Arabnet Arabnet

Startups Without Borders has just launched the fifth edition of its annual summit, which will take place on May 10-11 at Kamelizer Spaces, in District 5.

Launched under the theme: Break Borders, Build Global Horizons, the summit will bring together 3,000 innovators from around the world alongside key players in the tech industry, gathering brilliant minds who make history.

The event will feature powerhouse speakers and prominent investors from London, Japan, USA, Senegal, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia, including Ibrahim Sagna, Sadaharu Seiku, and Michael Lints.

The content will focus on helping entrepreneurs build businesses with global scope. Amongst the workshops, John Gamba and Jackie Jircitano will teach how to enter the US market, and a variety of soft-landing programs will be presented, to the US and Saudi markets.

“For the past 6 years, we have gone from city to city in the MENA and Europe on a mission to build a transnational ecosystem for entrepreneurs, no matter where they come from. In a difficult year for the region, we believe there couldn’t be a better time to join forces and connect the visionary entrepreneurs that turn every crisis into an opportunity. By bringing startup delegations and investors from all corners of the world, from Italy to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, we are certain that the power that cross-border collaboration can spark is boundless.” says Valentina Primo, founder and CEO of Startups Without Borders. 

One of the most exciting features of the summit is the launch of the AI Salon, a new event format arriving for the first time to the Middle East, in partnership with  US-Based VC Blitzscaling Ventures.

Alongside talks and panels with all-star speakers, the event will host the Investor Room, where 460 meetings were hosted between startups and investors in 2023. Startups participate and get matched with an investor according to industry, geography and ticket size, and take part in 101 meetings with investors from leading global VC and investors. 

This year, the summit is also bringing the corporate match-making room, where industry leaders in the corporate space can meet and connect with innovative entrepreneurs, a talent matching area, and scholarships for refugee entrepreneurs in partnership with Netherlands' Forward Inc.

The speakers lineup also includes some of the most active investors, VCs and accelerators, who will discuss and unveil the new investment landscape, as well as more than 30 power-packed workshops, offering entrepreneurs the insights and tools to grow and scale, from building a sales funnel, to understanding the power of AI.

The summit's sponsors and partners include Qewam, Odoo, Aspire Consulting, GSE - Penn University, Blitzscaling Ventures, and venue partners Kamelizer and District 5.