Dubai seems to be buzzing with transformation, and the latest Doers Summit has put it squarely on the global map for entrepreneurs. Last month, I found myself in the vibrant streets of Dubai Silicon Oasis, stepping into an event that felt like a mini-United Nations of startup founders. As a serial entrepreneur building on bootstrapped resources, events like this give me the fuel to keep experimenting with unconventional approaches. This year, the Doers Summit wasn’t just another networking spree; it became a case study in how to build a culture where people actually get things done.
The backstory behind the summit is inspiring on its own. Doers Summit started as a small gathering in Cyprus back in 2018. Its focus? Less talk, more action. By 2023, it expanded globally, culminating in its largest chapter yet in Dubai. Over 3,000 attendees walked into the state-of-the-art amphitheater in Dubai Digital Park. This shift wasn’t accidental. Dubai, now home to 90% of UAE’s startups, has grown into a launchpad for founders worldwide.
Here’s what made this edition stand out, and what you can learn from it if you’re building a business as a woman entrepreneur in Europe.
The Dubai Edition: Highlights That Made Waves
Let’s talk numbers first. Doers Summit brought together over 3,000 people, founders, investors, and startup operators. It had 150+ speakers and spanned two intense days. It wasn’t just the scale that caught my attention but also the diversity. You had thought leaders such as Uri Levine (co-founder of Waze) and Markus Fuhrmann (co-founder of Delivery Hero) on stage. As a woman who runs educational startups and AI-focused projects like Fe/male Switch, seeing this lineup helped me understand the mindset of people building across industries.
One speaker that struck a chord was Alisa Adel from Airbus, who spoke about pushing boundaries in traditionally male-dominated sectors. Another standout was Jamil Shinawi, a relentless nine-time exited founder who emphasized learning quickly and discarding what doesn’t work. These stories felt refreshingly candid.
More importantly, the event delivered what it promised. There wasn’t that dull air of self-congratulatory fluff I’ve seen at other conferences. Every panel was packed with threads on how attendees could act on lessons immediately. Whether you were an EdTech founder or working in sustainable tech, every conversation tied back to execution.
What sealed the deal for me was the one-on-one matchmaking feature powered by AI. It wasn’t just a “speed-dating” setup for entrepreneurs, it was a tightly curated system to match founders and growth-stage investors. I connected with a Warsaw-based VC scouting startups like mine in emerging education technologies. Conversations kicked off that could otherwise take months to set up.
Lessons for Female Founders: Crafting Relationships That Work
If you’re an entrepreneur, especially in Europe where ecosystems are spread out regionally, building relationships is your lifeline. As someone who has raised grants and bootstrap-funded her startups, here are the tactical insights that stood out for me from Dubai:
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Be proactive about no-fluff networking: Before the summit, I made a list of 15 people that I absolutely wanted to meet. Some were investors, others were ecosystem builders. Two of them eventually joined my demo day as guest investors.
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Focus on actionable partnerships, not feel-good conversations: One founder from Italy shared how she quickly set up a cross-border B2B deal using LinkedIn right after the summit. Ask yourself after every coffee chat, “What concrete steps do we take next?”
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Leverage diversity in global hubs like Dubai: The sheer mix of cultures mirrors where the world is heading, cross-border collaboration is no longer optional. I met founders from South Korea, Nigeria, and Brazil in a single hour-long panel.
The Statistical Edge: Why Dubai Works as a Startup Playground
Some stats from the event made it clear why Dubai’s ecosystem is booming. Did you know its startup valuations now exceed $10 billion? That’s no small feat for a region often overlooked in the European tech press. More than 200 nations are represented by the people living and working in the city. The government also takes an active role in nurturing founders, including strategies for funding and talent clusters.
I left with a clearer understanding of what ecosystems are doing right. In Europe, founders often complain about the lack of centralized hubs outside of Berlin or Amsterdam. Dubai has leaned into its strengths: global accessibility, business-friendly regulations, and a massive talent pool looking to break into tech.
