RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA, August 24, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ —
Riyadh emerges as the global nexus for sovereign wealth, venture capital, and technology, as LEAP bridges the world’s premier investors with founders and market-ready innovations.
LEAP makes its return to Riyadh from 31 August to 3 September for its fifth edition, with over 1,000 investors from more than 900 firms, representing a combined USD 14.3 trillion in assets under management, now confirmed to attend. This underscores Riyadh’s expanding prominence as a worldwide hub for technology investment. During LEAP 2025, investment announcements totalled USD 14.9 billion. Now in its fifth year, LEAP is transforming from a mere innovation showcase into a platform engineered to link capital with companies poised for growth, featuring a programme that unites investors, founders, and market-ready opportunities.
Capital strategy is central to LEAP 2026. In addition to the Investor Stage, pre-scheduled one-on-one meetings will connect startups directly with investors, supported by a broader matchmaking programme for fund managers, capital providers, exhibitors, and VIPs. AI-powered matchmaking via the LEAP app will further assist participants in identifying and connecting with relevant investors, founders, and businesses throughout the event.
The programme goes beyond direct investor pairing. Ecosystem Xchange will concentrate on market access, investment preparedness, soft-landing assistance, and cross-border cooperation through partner-led workshops, startup pitches, and ecosystem showcases. LEAP Connect will offer a dedicated networking space for investors, founders, and industry leaders to cultivate relationships outside formal meetings, while Rocket Fuel will connect selected startups with venture capital firms, institutional investors, and strategic partners.
Prominent Saudi and international investors confirmed to attend include Public Investment Fund (PIF), General Atlantic, HUMAIN, Aramco Ventures, Merak Capital, Impact46, 500 Global, Sanabil Investments, Raed Ventures, J.P. Morgan, STV, Gobi Partners, Morgan Stanley, and MSA Capital, among others.
Mazin Alzaidi, General Partner at STV, stated: “LEAP has become a vital platform for uniting the founders, investors, and industry leaders defining the future of technology. As AI reshapes industries globally, connecting ambitious entrepreneurs with experienced investors and strategic partners has never been more essential. The convergence of innovation, capital, and global expertise at LEAP highlights Saudi Arabia’s increasing status as a destination for technology investment and sustained growth.”
Rocket Fuel, LEAP’s flagship startup competition, has evolved into a launchpad for high-growth startups expanding into Saudi Arabia, linking founders with investors, customers, government stakeholders, and strategic partners. Chosen from over 3,000 applications worldwide, 100 startups representing more than 40 nationalities across 12 sectors and over 60 subsectors will pitch live for USD 1 million in equity-free funding. Participating companies include Think AI, Zinki AI, Annot8, EleeN, Uvera, RightNowAI, DuoKey, and AtomicaAI.
LEAP’s influence extends beyond the event’s conclusion. Saudi startup Ejari first connected with an investor at LEAP 2023, subsequently securing a USD 400,000 investment that accelerated its expansion across Saudi Arabia. Returning to LEAP 2026, the company illustrates how connections forged at the event can translate into investment and sustained commercial growth.
Annabelle Mander, Executive Vice-President and Co-Creator of LEAP, remarked: “When LEAP launched five years ago, our goal was to establish more than just a technology event. We aimed to build a platform where the people shaping technology’s future could come together to generate lasting impact. Today, LEAP has become a place where ideas draw investment, partnerships fuel innovation, and emerging technologies scale into real businesses. That’s what sets LEAP apart, and that’s the future we continue to build.”
For ticket information and additional programme details, please visit onegiantleap.com.
ENDS
About LEAP:
Saudi Arabia’s ambition to reach beyond the possible provides the ultimate setting for LEAP.
LEAP presents the Kingdom’s technological ambition on a global stage as it continues to grow as a hub connecting three continents. The numbers speak for themselves: LEAP 2025 drew over 200,000 attendees, making it the most attended tech event worldwide. LEAP features tomorrow’s inspiring technology across all major sectors, including health, finance, energy, education, digital entertainment, transport, smart cities, and more. The event is also guided by a faculty of globally celebrated technology innovators, focusing on the most innovative tech case studies from around the world.
LEAP is unlike any other tech event. From the ground up, the community, stakeholders, and project team are challenged daily to create something wildly creative and bold—something that mirrors the seismic advances in tech adoption taking place in Saudi Arabia.
About Tahaluf:
Headquartered in Riyadh, Tahaluf brings together strategically important commercial communities from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the wider Gulf region, and around the world through a portfolio of world-class exhibitions and digital platforms.
Tahaluf is a joint venture partnership between Informa PLC, the world’s largest trade show organiser, the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones (SAFCSP), and Events Investment Fund (EIF). Sela, the Saudi-owned event production company renowned for creating spectacular event experiences, intends to join the joint venture in the near future.
Tahaluf is responsible for the award-winning tech events LEAP, DeepFest, and LEAP East, as well as Money 20/20 Middle East, the Global Health Exhibition, Cityscape Global, Black Hat MEA, and CPHI Middle East.
For more information about Tahaluf, visit https://tahaluf.com
Lama Alqasem
Tahaluf
+966 57 359 2514
lama.alqasem@tahaluf.com
