Step Conference

What Step Conference does

Step Conference is a Dubai-headquartered private media and events company (founded 2011-2012) that operates an event-driven platform connecting startups, investors, and corporate partners across MENA, the United States, and Saudi Arabia. Its core products are large-scale technology and startup conferences — Step Dubai (the flagship, now in its 14th/15th edition), Step San Francisco (launched August 2024), and Step Riyadh (November 2024) — supported by adjacent content products including Step Feed (a weekly MENA-focused tech newsletter) and Step Podcast. The platform combines tiered ticketing (Master Pass, Investor Pass, Startup Packages priced with early-bird discounts through sajailni.com and Luma), startup showcase applications, curated investor matchmaking, pitch competitions, satellite events, and a mentorship program to convene roughly 8,000+ attendees and 400+ startups at the Dubai event alone.

The business model is primarily transaction- and sponsorship-driven: ticket sales, startup showcase fees, and exhibitor/sponsorship packages ranging from $6,500 to $20,000+ (with named partners such as Mastercard, Atlassian, AWS, Google Cloud, Emirates, Carta, Hub71, and Dubai Internet City). Distribution is multi-channel — direct ticketing e-commerce, application-based startup onboarding, and direct enterprise sales for sponsorships — while partner ecosystems (Andreessen Horowitz, Khosla Ventures, Insight Partners, Wamda Capital, 500 Global, Draper Associates, Endeavor) supply deal-flow and speaker capital. Founder Ray Dargham leads the company, which is privately held, bootstrapped (no disclosed institutional funding), operates with 11-50 employees, and holds an explicit mission to enable 1 million startup founders globally; governance and revenue figures are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Step Conference

Legal name

Step Platform DMCC

Website

https://stepconference.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Step Conference is a Dubai-based private media and events company that operates flagship technology and startup conferences in Dubai, San Francisco, and Riyadh, connecting early-to-growth-stage startups, venture capitalists, and enterprise partners through ticketed events, curated investor matchmaking, and supporting digital media including a newsletter and podcast.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tech and Startup Conferences

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

akta.pro primary industry

Product & Innovation Summits (Roadmap, Launch Readiness, Innovation Days) (THAHAMAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Executive Summits & Invitation-Only Forums (MPAGAGAK), Virtual/Hybrid Conference Production & Platform Management (THAHACAM)

Keywords

• Tech conference events
• Startup ecosystem networking
• Investor matchmaking platform
• Technology event sponsorship
• Business event ticketing

Headquarters

HQ city

Dubai

HQ country

United Arab Emirates

HQ region

Middle East

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Event Ticket Sales: Revenue from selling tickets to attend Step conferences including Master Pass, Investor Pass, Startup packages, and Student passes. Pricing varies by ticket type and increases as event dates approach.
2. Startup Showcase Fees: Revenue from startups applying and paying for showcase booths to exhibit at events. Startup packages include branded kiosks, investor meetings, and pitch competition opportunities.
3. Exhibitor and Sponsorship Revenue: Revenue from exhibitor booths and sponsorship packages at events. Exhibitor budget ranges from $6,500 to $20,000+ based on package tier.
4. Partnership and Sponsorship Programs: Corporate sponsors pay for brand visibility, exhibition space, and access to the startup and investor ecosystem at events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Step Conference is a media and events organization that produces large-scale tech and startup conferences — including the flagship Step Dubai annual festival, Step San Francisco, and Step Riyadh editions — augmented by satellite meetups, startup showcase programs, curated investor-startup matchmaking, mentorship, a weekly newsletter (Step Feed), and a podcast. The events serve as the primary connective tissue linking startups, investors, corporates, and tech professionals across MENA, Emerging Markets, and Silicon Valley.

Product overview

Step Conference operates as a multi-event technology and startup ecosystem platform featuring annual conferences in Dubai (the flagship) and San Francisco, plus periodic events in Riyadh. The platform combines core conference events with supporting products: Startup Basecamp (showcase and booth program), Investor Matchmaking (curated connection system), Mentorship Program (expert mentoring sessions), Satellite Events (curated networking meetups), Step Feed Newsletter (weekly tech news), and Step Podcast (audio content). The Dubai event features four content tracks (Founders & Funders, The AI Stack, AI in Finance, Human First), while ticket products include Master Pass and Investor Pass tiers. The Host Partner Program enables regional expansion to new cities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Step Feed: A concise weekly newsletter informing readers about tech, business, and economy topics in the MENA region.
• Step Podcast

