Step Dubai 2026 opens this week with 400 startups and 100k hours of AI narratives

• Timothy Draper, founder of Draper Associates and early-stage investor in Tesla, Coinbase, and Skype, is on the speaker list for Step Dubai 2026.
• The event will feature nearly 100,000 hours of AI-focused business insights and discussions, in partnership with Dubai Internet City.
• This year, the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy joins as a Strategic Partner.

As an Ecosystem Partner, Seed Group supports the official return of Step Dubai, the annual technology and startup festival. Now in its 14th edition, the conference will take place on 11–12 February at Dubai Internet City. This year’s event will offer nearly 100,000 hours of AI-related narratives, which will include practical knowledge, business case studies, and policy discussions.

Step Dubai 2026 is organised in partnership with Dubai Internet City, a part of TECOM Group PJSC, with in5 and Hub71 serving as Main Partners. The Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy joins as the Strategic Partner this year. The tech and startup event aligns with the objectives of the UAE National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence 2031 by promoting responsible technology, talent development, and the scaling up of firms in the digital sector.

Under the theme ‘Intelligence Everywhere: The AI Economy’, the 2026 Step conference is expected to host over 8,000 attendees, 400 startups, and 100 confirmed speakers. This scale reflects the maturity of Dubai’s business environment and its appeal to founders exploring how to start a business. Building on a feature from December, this piece provides more insight into renowned venture capitalists, speakers, and mentors, as well as participation opportunities for innovators and SMEs.

Silicon Valley venture capitalist and major tech firms at Step Dubai 2026

The 2026 program brings together leaders from Visa, Salesforce, Amazon, and Gartner, alongside important venture capital firms such as 500 Global, Plug and Play, Antler, Wamda Capital, BECO Capital, and the Dubai Future District Fund. Collectively, these organisations represent more than USD 12.6 billion in deployable capital.

Among the headline speakers is Timothy Draper, the founder of Draper Associates, who is widely recognised for his early-stage investments in companies like Tesla, Coinbase, and Skype. Draper’s participation brings an invaluable Silicon Valley perspective to conversations around venture building, risk, and long-term value creation.

The conference is anchored by a broader ecosystem designed to support founders. Incubators, co-working operators, and enabling institutions play a central role in translating funding interest into sustainable company formation and long-term growth in Dubai.

In line with this, success stories from in5, TECOM Group’s startup incubator, will be showcased, alongside the inaugural participation of D/Quarters as an Ecosystem Partner. D/Quarters will introduce flexible co-working concepts that facilitate business establishment in Dubai while showcasing the overall pro-business environment.

Inside the event agenda: Four tracks and startup pitch competitions

As conveyed in the December 2025 article, Step 2026 will deliver four focused content tracks: Founders & Funders, The AI Stack, AI in Finance, and Human First.

The (1) Founders & Funders focuses on unicorn development, scaling strategies, exits, and venture capital evolution in high-growth markets. It connects founders and builders with VC firms, angels, LPs, corporate leaders, accelerators, and policymakers. It will also feature the Step 2026 Pitch Competition Final Round, which will showcase leading startups competing for the major awards. 

(2) The AI Stack track explores foundational technologies powering the AI economy, such as large language models, robotics, and cloud infrastructure. Curated by Ash Kumra, a global leader in technology innovation and strategic investment, this track will highlight the responsible building and scaling of AI systems. A key session of the program features a panel led by Justin Li, Co-Founder and Chief Architect of Genspark.ai.

The (3) AI in Finance track focuses on the transformation of financial services through AI. Discussions span FinAI, wealth intelligence, crypto, and autonomous banking, highlighting the balance between innovation, regulation, and trust required for responsible AI adoption in regulated sectors. Under this track, the AngelSpark Pitch Event will feature two high-potential startups presenting to AngelSpark for potential funding.

(4) Human First is Step Dubai’s reimagined digital media and creativity track, curated and hosted by Luca Allam — an entrepreneur and host of ‘Luca’s Insight Track’, a top 10 podcast in the region. It centres on the human aspect of AI, exploring human-AI co-creation, trust, and the changing role of creativity and emotion as fundamental requirements for fostering connection.

How to join Step Dubai 2026

Whether you want to connect with top global investors, explore partnership opportunities, or learn how to scale or start a business in Dubai, this event is an important metaphorical avenue into the region’s innovation ecosystem. 

Further information on Step Dubai 2026, including tickets and startup showcase applications, is available at stepdxb.com and via: dubai.stepconference.com/go/startups/