Abu Dhabi, UAE — Machines Can Think 2026 today unveiled Startup Contest Day, a highly selective, investor-driven pitch competition created for founders building AI and DeepTech companies ready for real-world scale.
Hosted in Abu Dhabi on January 26–27, 2026, and organized in collaboration with Hub71 and the Incubation & Entrepreneurship Center of MBZUAI, Startup Contest Day is designed to move beyond demo-day theater — delivering focused capital access, serious investor dialogue, and global visibility.
Not a Demo Day. A Capital-Grade Pitch Arena.
Startup Contest Day is intentionally limited and highly curated. Out of a global applicant pool, only 12 startups will be selected to pitch live on the Startup Day stage to an audience of 30+ global investors, including venture capital firms, corporate VCs, and strategic industry leaders.
Each selected startup will receive:
- 🎤 Live, on-stage pitch exposure at Machines Can Think
- ⏱ 5-minute founder pitch + 3-minute investor Q&A
- 🤝 Direct, high-signal networking with active capital allocators
- 🌍 Exposure to 1,500+ in-person attendees and a 10M+ global digital audience
- 📍 Access to decision-makers across enterprise, infrastructure, policy, and research
The format is built for substance over spectacle — ensuring founders leave with conversations that matter.
Backed by the Institutions Powering Abu Dhabi’s AI Ecosystem
The partnership with Hub71, Abu Dhabi’s global tech ecosystem, and the Incubation & Entrepreneurship Center of MBZUAI, the world’s first AI-focused university, anchors Startup Contest Day within one of the world’s fastest-growing AI and DeepTech hubs.
Together, these partners are focused on identifying startups building:
- Production-ready AI systems
- Deep infrastructure and frontier technologies
- Scalable solutions with enterprise, national, or global impact
This alignment ensures the contest attracts founders and investors who are serious about long-term value creation, not short-term hype.
Who Should Apply
Startup Contest Day is open to AI-first and DeepTech startups building in areas such as:
- Applied AI & enterprise systems
- AI infrastructure, compute, and data platforms
- Robotics and autonomous systems
- Biotech, health AI, and climate tech
- Advanced computing and frontier technologies
Selection will prioritize technical depth, real-world deployment potential, and defensible business models.
Applications Are Now Open
With only 12 slots available, competition is expected to be intense.
🔗 Apply and learn more:
https://lnkd.in/eixz6riV
Event Details
📍 Machines Can Think 2026
📅 January 26–27, 2026
📍 Abu Dhabi, UAE
About Machines Can Think
Machines Can Think is a global AI summit focused on real-world deployment, infrastructure, governance, and long-term impact. The event convenes leaders across research, enterprise, policy, investment, and startups to shape how intelligent systems are built and scaled responsibly.
