Riyadh's biggest startup stages are Black Hat MEA (1–3 December 2026), LEAP with DeepFest (12–15 April 2027) and Money20/20 Middle East (14–16 September 2027), all at the exhibition centre in Malham, north of the city. Each has a startup pitch with an equity-free prize, and LEAP's general pass is free.
This guide lists startup, tech, investor and women-founder events in Riyadh, from November 2026 to the end of 2027. We checked every date on the organiser's own website. We mark each event as Confirmed (date on the official site), Announced (date from a reliable second source) or Expected (based on past editions only). Riyadh's calendar changed a lot in October 2026, when several big events were moved or cancelled, so check each date again before you book. For the UAE, see our Dubai and Abu Dhabi startup events, and the list of other cities at the end.
This article is regularly updated with new events. Do you know about an event that needs to be added? Send us some info and we will see if it's a fit.
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Must Attend Startup Events in Riyadh 2026–2027: Calendar from November 2026 to November 2027
Autumn and winter 2026
Seamless Saudi Arabia: 9–10 November 2026
A free way to meet Saudi retailers, brands and payment companies. Monsha'at, the SME authority, is a strategic partner. See our e-commerce events. Global Entrepreneurship Week runs on 16–22 November, but we found no Riyadh programme on its official site.
Black Hat MEA: 1–3 December 2026
Run by Tahaluf. In CyberSeed, 10 startups from the Startup Program pitch on the main stage on 3 December for a US$30,000 equity-free prize. The third day is Black Hat HER, a day for women in cybersecurity. See our cybersecurity events.
Saudi Makes Future: 14–16 December 2026
An AI and tech show with more than 100 startup showcases. Its site also mentions a 2027 edition, so check the dates before you travel.
Winter and spring 2027
Cityscape Global and the Global AI Show: 1–4 February 2027
Moved from 16–19 November 2026. Saudi Arabia's giga-project developers come here, which makes it the place to sell proptech. See our proptech events.
A compact AI show with Power Pitches for startups. It is run by a commercial organiser, so compare the cost of a stand with what you expect to get from it.
LEAP and DeepFest: 12–15 April 2027
The region's largest tech event, with more than 175,000 attendees, and the DeepFest AI festival in the same halls. Rocket Fuel, LEAP's startup pitch competition, is open to Startup Pod exhibitors, and the Founder Pass adds founder sessions, startup–investor matchmaking and the Startup Clinic. See our AI startup events.
Summer and autumn 2027
Money20/20 Middle East: 14–16 September 2027
Formerly 24 Fintech. In MoneySurge, 25 founders with a Startup Pod or Scaleup Kiosk pitch for a US$400,000 equity-free prize pool (US$200,000 for Best in Show). In 2026 the finance minister and the central bank governor spoke. See our fintech events.
Global Health Exhibition: 25–28 October 2027
Moved from 2026 to October 2027. The NextGen pitch competition and the Capital Xchange investor forum are the parts for founders. See our healthtech events.
Entrepreneurship World Cup and Cityscape Global: November 2027
The Entrepreneurship World Cup finals are set for Riyadh in November 2027, at the Biban Global Forum: US$1 million in equity-free prizes across 12 winners. Applying is free, and applications close on 31 May 2027. See our pitch competitions.
Dates not announced yet
- FII10: the Future Investment Initiative, set for 26–29 October 2026, will now take place in 2027; date and venue to follow. Startups enter through the FII Innovators Pitch with MIT Solve. fii-institute.org
- Biban: Monsha'at's SME forum was on 5–8 November 2025 at Riyadh Front. Listings disagree about a 2026 edition and the official site was unreachable; the next confirmed Biban Global Forum is November 2027. bibanglobal.sa
- Misk Global Forum: there is no 2026 edition (reported on 13 October 2026); the last one was on 19–20 November 2025. miskglobalforum.com
- DevFest Riyadh: the 2025 edition was on 6 December at The Garage; 2026 is not announced. gdg.community.dev
- Techstars Startup Weekend Riyadh: last held on 12–14 February 2026 at The Garage. techstars.com
- GAIN Summit: SDAIA's Global AI Summit was on 15–17 September 2026; the next edition is not announced.
