Where innovation knows no boundaries

Hello 24six9 fam!

Ramadan Kareem to the 24six9 community! February may have dashed past us in the blink of an eye, but we made the most of it anyway. From pitch roasts to idea labs and founder’s workshop, plus Valentine’s Day in between-it's been a roller coaster of a ride. We hope everyone that participated in the 24six9 meetups this month had a good time, and walked away with valuable takeaways and support for their entrepreneurial journey. If you’re new, look forward to more opportunities for networking, inclusivity and skills development this month, all in the spirit of generosity in line with Ramadan!

Let’s dive into the highlights for this month, shall we?

Pitch Roast – February Edition

February's pitch roast was a wild ride from start to finish. We can officially say it was the most participants we’ve had to date, with up to 19 people pitching, to uproarious roasts. Jamil Shinawi, founder of 24six9, hosted the session this time, and applied his unique brand of feedback to some of the early pitches. We had a mix of verbal and visual presentations, but the heartening thing was, everyone was confident in their idea, and very receptive to the often (playfully) harsh feedback. We did witness some debates getting heated, but it was all fair play and led to actual, real-life connections made through that. A big thanks to everyone that participated, and the ones who couldn’t, we made space for them for the next session!

Valentine’s Day came around on the next Friday, and we graciously let that Friday remain free - you’re welcome!

Idea Lab Gone Wild

Everyone returned fresh and ready for a new edition of Idea Lab on February 21, once again surprising us with the number of participants. We even had a student come up to the stage with their open-source ideas they had worked on at university. Not only did their idea resonate with a panel of “judges”, they left with very cool ideas and invitations to join SourceHive, the open-source community that meets every second Thursday to discuss the latest in development. Idea Lab’s objective is to help participants validate their ideas, and while we have a rotating panel of judges to help them hone their presentations and ideas, we always ensure participants make the right connections to continue their wild ideas. That’s exactly what happened, with several participants making appointments with investors and fellow entrepreneurs. We love to see it happen, truly.

Founder’s Workshop feat. Darshan Thakkar and Samy ElSheikh

In the spirit of keeping things fresh, we ended the month of February with a new edition of Founder’s Workshop. The objective for these is to share some actionable insights on company formation, and everything that entails. This time, we held the Founder’s Workshop with the help of Darshan Thakkar and Samy Elsheikh, as they led us through the differences between TSOP and ESOP. Participants gained valuable knowledge on the benefits and implications of each option, equipping them with the tools to make informed decisions for their ventures. The interactive session encouraged lively discussions, allowing attendees to ask questions and share their experiences. We’re grateful to Darshan and Samy for their expertise and insights, and we look forward to more enlightening workshops in the future!

Look forward to more fun activities lined up for the month of March, but disclaimer, Ramadan timings for 24six9 community meetups have moved from 9pm to 12am every Friday. We’ll get back to regularly scheduled programming post-Eid, but till then, we hope to see you all fresh after Iftaar!

We look forward to bringing you the most exciting and meaningful meetups, events, opportunities, and connections, designed to help you thrive.

Have an excellent rest of the month!

Team 24six9

Upcoming Meetups:

Ramadan meetup timings at in5 Tech, Dubai Internet City: 9pm to 12am

Dubai Chapter: Friday, March 28, 2025 - Founders Iftaar, Location TBA

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