What ArabNet does

ArabNet is a privately held B2B professional services firm founded in 2009 in Beirut, Lebanon, by Omar Christidis, operating as an ecosystem-building platform for the MENA digital economy. The company serves governments, large corporates, investors, and startups across Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, and Jordan, with recent operational reach into Oman and Central Asia (Kazakhstan).

The firm delivers its offering through three core service pillars. The first, Conferences & Corporate Events, encompasses large-scale flagship conferences (10+ editions in Beirut, Riyadh, and Dubai), corporate incubation programs, internal innovation programs, hackathons, masterclasses, and workshops. The second, Thought Leadership Content, produces commissioned white papers, industry reports, executive briefs, case studies, and round tables for institutional clients including Mastercard, KFAS, UNDP, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, and Riyad Bank. The third, Investment & Startup Consultancy, provides curated investor lounges, startup sourcing, pitch competitions, and startup readiness consulting to connect founders with capital. The firm is also developing eHub, a proprietary digital media platform that spotlights MENA innovation ecosystem content through interactive series.

Revenue is generated through professional services fees, event sponsorships, and commissioned research. Go-to-market is primarily direct B2B sales-led, leveraging long-standing relationships with government entities and enterprises; flagship conferences simultaneously serve as demand-generation, delivery, and brand-building channels. The company operates with 11-50 employees, is independently owned with no disclosed institutional investors, and has not raised outside funding based on available data.

Name

ArabNet

Legal name

ArabNet

Website

https://arabnet.me

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ArabNet is a Beirut-based B2B services firm that designs conferences, thought leadership content, and investment matchmaking to connect startups, corporates, investors, and governments across the MENA digital economy. Founded in 2009, it operates flagship events in Beirut, Riyadh, and Dubai for institutional clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Business Events and Innovation Consulting

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920), Advertising Agencies (541810)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330), Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819)

akta.pro primary industry

Industry-Specific B2B Trade Show Organizers (THAHABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Technology & B2B PR (MPAAADAC), B2B Demand Generation & Lead Nurture Agencies (BPAFAKAA)

Keywords

• Conference and event services
• Thought leadership content
• Investment matching services
• Corporate innovation consulting
• Startup ecosystem development

Headquarters

HQ city

Beirut

HQ country

Lebanon

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Conferences & Corporate Events: ArabNet designs and delivers high-impact events, from large-scale conferences to exclusive networking activations. Revenue is generated through event fees, sponsorships, and partnership arrangements with government entities and corporations.
2. Thought Leadership Content: ArabNet produces white papers, industry reports, executive interviews, and content marketing for brands, government entities, and institutions. Revenue generated through commissioned research and content creation engagements.
3. Investment Matching & Startup Consultancy: Connects startups with investors through curated matchmaking events, investor lounges, startup pitch competitions, and hackathons. Revenue comes from consulting fees, event facilitation, and program delivery.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ArabNet designs and delivers high-impact conferences and corporate events, produces thought leadership content (research reports, white papers, executive briefs, case studies, and round tables), and runs investment matching and startup consultancy services connecting startups with investors across the MENA region. The company serves as a B2B ecosystem-building platform for government entities, large corporations, financial institutions, and investors seeking to engage with the regional digital economy.

Product overview

ArabNet operates as a unified platform-plus-services company offering three core service pillars: (1) Conferences & Corporate Events, which includes large-scale conferences, workshops, hackathons, pitch competitions, corporate incubation programs, and masterclasses; (2) Thought Leadership Content, which produces reports, white papers, case studies, executive briefs, and facilitates round tables; and (3) Investment & Startup Consultancy, which provides investor lounges, startup sourcing, startup readiness consulting, and pitch competitions. Additionally, ArabNet is developing eHub, a digital platform spotlighting MENA's innovation ecosystem. The company does not offer a standalone software product but rather a portfolio of event-based, content-driven, and consultancy services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• eHub: A digital platform spotlighting the people, ideas, and startups shaping MENA's innovation landscape. Through a collection of innovative, interactive and dynamic series, eHub explores the entrepreneur community from every angle.