Recurring meetups and communities
- The Garage: the national innovation hub on King Abdullah Road, home to incubators, bootcamps and demo days. thegarage.sa
- Sabtiah, Riyadh's AI Circle: a weekly Saturday working session for people building with AI, in Al Malqa. createwith.com
- Startup Grind Riyadh: free Arabic talks, mostly online in 2026. startupgrind.com
- GDG Cloud Saudi: Google developer workshops; no new dates listed. gdg.community.dev
- Founder Institute Riyadh: a pre-seed programme with a spring 2027 cohort. fi.co
- Flat6Labs Riyadh: a four-month seed programme with SAR 500,000 in cash, for founders resident in Saudi Arabia. flat6labs.com
Events for women founders in Riyadh
- Black Hat HER (3 December 2026): the women's day at Black Hat MEA. blackhatmea.com
- Creative Women Forum: last held on 4–6 November 2025 at Princess Nourah University; no 2026 edition is listed. creativewomen.co
- Forbes Middle East Women's Summit and the Middle East Women Leaders Summit: held in Riyadh in November 2025 and February 2026; next editions not announced.
We found no women-founder pitch event in Riyadh with a 2027 date. Run one? Send it to us and we'll add it. See also our women in tech events and female entrepreneurship events.
Funding and support to know before you go
- Saudi Venture Capital (SVC): the state fund-of-funds has invested in 65 private capital funds, which have backed more than 1,000 startups and SMEs. svc.com.sa
- Jada: the PIF-backed fund of funds lists 47 portfolio funds and more than 700 SMEs supported. jada.com.sa
- Entrepreneur licence: foreign founders usually need a MISA entrepreneur licence, with a support letter from a recognised ecosystem entity, before full incorporation. kaust.edu.sa
- One commercial register: since 3 April 2025 a company has one commercial register for the whole Kingdom, confirmed once a year. dwfgroup.com
- Premium Residency: since 2024 it has an entrepreneur category; check the current terms on the official portal before you apply. deloitte.com
How to get the most out of Riyadh startup events
- Plan for Malham. Black Hat MEA, LEAP, Cityscape and Money20/20 are at the exhibition centre in Malham, north of the city; use the organisers' buses or book transport early.
- Start with the free passes. Seamless, the Black Hat MEA expo and LEAP's general pass cost nothing.
- Apply early to pitch. CyberSeed, Rocket Fuel and MoneySurge only take startups from their startup pod programmes, which fill months ahead.
- Check dates twice. FII, Cityscape, the Global Health Exhibition and Misk all moved or were cancelled in October 2026.
- Combine with the UAE. Abu Dhabi Finance Week (7–10 December) is the week after Black Hat MEA.
List your event in this guide
Do you run a startup, tech or investor event in Riyadh? Send us the name, dates, venue and official link, and we'll check whether it fits this guide. We list events for founders, with a real date and an official page.
This article is regularly updated with new events. Do you know about an event that needs to be added? Send us some info and we will see if it's a fit.
🔗 Add an awesome event
Startup events in other places
- Must Attend Startup Events in Milan, Italy
- Must Attend Startup Events in Vienna, Austria
- Must Attend Startup Events in Austin, USA
- Must Attend Startup Events in Miami, USA
- Must Attend Startup Events in Seattle, USA
- Must Attend Startup Events in Sydney, Australia
- Must Attend Startup Events in Warsaw, Poland
- Must Attend Startup Events in Oslo, Norway
- Must Attend Startup Events in Tallinn, Estonia
- Must Attend Startup Events in Brussels, Belgium
- Must Attend Startup Events in Prague, Czech Republic
- Must Attend Startup Events in Hamburg, Germany
- Must Attend Startup Events in Chicago, USA
- Must Attend Startup Events in Abu Dhabi, UAE
- Best startup events in Europe (with country guides)
FAQ
What are the main startup events in Riyadh?
Black Hat MEA (1–3 December 2026), Cityscape Global (1–4 February 2027), LEAP with DeepFest (12–15 April 2027), Money20/20 Middle East (14–16 September 2027) and the Global Health Exhibition (25–28 October 2027).
When is LEAP 2027?
On 12–15 April 2027 at the Riyadh Exhibition and Convention Center in Malham, together with DeepFest.
Where can startups pitch in Riyadh?
At CyberSeed during Black Hat MEA (3 December 2026), Rocket Fuel at LEAP (April 2027), MoneySurge at Money20/20 Middle East (September 2027) and the NextGen pitch at the Global Health Exhibition (October 2027).
Are there free startup events in Riyadh?
Yes: Seamless Saudi Arabia (9–10 November 2026), the Black Hat MEA expo pass and, at the time of writing, LEAP's general pass.
Is FII happening in October 2026?
No. FII10 was moved from 26–29 October 2026 to 2027, and the new date is not announced yet.
Are there events for women founders in Riyadh?
Black Hat HER on 3 December 2026 is the only dated one we found; the Creative Women Forum and the women's summits have no new dates yet.
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
