Through DiHubMT, the Malta Digital Innovation Authority is committed to establish a community of technology entrepreneurs in Malta. Today's technology start-ups flourish on fast delivery, incorporating user feedback, and adapting their strategies/pivoting their approaches. Nevertheless, testing assumptions, mediocre applications, and isolated solutions can derail a project before it even begins. To truly thrive, start-ups, individual entrepreneurs, and SMEs require an innovation-driven environment – a community of like-minded individuals. These networks can provide mentorship, collaboration, learning, job creation, and investment opportunities.

Furthermore, it is well established that community membership has significant mental health benefits. According to a study from the University of California, San Francisco, 72 per cent of entrepreneurs have self-reported mental health issues. Moreover, according to the Community Industry Report 2022, 87 per cent of global managers and executives concur that community is essential to a company's mission, and nearly 80 per cent believe that community has had a positive impact on their organization's goals this year. Community has never been more vital for entrepreneurs just starting on their journey. The mission and vision of DiHubMT is to empower this community alongside other European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIH).

Through learning and networking events, DiHubMT will contribute to the growth of a vibrant community. Learning and networking events are excellent methods to connect with the local business and technology community. Malta and the EU have an abundance of these as well. In the offices of large corporations and throughout Malta ecosystem, regular networking events and seminars are the norm. But it is in co-working/innovative spaces where these synergies come to life; DiHubMT will provide such innovative space. In addition, accessing local and international organized networking events to seek tech-related events in the local area is facilitated by being a member of a technology community meaning that workshops and events are available in higher frequencies. With numerous future-focused events on the horizon for the remainder of this year and well into 2024, a multitude of opportunities continue to exist for tech entrepreneurs to connect. Attending events is an excellent way to interact with various business and/or technology communities and is ideal for those who value networking. In addition to providing a chance to see what local offices and co-working spaces are like, events serve as dynamic venues for meeting the people who work there. DiHubMT is currently working to create such events and provide value for the community members. 

DiHubMT will also provide mentoring, consulting, and training to assist businesses, SMEs, and individual entrepreneurs. In the start-up and small-to-medium enterprise (SME) communities, mentorship remains a popular method of giving back. Any novice or aspiring tech entrepreneur can benefit from interacting with those who have previously achieved success. In fact, mentoring is so highly regarded that many large companies offer mentoring programs to their employees. Innovative spaces, technology centres, and professional associations may be another option to informal, ad-hoc advice from established, successful entrepreneurs. New entrepreneurs can frequently utilize their established relationships with mentors and their networks. The greater the number of people with whom entrepreneurs interact, the more likely it is that they will establish a connection and form long-lasting friendships and business relationships. There are numerous varieties of mentoring. From a technology expert to a mentor/coach who specializes in challenging the assumptions of these entrepreneurs. A technological community attracts individuals who are ready to lend a hand. As a result, many entrepreneurs find specialists in various fields ranging from marketing to software development by participating in a community. In addition, a mentor with strong connections can typically introduce founders to other influential people in their industry. Participation in a community can promote collaboration between all stakeholders. Numerous impromptu dialogues between community members about business challenges have resulted in the formation of numerous thriving business opportunities in the past and the trend is only growing larger in 2023. These are the types of connections that DiHubMT aims to foster and create. 

Community development is frequently disregarded as marketing or as a component of a business model cantered on the consumer. People tend to forget, however, that even behind the technology, research, and software, there are people working tirelessly to balance human interactions with the purest form of technology. In order to break down silos and find solutions, community building focuses on bringing them together under one structure (both physical and virtual) and encouraging them to share everything they have in common with others who spend the same number of hours per day working on similar problems. The DiHubMT community will revolve around these topics. 

Upon reading this, one may wonder on the practical advantages of investing significant time and effort into becoming a member of the DiHubMT community. However, having even a small group of engaged community members who offer feedback can minimize delays in feedback loops by providing direct access to a team of testers who share the same interests and vision for the idea, product, or service. Furthermore, in the early stages of start-ups, having a solid community helps entrepreneurs feel less isolated and provides a platform for discussing challenges and difficulties with like-minded individuals. This type of community engagement fosters inspiration and creates a collaborative movement to solve problems addressed by different mindsets. For individual entrepreneurs and enthusiasts, the DiHubMT community does not only provide a forum for discussing ideas, products, challenges, and concepts but also an opportunity to network with other professionals in the same field, share best practices, and gain insights into how to navigate the technologies/businesses being built. The community helps in troubleshooting issues more efficiently.

One of the most significant benefits of the DiHubMT community is that it humanizes the technology and entrepreneurship concepts, transforming them from just technologies and concepts to a centre group of passionate individuals, start-ups and SMEs working tirelessly together to solve problems, which results in a better environment that creates opportunities. Through interactions within the community, DiHubMT can demonstrate its openness and commitment to providing access to technology and get closer to the industry, ultimately establishing a strong business/service catalogue foundation built on genuine concern for the community's needs.

Bernard Montebello, MDIA

The Malta Digital Innovation Authority, through DiHubMT, is committed to fostering innovation, collaboration, and mentorship among technology entrepreneurs in Malta. It is impossible to exaggerate the significance of community to the success of start-ups, SMBs, and individual entrepreneurs. DiHubMT provides the tools and resources required to connect with like-minded individuals, receive feedback, and gain access to job opportunities and investment through learning and networking events and mentorship programs. The tangible benefits of joining the DiHubMT community are many including access to finance, access to different mentoring services, access to technologies and an innovative space, the validation of one's business and offering, the reduction of feedback cycle delays, and the creation of a sense of belonging and support among entrepreneurs. DiHubMT humanizes the entrepreneurship centre and creates a collective movement to solve problems and construct a better future by bringing together passionate individuals who share the same interests and vision.