entrepreneurs and observed the formation of over 60 teams. The energy and spirit were amazing and it was inspirational to see so many bright, passionate, and educated entrepreneurs under one roof in Dubai.

Last year, the ideas were good, and market opportunities were just as good. What was lacking in infrastructure, network, support and capital was definitely made up for through motivation, passion and a hunger to seek change and learn!

Over the past seven trips I have met almost 2000 entrepreneurs. Many of these entrepreneurs are not only super entrepreneurs that are going to build and develop amazing businesses, but they are also change-makers. They will serve as catalysts to ecosystems spanning across the Middle East.

I would like to highlight three of these change-makers, who were the organizers of Startup Weekend. Salma, Shaima and Shaima  come from different countries, different backgrounds all with different experiences, but they had one common goal: to organize the best Dubai Startup Weekend... Ever!

Syrian born Salma Kayali is the executive director of Yal (Young Arab Leaders) and is based in Abu Dhabi. Salma was the main organizer and helped not only draw some of the best mentors and judges together, but spent almost the entire weekend making sure things were running smoothly while also being 7 months pregnant. Salma’s positive energy and leadership resulted in an amazing compilation of over 100 entrepreneurs and over 40 mentors, coaches and judges! Even when the Internet went out, she remained calm. And when I asked her if the Internet had been fixed, she brushed it off with " Of course...hours ago.” I must say that Salma is the definition of YAL, a true and necessary force needed to create more leaders.

Shaima BinTaliah, a local Emirati who councils businesses through the efforts at Khalifa Fund, did not stop moving, working, supporting, connecting, inspiring and doing everything in her power to make sure that this weekend was the best ever! She is a true inspiration and exemplifies an educated, passionate, collaborative, and motivated young woman. Shaima represents a woman who wants nothing more than change and success for everyone around her, including her country and her culture!

Shaima Ghafoor, the third co-organizer, an Egyptian-Kuwaiti and a product solutions manager at Yahoo! lives in Dubai. She eats and drinks new ways in which to usher reform into the world, in her immediate world of Dubai, in her home country, Kuwait, and across the region, maybe even globally.  She is a super connector! Shaima is the regional ambassador for Girls in Tech and will also be the PITME Ambassador to Dubai.

I think that if there were more Salma's and Shaima's, the world would be a better place and I am excited to see them work their magic in the Emirates.

Now, let’s move away from the lovely and accomplished female organizers and onto the well-deserving teams who participated in Startup Weekend Dubai 2013. Last year, there just so happened to be 60 teams. Yes, many of the teams presented good ideas, yet this year quality over quantity constituted the main theme of SW Dubai. 

The teams that stood out to me were not just the winners. The innovation and creativity circulating throughout the atmosphere of the event was overwhelming. 

Let’s meet the winners…

First Place: Kidz Weekend

A web and mobile app that allows parents to reward their kids on the weekends for accomplishing assigned tasks during the week. The kids collect stars that can be redeemed as rewards promised by the parents.

Second Place: Coco Event

CoCo Events empowers conference delegates to efficiently find the people who matter to them at the event – similar to the concept of online dating, but for conferences.

Third Winner & Popular Vote Winner: Rent a Local

Rent a Local is a platform to connect worldwide travelers with locals through the world, offering them an authentic travel experience.

Aside from the top three winners, Flove, CarpoolArabia, Garajack, HealthyBox, and all the rest exhibited a true flair for all things innovation. Each and every one of the incredible entrepreneurs that took part in this magical weekend in Dubai had a unique input to offer. The ideas were more concrete and I think there were at least 5 or 6 teams with actual businesses. I believe some of them, or perhaps all of them are going to continue with these projects….at least I hope so.

Finally, I want to recognize the huge group of mentors and judges who volunteered their time to help these awesome teams. 

See you at the next SW Weekend, and I hope to see some of you make it to the Valley soon! 

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Nima AdelKhani is the founder of PITME, a bridge organization between Middle Eastern startups and Silicon Valley. He is former head of business development for the Founder Institute, a global accelerator with operations in over 30 cities. He also helped manage The Funded and their pitch and networking event Founder Showcase.

During his tenure, Nima helped launch over 300 startups. Prior to this, Nima worked in international business development. He has traveled to over 57 countries and speaks 4 languages.