Step Announces Continued Major Global Expansion Announcement with Step Istanbul
Dubai, UAE, 20 February 2025: Her Excellency Alia bint Abdulla Al Mazrouei, Minister of State for Entrepreneurship, officially opened the 13th annual edition of Step Dubai yesterday at Dubai Internet City, part of TECOM Group PJSC.
Her Excellency Alia bint Abdulla Al Mazrouei toured Step Dubai, the heartbeat of tech in the Middle East held in Strategic Partnership with Dubai Internet City, in the presence of senior officials including Abdulla Belhoul, Chief Executive Officer of TECOM Group; Ammar Al Malik, Executive Vice President of Commercial at TECOM Group and Managing Director of Dubai Internet City; and Ray Dargham, CEO of Step, in addition to dignitaries from the regional technology sector.
“Entrepreneurship is the bedrock of meaningful and impactful innovation that supports long-term economic growth,” said Ammar Al Malik, Executive Vice President of Commercial at TECOM Group and Managing Director of Dubai Internet City. “Step Dubai promises invaluable insights into a future shaped by technology for the region’s budding entrepreneurs. As Strategic Partner of the event, Dubai Internet City is building on its legacy of uniting brilliant minds from around the world driving tech-led innovation, in line with Dubai Economic Agenda ‘D33’.”
A major milestone of the opening day was the announcement of Step’s continued global expansion with the introduction of Step Istanbul – its first Host Partner Event – on 12 May, followed by the return of Step San Francisco on 20 August. These international events mark a new chapter for the Dubai-born brand and will take Step’s unique blend of event experience to new markets and audiences.
During the official opening ceremony, Step co-founder and CEO Ray Dargham said: “Step has always been about creating opportunities for founders, investors, and innovators to connect and grow. With our hosting model, we are taking this vision above and beyond, allowing different partners to bring Step to their markets with our full support. This is an exciting step forward in our journey to becoming a truly global platform for the tech ecosystem.”
Expanding on its successful hosting model launched last year, Step enables global event organisers to bring its signature experience to new markets. The model provides local organisers with full backing from Step’s Dubai team, including training, programming support, production expertise, sponsorship data, event tools, and brand assets—ensuring high-quality events while maintaining Step’s signature experience and impact.
Over the past 13 years, Step has hosted thousands of startups and this year, Step Dubai 2025 is welcoming more than 8,000 attendees, 200 speakers, and providing a platform to access an impressive $9 billion USD in funding. With five dynamic thematic tracks highlighting the impact of future tech trends across a range of industries, Step Dubai is reinforcing its position as the foremost platform for innovation, collaboration, and growth. The Founders & Funders track promises insights on scaling and funding start-ups in the MENA region, while AdTech 2.0 explores the future of advertising as artificial intelligence (AI) and programmatic influence campaigns.
The AI Agents, LLMs & Cloud track explores the future of cloud infrastructure, AI agents, and large language models, while FinTech for SMBs will delve into solutions to streamline operations and boost efficiencies for small- and medium-sized businesses. Step Dubai also includes a new PropTech track with the aim of strengthening tech-enabled advancements in Dubai’s urban environment.
A cohort of start-ups from in5, TECOM Group’s entrepreneurship incubator, is participating at Step Dubai, including unified IT management and device platform, Zenadmin and PropTech specialist, Estaie.
Dubai Internet City is part of TECOM Group’s portfolio of 10 sector-specific business districts, which also includes Dubai Media City, Dubai Studio City, Dubai Production City, Dubai Knowledge Park, Dubai International Academic City, Dubai Science Park, Dubai Industrial City, and Dubai Design District (d3).
To register your interest in partner hosting potential visit https://stepconference.com/register-interest.
Stay tuned for exciting updates live from Step Dubai 2025 on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube.
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About Step Dubai
Step Dubai, the Heartbeat of Tech in MENA, is held annually within the city’s innovation and technology hub, Dubai Internet City. It marks the convergence of innovation, knowledge, and unique opportunities, uniting over 8,000 attendees, 400 pioneering startups, 100 companies, 9 billion USD of funding and more than 200 influential speakers.
The festival serves as a nexus for entrepreneurs, industry leaders, and curious minds, fostering connections and collaborations in the ever-evolving domains of tech and entrepreneurship. Showcasing five dedicated tracks spanning various industries and an esteemed roster of experts, Step Dubai consistently provides an unrivalled experience each year, inviting exploration into the future of tech.
For more information and to book tickets for Step Dubai 2025 from 19-20 February visit https://dubai.stepconference.com.
About Step
Known for hosting epic startup events including Step Dubai, Step San Francisco and Step Riyadh, Step is a dynamic platform that ignites connections between startups, tech enthusiasts, and investors, fostering a thriving community, driving innovation, and creating real-world interactions.
With a unique, founder-focused ethos, Step’s events offer vibrant, community-driven experiences in a relaxed, festival-like atmosphere. Founders, investors, and brands come together for unparalleled networking opportunities, transformative insights, and genuine moments of collaboration and growth.