Products and services

• Step Dubai Conference Flagship annual tech and startup conference held at Dubai Internet City featuring multiple content tracks, startup showcase, investor matchmaking, pitch competitions, satellite events, and networking for startups, investors, and tech professionals.
• Step San Francisco Conference Regional tech and startup conference held in San Francisco featuring AI, SaaS, and Venture Capital content tracks with a curated matchmaking system for founders, investors, and operators; designed to bridge MENA/Emerging Markets startup ecosystems with Silicon Valley.
• Startup Basecamp Showcase Program Startup showcase program featuring seed to early-stage startups from around the world, providing booth space, investor matchmaking, mentorship roundtables, and pitch competition opportunities at Step events.
• Investor Matchmaking Service Curated matchmaking system that collects investor preferences and schedules structured meetings with relevant startups using personalized agendas; included with the Investor Pass at Step events (curated introductions to 5-10 startups).
• Mentorship Program Mentoring sessions with successful startup founders and industry experts available to participating startups and entrepreneurs, delivered through one-on-one and group formats during Step events.
• Satellite Events Curated networking meetups organized by VCs, incubators, digital agencies, and partners during Step conference week, focused on specific industries, job levels, and interests beyond the main conference program.
• Step Feed Newsletter Concise weekly newsletter informing readers about the hottest topics in tech, business, and economy sectors with a focus on social happenings within the MENA region.
• Step Podcast Audio channel that spreads the knowledge shared at Step events, featuring accomplished leaders discussing technology, innovation, and investments.
• Step Host Partner Program Licensing/partner model enabling local hosts to bring Step-branded events to their own cities, supporting local startup ecosystem development through conferences co-produced with regional hosts.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50,000+ total attendees across all events
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• Dubai Internet CitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic venue partner for Step Dubai events. Dubai Internet City Ampitheatre and Lakes area serves as the primary event location for Step conferences. Powered by Dubai Internet City for the Main Stage.
• Hub71coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMain Partner of Start Track at Step events. Abu Dhabi-based ecosystem enabler for tech startups providing strategic partnership and support.
• in5coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDubai-based innovation platform for startups, part of Dubai Technology, Media and Free Zone Authority (DTEC). Partner supporting Step Dubai events.
• EmiratesmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial Airline Partner offering special fares exclusively for registered Step Dubai attendees.
• AtlassiansupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerStartup Basecamp Sponsor for Step Dubai 2026, supporting the startup showcase program.
• Zest EquitysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerInvestor Meetings Lounge Sponsor for Step Dubai 2026.
• MMSsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner supporting Step Dubai 2026 events and programming.
• Abu Dhabi Early Childhood AuthoritysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerKnowledge Partner for Step Dubai 2026.
• Genspark.aisupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-working Sponsor for Step Dubai 2026, supporting startup participants.
• CartasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMentor's Corner Sponsor for Step Dubai 2026.
• AWSsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner company participating at Step SF events.
• Google CloudsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner company participating at Step SF events.
• EndeavorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal entrepreneurship organization partner for Step SF 2026.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• GITEX Global: UAE's flagship technology exhibition hosted by Dubai World Trade Centre. Directly competes with Step Dubai for tech/startup exhibitors, sponsors, and attendees across the MENA region, though GITEX is significantly larger in scale and government-backed.
• LEAP (Saudi Arabia): Major Saudi tech conference backed by the Saudi government and MDIF. Directly competes with Step Riyadh for MENA-region tech startups, sponsors, and investor attendance with substantially larger government support and marketing budgets.
• Web Summit: One of the world's largest tech conferences (Lisbon, Qatar, Rio). Directly competes for global tech startups, sponsors, and media attention; Web Summit's expansion to Qatar poses direct competition in the MENA region.
• TechCrunch Disrupt: Premier US tech/startup conference in San Francisco. Directly competes with Step San Francisco for the same Silicon Valley startup ecosystem, investor attendance, and sponsor wallet share, with comparable content tracks on AI, fintech, and venture capital.
• Expand North Star: Dubai-based startup event organized by Dubai Internet City in conjunction with GITEX. Directly competes with Step Dubai for early-stage startups, venture capital attendance, and Dubai Internet City partnership dollars — overlapping in both venue and audience.
• Slush: Helsinki-based startup conference with strong founder-investor matchmaking focus. Comparable in mission and curation philosophy to Step's Investor Matchmaking product; targets similar startup and VC demographics with a more established European brand.
• VivaTech: Major European tech/startup conference in Paris. Competes with Step for global sponsor and speaker attention, especially for enterprise tech brands and cross-Atlantic startup-investor connections.

Regional players

• Dubai Fintech Summit: Dubai-based fintech-focused conference. Overlaps with Step's AI in Finance Track and competes for the same fintech sponsor ecosystem in the MENA region, though Step offers broader startup/investor scope.

Broad incumbents

• SXSW: Major annual tech, music, and culture festival in Austin. Comparable in multi-track programming and sponsor activation format, though SXSW is significantly larger, more diversified, and serves a broader creative/cultural audience beyond startups.

Emerging players

• Money 20/20: Global fintech conference series. Partial overlap with Step's AI in Finance content track and Fintech audience, competing for fintech-specific sponsor dollars though Step's fintech presence is one of several tracks.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/stepconference
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/stepconference
• Facebookfacebook.com/stepconferencepage
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/step-conference
• Instagraminstagram.com/stepconference

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Step Conference