Products and services

• Conferences & Corporate Events

Quantifiable outcome

• ArabNet has facilitated hundreds of B2B matches through curated programs
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Monsha'atcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMonsha'at (General Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises) is a key strategic partner for ArabNet in Saudi Arabia, collaborating on major entrepreneurship initiatives including Arabnet Riyadh (10 editions) and Biban Riyadh events.
• MastercardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMastercard commissioned ArabNet to develop the Urban Tech whitepaper detailing best practices for fostering smart city innovation in emerging markets, based on a human-centric urban tech framework.
• KFAS (Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKFAS commissioned ArabNet to produce multiple research reports on digital transformation in Kuwait, covering corporate readiness, healthcare, hospitality, and ICT industries.
• Smart DubaimajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSmart Dubai partnered with ArabNet for the Arabnet Digital Summit Dubai (7 editions) to advance smart city initiatives and digital transformation in the UAE.
• Dubai Internet City (DIC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArabNet partnered with DIC for Decode Dubai Day initiatives to position DIC as a market leader in facilitating innovation and fostering community initiatives.
• Future Investment Initiative (FII)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArabNet produced a cutting-edge book titled 'A Blueprint For the Twenty Second Century' for the Public Investment Fund's Future Investment Initiative Summit.
• OMDminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOMD is listed as a partner organization, indicating collaboration on media and marketing initiatives.
• HyundaiminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHyundai partnered with ArabNet for the Hyundai Startup Competition focused on identifying best startups in Lebanon.
• PepsiminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPepsi partnered with ArabNet for the Pepsi Startup Challenge to work directly with startups and innovate brand customer interactions.
• mtc TouchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTouch (mtc) partnered with ArabNet for the mtc Touch Innovation Program to position Touch as a leader in innovation and enabler of startups.
• BerytechminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBerytech, a Lebanese tech hub, partners with ArabNet on ecosystem development initiatives and startup support programs.
• ZainminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerZain is listed as a partner organization, indicating collaboration on innovation and startup ecosystem initiatives.
• stcminorStrategic or Co-development Partnerstc is listed as a partner organization, indicating collaboration on technology and innovation initiatives in Saudi Arabia.
• Konrad Adenauer FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Konrad Adenauer Foundation commissioned ArabNet to produce a report on the impact of the Lebanese crisis on the local startup ecosystem.
• UNDPminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNDP partnered with ArabNet on research assessing the impact of the economic crisis on youth in Lebanon regarding education, employment, and entrepreneurship.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• GITEX Global: Major MENA-based technology and startup exhibition organized by Dubai World Trade Centre. Competes with ArabNet for the same corporate, government, and startup audiences across the Gulf, particularly in UAE.
• Slush: Helsinki-rooted global startup conference and ecosystem operator running flagship events for founders and investors. Comparable B2B startup-investor matchmaking platform model and brand-driven community building.
• TechCrunch (Events): Operates flagship startup conferences (TechCrunch Disrupt, Early Stage) globally with strong investor and founder participation. Comparable event-led startup ecosystem platform serving overlapping audiences.
• Web Summit: Global tech conference organizer operating large-scale events (Lisbon, Rio, Qatar) connecting startups, investors, and corporates. Directly comparable to ArabNet's conference-driven B2B ecosystem model with similar target audience and sponsorship economics.
• STEP Conference: Dubai-based tech and startup conference organizer running flagship events attracting regional founders, investors, and corporates. Comparable event format and MENA digital ecosystem positioning.
• The Next Web (TNW): European tech media and conference company running large-scale tech events alongside editorial coverage. Comparable mix of events, content, and ecosystem services for the digital economy audience.
• LEAP (Tahaluf): Saudi-led deep tech and startup conference operated by Tahaluf/MIH that has rapidly scaled in KSA. Directly competes with ArabNet Riyadh for sponsors, government mandates, and startup audiences in the Saudi market.

Emerging players

• MAGNiTT: Dubai-based startup data platform covering MENA venture deals, with adjacent community and event programming. Comparable in serving MENA startup-investor data needs and ecosystem intelligence, partially overlapping with ArabNet's investment matching and research offerings.

Broad incumbents

• APCO Worldwide (MENA): Global advisory and communications firm with significant MENA presence, providing public affairs, communications, and event strategy to governments and corporates. Comparable in serving similar government and enterprise clients with communications-driven programming in MENA.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/arabnetme
• Facebookfacebook.com/arabnetme
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/859841

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

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about ArabNet