How To Apply These Lessons If You’re Building in Europe
Not all of us can hop onto the next flight to the UAE, and honestly, you don’t need to. Here’s how to translate these insights into actions wherever you build:
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Craft smaller, local versions of Doers Summit: Focus on quality attendees over quantity. Organize meetups with themes like investor readiness or product validation. If resources are tight, start with LinkedIn-based groups.
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Embrace cross-border opportunities early: If Dubai taught me anything, it’s that building with an international mindset is non-negotiable. Explore underrepresented regions like the Baltics or the Balkans for partnerships or talent hiring. Even my bootstrapped team spans four continents.
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Stop waiting for serendipity: Too many founders expect things to happen to them: funding, customers, awards, publicity. Instead, treat connections like business goals. Dedicate time weekly to outreach and follow-ups.
Common Mistakes Entrepreneurs Should Avoid
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Over-polishing: In every event I’ve attended, a good percentage of founders are still trying to practice their “perfect pitch.” Authenticity works better. Share why you’re excited about your work and who you need help from.
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Ignoring cultural shifts: European ecosystems are still catching up to wider diversity. If you’re a woman founder, don’t underestimate the power of targeting programs designed specifically for you. Look at funding schemes in Europe tailored to women in STEM.
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Overlooking soft skills: Business is about relationships just as much as numbers. One founder I met shared how poor follow-up almost cost them a big investor partnership. Emailing someone “nice to meet you” isn’t enough. Be consistent.
Why Powerful Events Matter at This Stage
Events like the Doers Summit make you realize that success has no single formula. Timing, execution, and relationships play equal roles. For European founders, especially women, every connection can extend beyond borders, industries, and funding gaps. While Dubai was a packed experience, it also reminded me why I love this life of relentless entrepreneurship: to learn, rebuild, and grow constantly, no external fluff needed.
The magic takeaway for you, whether you work on your startup from a shared kitchen in Stockholm or a solo desk in Bucharest, is simple: Be a doer, no matter where you are.
FAQ
1. What is the Doers Summit, and why is it significant?
The Doers Summit is a global event uniting entrepreneurs and investors to share insights and foster actionable business connections. The 2025 edition in Dubai marked the largest chapter yet, emphasizing the city's importance as a global startup hub. Learn more about the Doers Summit Dubai Chapter
2. Where and when was the 2025 Doers Summit held?
The 2025 Doers Summit was hosted on November 26–27, 2025, at the Dubai Digital Park in Dubai Silicon Oasis. Learn more about Dubai Silicon Oasis
3. Who were the notable speakers at the Doers Summit Dubai 2025?
Speakers included Uri Levine, co-founder of Waze, Alisa Adel from Airbus, Jamil Shinawi, a nine-time exited founder, and Markus Fuhrmann, co-founder of Delivery Hero. Each shared their unique entrepreneurial journeys and insights. Check out Doers Summit speakers
4. How does Dubai’s tech ecosystem support startups?
Dubai's ecosystem fosters startups through global accessibility, business-friendly regulations, and a $10 billion startup valuation pool. It serves as a launchpad for international ventures with a rich talent pipeline. Learn more about Dubai’s startup growth
5. What made the Doers Summit different from other entrepreneurial events?
The summit emphasized actionable networking and curated one-on-one matchmaking. Attendees left with concrete opportunities instead of generic conversations, making it a practical, execution-oriented event.
6. How has the Doers Summit evolved since its inception?
Starting as a 300-person gathering in Cyprus in 2018, the Summit has grown into a global platform with chapters in Athens, Limassol, and now Dubai, attracting over 3,000 attendees in its most recent edition. Learn about the Doers Summit evolution
7. What lessons can entrepreneurs take away from the Doers Summit?
Key takeaways include the importance of proactive networking, building cross-border partnerships early, and treating business connections like strategic objectives.
8. How did the AI-powered matchmaking feature work during the Summit?
The AI-powered matchmaking system curated focused connections between founders and investors, enabling seamless collaboration opportunities. Learn more about AI matchmaking at Doers Summit
9. How can entrepreneurs apply these insights if they can’t travel to Dubai?
Entrepreneurs can organize smaller local versions of similar events, focus on cross-border opportunities, and dedicate time weekly for outreach and networking to achieve similar results.
