The International Business Week

What The International Business Week does

The International Business Week (IBW) is a privately held global business events and networking platform that operates as a forum for businesses, investors, innovators, and policymakers seeking international expansion. The company produces 25+ forums annually across five regions: GCC (Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE), Africa (Kenya, Tunisia, Rwanda, Ethiopia), Americas (USA), ASEAN (Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia), Hong Kong & China, and India & South Asia (India, Bangladesh, Pakistan). Its flagship annual product is the IBW Global Summit 2026 (under the #GulftoGlobe theme in Abu Dhabi), which encompasses multiple vertical summits: Wellness, Energy & Engineering, Media Entertainment & Leisure, Retail & Lifestyle, Family Business, and a Procurement & Supply Chain Summit, alongside the GoGlobal Innovation Show, GoGlobal Festival, and Go Global Pitches.

The underlying product architecture is event-driven rather than technology-driven: the company does not operate a software platform with proprietary AI/ML capabilities, APIs, or integrations. Instead, value is delivered through live summits, curated networking, investor-founding matchmaking sessions, delegation experiences, and a year-round Global Scaleups Program (GSP) that provides structured go-to-market access, capital through a curated investor syndicate, strategic partnerships, and market intelligence for cohort scaleups with at least 12 months of operating history and demonstrated product-market fit.

IBW's revenue model combines three streams: event registration and delegation fees (one-time), Global Scaleups Program enrollment (professional services), and platform membership/ecosystem access (subscription recurring). Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is handled via direct inquiry. GTM is event-driven and community-led, anchored by the IBW Leaders network (attendees who have participated since inception) and reinforced through strategic partnerships with Abu Dhabi Tourism (ADT), Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP), the Hong Kong Middle East Chamber (HKME), and XPlus. The company has stated a commitment to scale 500 ventures from Greater China to the Gulf by 2027.

Name

The International Business Week

Website

https://internationalbusinessweek.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The International Business Week (IBW) is a privately held global business events and networking platform operating 25+ forums across five regions (GCC, Africa, Americas, ASEAN, Hong Kong & China, India & South Asia). It serves businesses seeking international expansion, scaleups, family businesses, investors, and policymakers through summits, the Global Scaleups Program, and curated networking.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Business Events & Conferences

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Executive Summits & Invitation-Only Forums (MPAGAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Conferences & Conventions Operations Services (Registration, AV, Logistics) (MPAGAGAM), Finance & Investment Conferences (MPAGAGAG)

Keywords

• Business summits
• International expansion
• Investor matchmaking
• Scaleup programs
• Regional business forums

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Marketing or Sales, Operations, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Event Registration & Delegation Fees: IBW generates revenue through registration fees for summits and forums, as well as limited seats for International Business & Investor Delegations. Contact-based pricing for partnership inquiries.
2. Global Scaleups Program Enrollment: Revenue from onboarding scaleups into the 2025-2026 cohort, providing Go-To-Market access, investor matching, strategic partnerships, and knowledge services.
3. Platform Membership & Ecosystem Access: The company operates as a global forum providing ecosystem support for international expansion through networks, partners, and comprehensive business development services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The International Business Week (IBW) is a global events and networking platform that hosts summits, forums, and the Global Scaleups Program (GSP) to help businesses scale internationally. The company organizes industry-specific summits (Wellness, Energy & Engineering, Media Entertainment & Leisure, Retail & Lifestyle, Family Business) within its flagship Global Summit, regional forums across five regions (GCC, Africa, Americas, ASEAN, India/South Asia, Hong Kong/China), and a structured scaleup program providing go-to-market access, investor matchmaking, and strategic partnerships.

Product overview

The International Business Week (IBW) is a platform for international business expansion, operating as a single unified platform with multiple interconnected products: the flagship annual IBW Global Summit 2026 (featuring industry-specific summits like Wellness, Energy & Engineering, Media & Entertainment, Retail & Lifestyle, and Family Business); the Global Scaleups Program (GSP) for scaling companies internationally; Africa Business Week 2026 as a regional flagship event; and the Global Forums platform covering regional forums across GCC, Americas, ASEAN, Africa, Hong Kong & China, and India & South Asia. The portfolio also includes the GoGlobal Innovation Show and Go Global Festival experiences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Global Scaleups Program (GSP): A gateway for ambitious companies to expand beyond borders, providing structured go-to-market access, capital through a curated global investor syndicate, high-value strategic partnerships, and actionable knowledge and insights.

