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SEE YOU AT STEP

Intelligence Everywhere: The AI Economy

11–12 February 2026 Dubai Internet City


Our Story

Step began as a series of intimate workshops and gatherings and has evolved over 13 years into the leading tech festival in Dubai. Step Dubai 2026 marks the 14th edition of the festival – bringing together thousands of founders, investors, creatives, and tech enthusiasts from around the world.

Under the theme “Intelligence Everywhere: The AI Economy,” Step 2026 explores how artificial intelligence is transforming every layer of our lives – from business and finance to technology and creativity. Across four dynamic tracks, hundreds of global startups, and 8,000+ attendees, Step continues to bring the future of tech, culture, and entrepreneurship to Dubai.

8000+

Attendees

400+

Showcasing Startups

100+

Participating Companies

$9 Billion

Funding Present

PRESENTED BY

Main Partners 2026 in5
Startup Basecamp Sponsor 2026 Atlasian
Investor Meetings Lounge Sponsor Zest Equity
Partners 2026 MMS

Step Dubai 2026 Speakers

Timothy Draper

Draper Associates

Timothy Draper

Draper Associates

Tim Draper founded Draper Associates, DFJ and the Draper Venture Network, a global network of venture capital funds. Funded Coinbase, Baidu, Tesla, Skype, SpaceX, Twitch, Hotmail, Focus Media, Robinhood, Athenahealth, Box, Cruise Automation, Carta, Planet, PTC and 15 other unicorns from early/first rounds.

Fadi Ghandour

Wamda Capital

Fadi Ghandour

Wamda Capital

Fadi Ghandour is the Executive Chairman of Wamda Group, a platform that invests, nurtures and builds entrepreneurship eco-systems across the Middle East and North Africa. Mr. Ghandour is also the Founder of Aramex, one of the leading global logistics companies. Mr. Ghandour spent the first 30 years of his work life as CEO of Aramex, building the company, making it the leading emerging market logistics company, employing over 15,000 people working in over 250 offices in 90 countries. He took the company public twice, first on Nasdaq making it the first company from the Arab world to do so, then on Dubai Financial market. He continues to be active on the Aramex board. Mr. Ghandour is a serial entrepreneur. In his career, he was involved with founding, investing and launching tens of companies and non-profits, ranging from digital tech, hospitality, fitness & wellness. Passionate about impact and social entrepreneurship, Mr. Ghandour founded and chairs Ruwwad for Development, a private sector led community empowerment platform that helps marginalized communities, across several countries in the MENA region, overcome marginalization through activism, civic engagement, education and financial inclusion. Mr. Ghandour also served and continues to serve on several global and regional boards of companies, education institutions and non-profits.

Mimi Nicklin

Empathy Everywhere

Mimi Nicklin

Empathy Everywhere

This year alone, she’s reached over 2.5 million people with her mission to reconnect our workplaces and world through empathy. Her charming, and utterly contagious, influence is growing daily with an organic audience that now reaches over 60,000 people. Currently ranked the #1 Workplace Wellbeing Leader in Malaysia and the #12 Female Influencer on LinkedIn, in the country, her impact on the world’s largest brands is rising – genuinely, consistently and ethically. Mimi is the world’s leading Empathy Advocate & Influencer, a full-time Keynote Speaker, and an internationally Bestselling Author of 3 books. She’s recently shared stages with Bill Gates, Steve Wozniak, and Steven Bartlett, and appeared on the BBC live to 85 million viewers as the leading voice in Listening-Led Leadership and the $9 trillion empathy gap. As one client put it, “Mimi is entirely in a league of her own.”

Wen Sang

Genspark

Wen Sang

Genspark

Wen Sang is the Co-Founder and COO of Genspark.ai, a Palo Alto-based AI company building agents for knowledge workers, which reached $50M in ARR within 5 months of launching, and became a unicorn within 7 months of launching. Previously, he was the founder and CEO of Smarking Inc., a Y Combinator and Khosla Ventures-backed SaaS company for parking analytics, which was acquired by JustPark in 2022. Wen holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from MIT and has received industry recognition for both technical innovation and entrepreneurial leadership.

Dany Farha

BECO Capital

Dany Farha

BECO Capital

Dany Farha is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of BECO Capital. Founded in 2012, BECO Capital is a Gulf-focused institutional venture capital firm, managing +$820M in AUM across five funds. The firm is a full-stack venture platform investing from inception to growth and has two $1B+ exits in its track record. With 30 years of experience in investing and entrepreneurship, Dany has successfully founded and exited several ventures. Since establishing BECO, he has led nearly 30 investments, including early backing of Kitopi, Property Finder, and Careem, supporting them on their journeys to becoming landmarks in the regional VC ecosystem.