10. Why is Dubai considered a unique startup hub for global entrepreneurs?
Dubai combines East-West business connectivity, a highly international population, favorable regulations, and a strong startup culture, making it an attractive global hub for innovation. Explore Dubai’s role as a global tech hub
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
Violetta Bonenkamp's expertise in CAD sector, IP protection and blockchain
Violetta Bonenkamp is recognized as a multidisciplinary expert with significant achievements in the CAD sector, intellectual property (IP) protection, and blockchain technology.
CAD Sector:
- Violetta is the CEO and co-founder of CADChain, a deep tech startup focused on developing IP management software specifically for CAD (Computer-Aided Design) data. CADChain addresses the lack of industry standards for CAD data protection and sharing, using innovative technology to secure and manage design data.
- She has led the company since its inception in 2018, overseeing R&D, PR, and business development, and driving the creation of products for platforms such as Autodesk Inventor, Blender, and SolidWorks.
- Her leadership has been instrumental in scaling CADChain from a small team to a significant player in the deeptech space, with a diverse, international team.
IP Protection:
- Violetta has built deep expertise in intellectual property, combining academic training with practical startup experience. She has taken specialized courses in IP from institutions like WIPO and the EU IPO.
- She is known for sharing actionable strategies for startup IP protection, leveraging both legal and technological approaches, and has published guides and content on this topic for the entrepreneurial community.
- Her work at CADChain directly addresses the need for robust IP protection in the engineering and design industries, integrating cybersecurity and compliance measures to safeguard digital assets.
Blockchain:
- Violetta’s entry into the blockchain sector began with the founding of CADChain, which uses blockchain as a core technology for securing and managing CAD data.
- She holds several certifications in blockchain and has participated in major hackathons and policy forums, such as the OECD Global Blockchain Policy Forum.
- Her expertise extends to applying blockchain for IP management, ensuring data integrity, traceability, and secure sharing in the CAD industry.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond, launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks and is building MELA AI to help local restaurants in Malta get more visibility online.
For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about the best hotels in Italy to work from.
About the Publication
Fe/male Switch is an innovative startup platform designed to empower women entrepreneurs through an immersive, game-like experience. Founded in 2020 during the pandemic "without any funding and without any code," this non-profit initiative has evolved into a comprehensive educational tool for aspiring female entrepreneurs.The platform was co-founded by Violetta Shishkina-Bonenkamp, who serves as CEO and one of the lead authors of the Startup News branch.
Mission and Purpose
Fe/male Switch Foundation was created to address the gender gap in the tech and entrepreneurship space. The platform aims to skill-up future female tech leaders and empower them to create resilient and innovative tech startups through what they call "gamepreneurship". By putting players in a virtual startup village where they must survive and thrive, the startup game allows women to test their entrepreneurial abilities without financial risk.
Key Features
The platform offers a unique blend of news, resources,learning, networking, and practical application within a supportive, female-focused environment:
- Skill Lab: Micro-modules covering essential startup skills
- Virtual Startup Building: Create or join startups and tackle real-world challenges
- AI Co-founder (PlayPal): Guides users through the startup process
- SANDBOX: A testing environment for idea validation before launch
- Wellness Integration: Virtual activities to balance work and self-care
- Marketplace: Buy or sell expert sessions and tutorials
Impact and Growth
Since its inception, Fe/male Switch has shown impressive growth:
- 5,000+ female entrepreneurs in the community
- 100+ startup tools built
- 5,000+ pieces of articles and news written
- 1,000 unique business ideas for women created
Partnerships
Fe/male Switch has formed strategic partnerships to enhance its offerings. In January 2022, it teamed up with global website builder Tilda to provide free access to website building tools and mentorship services for Fe/male Switch participants.
Recognition
Fe/male Switch has received media attention for its innovative approach to closing the gender gap in tech entrepreneurship. The platform has been featured in various publications highlighting its unique "play to learn and earn" model.