Products and services

• IBW Global Summit 2026 The flagship annual summit featuring multiple summits, festivals, innovation showcases, and networking events under the #GulftoGlobe theme, including Global Summits, GoGlobal Innovation Show, Go Global Festival, and Go Global Pitches.
• Wellness Summit The first-ever comprehensive event dedicated to fostering wellness in the Gulf Region, featuring Healthcare Innovation, FemTech, Mental Wellbeing, Sports & Active Living, Pharma & Biotech, and Life Sciences tracks.
• Energy & Engineering Summit Summit focusing on the future of energy, infrastructure and supply systems, featuring FutureEnergy Forum, SupplyChain Futures Forum, Engineering Excellence Forum, and Resilience Experience Lab.
• Media, Entertainment & Leisure Summit Summit exploring the intersection of media, entertainment, tech and global opportunity, featuring digital rEvolution panel, Media Futures Forum, Global MediaTech Expo, and Journey Arabia tourism conclave.
• Retail & Lifestyle Summit Summit uniting leaders building the future of retail, marketplaces, fashion and lifestyle, featuring Future Retail Forum, Commerce Leadership Summit, Lifestyle Experience Lab, and The Oasis Edit fashion show.
• Family Business Summit & Gala Premium cultural and business celebration for family businesses featuring Legacy Forum, Networking Lounge, Investor-entrepreneur meetups, and Media & Content Studio.
• Global Scaleups Program (GSP) A gateway program for ambitious companies to expand internationally, providing go-to-market access, capital through a curated global investor syndicate, strategic partnerships, and actionable knowledge and intelligence.
• Africa Business Week 2026 Premier international business and investment initiative taking place August 2-9, 2026 across Kigali, Rwanda and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (headquarters of the African Union), bringing together 1,000+ global investors, business leaders and innovators.
• Global Forums Regional forum platform covering GCC (Doha, Riyadh, Dubai), Americas (New York City), ASEAN (Singapore, Jakarta, Manila, Kuala Lumpur), Africa (Nairobi, Tunisia), Hong Kong & China (Greater Bay Area), and India & South Asia (Bengaluru, Kolkata, Pune, Mumbai, Goa, Chennai, Kerala, Dhaka, Lahore).

Quantifiable outcome

• Scale 500 ventures from Greater China to the Gulf by 2027

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• XPluscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 August 2026XPlus powers Africa Business Week 2026 as a premier international business and investment initiative designed to strengthen trade, innovation, and strategic partnerships across the African continent. The partnership brings together 1,000+ global investors, business leaders, and innovators in Kigali and Addis Ababa.
• ADT (Abu Dhabi Tourism)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerADT (Abu Dhabi Tourism) partners with IBW as an ecosystem supporter for the IBW Global Summit 2026 #GulftoGlobe initiative hosted in Abu Dhabi, promoting tourism and business engagement in the region.
• Hong Kong Middle East ChambercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Hong Kong Middle East (HKME) Chamber partners with IBW for Gulf Tours and forums enabling collaboration, joint ventures, and investments between Greater China and the Middle East region. IBW is committed to scaling 500 ventures from Greater China to the Gulf by 2027.
• Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerIBW Special Forum hosted at Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP), representing a flagship regional partnership for innovation and technology collaboration in the Gulf region.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Web Summit: Operator of large-scale global tech and business conferences (Lisbon, Rio, Qatar, Vancouver). Directly comparable multi-region summit model targeting startups, investors and enterprise, with similar vertical sponsorship economics.
• Milken Institute Global Conference: Annual invitation-only summit convening global investors, policymakers and executives around capital allocation and economic policy. Closely comparable to IBW's investor-roundtable and policy-dialogue format.
• World Economic Forum: Curated, invitation-only global forum convening business, government and civil society leaders. IBW's Executive Summits & Invitation-Only positioning and IBW Leaders network mirror WEF's Davos model at a regional/market-entry scale.
• Africa Tech Summit: Multi-city summit series (Nairobi, Kigali, London) focused on connecting African and global tech ventures with investors. Most direct head-to-head competitor for IBW's Africa Business Week delegation.
• Money 20/20: Large global fintech and financial services conference series with regional spin-offs. Comparable model of curated investor-founder matchmaking and recurring delegate monetization.
• Fortune Global Forum: Invite-only business leader summit operated alongside Fortune media brand, convening CEOs and investors around cross-border growth themes. Same high-end executive forum positioning as IBW Global Summit.

Emerging players

• TiE (The Indus Entrepreneurs): Global not-for-profit entrepreneur network running regional conferences and investor chapters across South Asia, ASEAN and the Gulf. Comparable community-led scaleup support model overlapping with IBW's GSP.

Regional players

• GITEX Global: Dubai-based tech and startup expo expanding into Africa, ASEAN and Europe. Competes with IBW for Gulf-region investor and startup mindshare and overlaps on the Global Scaleups Program pitch format.
• Expand North Star (GITEX): Dubai-based startup and investor event aligned with GITEX, targeting global-to-Gulf expansion. Directly competes for IBW's Greater China-to-Gulf venture pipeline.

Broad incumbents

• SXSW (South by Southwest): Long-running multi-vertical festival (Tech, Music, Film, Gaming) in Austin with global sponsor base. Comparable model of layering vertical sub-summits under one master brand for cross-vertical sponsor monetization.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-business-week

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 The International Business Week