Osman Sultan

Fikratech

Osman Sultan

Fikratech

-What you see: – Independant Board Member – Serial Investor – Restructuring Architect – Transformation Advisor The other Side of the moon – Storyteller – Knowledge seeker – Author: The future is young, Learning in the times of AI The Journey in Milestones – 2020 to date: Founder & Chairman, Fikratech (AI Everywhere) – 2006 to 2019: Founding CEO du, (Add life to Life) – 1998 to 2005: Founding CEO Mobinil, (A Mobile in the Hand of Everyone) – 1994 to 1997: President Questel Orbit Inc, (The birth of the Internet) – 1984 to 1994: Questel (Subsidiary of France Telecom), The Minitel, (The Ancestor of the Internet)

Miku Jha

ServiceNow

Miku Jha

ServiceNow

Miku Jha is a distinguished AI technologist and executive leader known for translating breakthrough innovations into enterprise-scale outcomes. At ServiceNow, she founded and leads the Applied AI Forward-Deployed Engineering (FDE) organization — where AI meets execution. Her team bridges the gap from proof-of-concept to production, driving co-innovation on Agentic AI solutions that deliver measurable business impact and shape ServiceNow’s AI-native product flywheel. Previously at Google Cloud, Miku led Global AI/ML Partner Engineering, pioneering the Agent2Agent (A2A) interoperability protocol and launching an AI Agent Marketplace with 1,000+ solutions. A serial entrepreneur and Forbes honoree, she has led three successful startup exits and continues to mentor emerging AI talent and women in STEM.

Andrew Vranjes

Blockdaemon

Andrew Vranjes

Blockdaemon

Andrew is driving Blockdaemon’s global growth strategy as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO). In this role, he is responsible for driving and aligning all revenue generating processes across the organization. Previously, Andrew was VP and GM at APAC, where he has successfully led regional growth, forged strategic partnerships, and expanded market presence in the Asia Pacific Region. Prior to joining Blockdaemon, Andrew has held leadership roles in Amazon Web Services (AWS), Cisco Systems and Singtel/Optus. In AWS, Andrew built out the teams focussed on Startups, Digital Natives, Crypto/Fintech and AWS’s partnerships with the Venture Capital and Private Equity community. In Cisco, Andrew led sales and Business Development for several acquisitions and internally built software solutions, most notably the GTM in APAC for an acquisition, tail-f systems. In Optus Business, Andrew led and owned the P&L for the Data Centre and Cloud Practice.

Mazen Hayek

The CONSVLTIVM

Mazen Hayek

The CONSVLTIVM

EMEA advisor in TMT. Former MBC GROUP spokesperson. 20+ years in Media & StratComm. Known for strategic insight and quiet, discreet, under-the-radar counsel.

Tamara Pupic

Entrepreneur Middle East – BNC Publishing

Tamara Pupic

Entrepreneur Middle East – BNC Publishing

Tamara Pupic holds the position of Managing Editor of Entrepreneur Middle East magazine, a division of Dubai-based BNC Publishing officially licensed by the US-based publication Entrepreneur. She is a seasoned journalist and legal expert with a deep passion for exploring the intersection between law, technology, and finance. With a master’s degree in international law and economics (M.I.L.E.) from the World Trade Institute in Bern (Switzerland) and more than a decade’s long experience in business journalism in the UAE, Tamara Pupic focuses on incisive analysis and engaging storytelling around complex regulatory issues, business growth, and emerging technologies.
SEE 2026 SPEAKERS


WHAT GOES ON

What goes on

ENTERTAINMENT

Step’s festival format creates engaging networking opportunities beyond conference programming with outdoor activities with food trucks, music performances, and pop-up vendors all across the event areas. 

BRAND ACTIVATIONS

Leading brands in the tech and digital space from FMCG brands to automotive companies, banks, media companies, and tech solutions, host first-of-their-kind activities to interact with attendees and startups. 

EXHIBITION AREAS

Tech companies and brands across multiple industries participate at Step so startups and attendees get a chance to connect with their next partner, client and learn about what’s new in the market.

SATELLITE EVENTS & MEET-UPS

Step curates focused networking opportunities and meet-ups across industries, job levels, and interests hosted by VCs, incubators, digital agencies, and other partners. 

STARTUP PROGRAMMING

With over 400 startups showcasing and more than 1000 entrepreneurs attending, Step hosts multiple programs to facilitate connections with investors, clients, partners.

TALKS AND WORKSHOPS

Step hosts 4 stages of content, and running workshops and programming simultaneously covering everything startups, digital media, fintech, and future tech.