--> --> -->

THE LEADING TECH FESTIVAL FOR EMERGING MARKETS

WHAT YOU GET

ALL-ACCESS TICKETS

Approved startups get the Startup Package which includes 2 Master Pass tickets with access to everything at the conference including programming, and special invitations to satellite events.

FREE BRANDED BOOTH

Showcasing startups are offered a branded booth for 1 day to showcase their latest product or service at the conference to investors, potential clients, partners, and event attendees.

PRIORITY ACCESS

Showcasing Startups get priority booking for the Pitch Competition, Mentor’s Corner, Investor Meetings, Workshops, Meet-Ups, and Satellite Events.

 

STARTUP BASECAMP

400 global startups participated at Step 2023’s Startup Basecamp across 6 tracks to showcase their products and services. Showcasing Startups had a chance to meet with regional investors and VCs, gather leads, and network with potential clients and partners

PITCH COMPETITION

Showcasing startups get the chance to participate at Step’s flagship Pitch Competition to present their products and services to leading investors and industry experts.

Mentor’s Corner

Mentorship sessions are hosted for startups and entrepreneurs to participate in 1-on-1 sessions and group sessions focused on specific topics.

Investor Meetings

Participating startups and entrepreneurs get to book 1-on-1 sessions with leading investors from the region from pre-seed to early and growth stage investors.

previous investors

Dr. John V. Francis

KUBE VC

Dr. John V. Francis

KUBE VC

With over 4 decades of experience in technology, governance and policy, I’ve come to don several hats. I am the CEO of Ztartup Network, Director of mUrgency Holdings & Partner at Kube VC. I founded Intelligent Beings, an organisation that seeks to leverage emerging technologies to realise smart industry and ecosystems of innovation and collaboration. As a champion of finding tech-oriented solutions, helped several companies to establish and scale up in this fast-changing world. Leveraging technology to find and bridge disparities has been my mission.

Stephanie Nour Prince

Nuwa Capital

Stephanie Nour Prince

Nuwa Capital

Stephanie Nour is partner at Nuwa Capital where she leads on network, LP engagement and operations. Prior to Nuwa, Stephanie was Wamda’s Director of Communications and Outreach, working on outreach and partnerships with multiple stakeholders in the MENA startup ecosystem. At Wamda, she focused on building the brand and community since joining in 2012, and led on projects such as the MIT Media Lab workshop Dubai, the American University of Beirut’s Reboot Beirut Hackathon, and the Crown Prince Court’s Minds on a Mission Design Thinking workshop among other programs and deal sourcing activities. She has a BS in Computer Science with a minor in Creative Writing from the American University of Beirut. Previously, she worked on both the product and community fronts of converged communication media startup Telephone.com.

Ankit Upadhyay

A2D Ventures

Ankit Upadhyay

A2D Ventures

Ankit is the Founder & CEO of A2D Ventures – a fast growing community-led startup investing platform from Southeast Asia that serves the growing needs of angel investors, family offices and startup founders alike. Ankit brings a wealth of experience and passion in building, scaling and operating businesses. His journey has taken him from California to Asia, including management consulting at McKinsey & Company, Exec roles at Shopee (SEA’s largest e-commerce firm), and semiconductors manufacturing. He advocates for providing visionary founders with the necessary support in terms of capital, mentorship, network access, thought partnership, and management skills. Recognizing the practical impact of these resources, Ankit actively promotes the invaluable role of angel investors in shaping the success of promising ventures and their outsized impact in value creation.

Jenny Atout Ahlzen

Amam Ventures

Jenny Atout Ahlzen

Amam Ventures

Jenny is a Co-Founder and Partner at Amam Ventures, an impact fund that invests with a gender lens with a focus on the Middle East. Prior to co-founding Amam, Jenny spent 5 years working in VC, investing in tech-enabled ventures across the region. She has a background in traditional asset management as well as operational experience in SMEs and tech startups. Jenny works on expanding alternative financing options for startups and SMEs is passionate about empowering female entrepreneurs.

Kayra Yasa

COTU Ventures

Kayra Yasa

COTU Ventures

COTU stands for Champions Of The Underdog. We are on a mission to reinvent how early-stage investing is done in the Middle East by backing extraordinary founders and showing them how to believe in themselves when they are at the loneliest, earliest, and most challenging parts of their journeys.

Asia Kabel

ArzanVC

Asia Kabel

ArzanVC

Passionate about new and unique ideas

Khalid Alkhudairi

Gulfelite

Khalid Alkhudairi

Gulfelite

Partner and Board Member & Advisor in multiple organization. Serial Angel Investor

Talal Almoayed

Almoayed Ventures

Talal Almoayed

Almoayed Ventures

Almoayed Ventures W.L.L. is the venture arm of Almoayed General W.L.L. The company focuses on partnering with investment professionals with a track record of supporting and scaling innovative businesses. The company also makes direct investments in passionate entrepreneurs and supports them throughout their journey.

Ali Hashemi

Polymath Ventures

Ali Hashemi

Polymath Ventures

Ali Hashemi is an early-stage venture investor, specializing in health-tech innovation, emphasizing the synergy of human-machine solutions in healthcare. He is also the CEO of meta[bolic], a healthcare company known for exceptional patient outcomes, powering GluCare.Health and Zone.Health platforms, dedicated to diabetes care and weight management. Previously, Ali founded Amana Healthcare, a leading Middle Eastern continuum-of-care hospital network acquired by Mubadala Healthcare in 2018. He also established and led Booz & Company’s Middle East Healthcare Practice and worked at Bain & Company’s Healthcare and Private Equity Practices in NYC. Ali studied Medicine and received his MBA concurrently from McGill University. Ali is a member of the Global Advisory Board for the Fuqua School of Business at Duke, a lecturer for the Duke Global Executive MBA Program, and a proud Duke basketball fan.

Sarah Alsughaiyer

Alturki Ventures

Sarah Alsughaiyer

Alturki Ventures

Investing in innovative and scalable startups both in the Middle East and globally. Founded in 2018, Alturki Ventures has backed over 30 companies across various sectors, such as fintech, e-commerce, healthtech, and edtech. Alturki Ventures aims to support entrepreneurs with capital, mentorship, and access to its extensive network of partners and experts.

Startup Testimonials

Paolo Khayat. CEO at Libas

“Step conference has been a key enabler in connecting with prominent VCs and angels. Not only did it fast-track our relationships, but also assisted in immediately breaking the ice with investors.”

Sahar Morhal. COO at Kagami Trading

“Engaging with investors at Step Conferences has been a game-changer for my startup. To secure funding, I’ve found that being well-prepared with a compelling pitch and a clear business plan is essential.”

Andrea Giannini. Co-Founder & CTO at Exovolar

“Step has been transformative for us. The true value of Step has been in the connections made and the relationships built. It’s the magic of these connections, sparked by a shared interest in our mission to make people fly, that has opened doors we hadn’t anticipated.”