The World’s Largest
Startup and Investor Connector Event

THE WORLD CONNECTS. THE FUTURE SCALES

North Star brings together founders, investors, and visionaries from every corner of the world. It bridges fragmented markets, accelerates access to global capital, and unlocks collaboration between startups, governments, and corporates to fuel real-world impact and economic growth.

2025 Show Numbers

2,050

Global Startups

1,300

Investors

5,340

Pre-arranged Onsite Meetings

400

Speakers

100

Countries

WHAT’S NEW IN 2026

NEW FEATURES. NEW SCALE.

STARTUP X LABS

THE WORLD’S LARGEST EXECUTION-DRIVEN FOUNDER PROGRAMME

A 3-day academy inside ENS designed for 10,000 founders, investors, corporates and academia, compressing the entire entrepreneur journey, from idea to exit.

CONTENT NATION X

POWERING THE CREATOR ECONOMY

Content Nation X becomes the world’s first dedicated space for startups, agencies and creators building the next wave of AI-driven content innovation.

NS PLAY

INNOVATION MEETS LIFESTYLE

This new feature brings together founders building, AR/VR hardware, smart health devices and lifestyle tech designed to scale.

DIGIHEALTH–BIOTECH

REDEFINING THE FUTURE OF HUMAN HEALTH

From AI-driven diagnostics to genomics and next-generation therapeutics, this feature accelerates the world’s most advanced health innovations toward real-world impact.

ONE DAY. ONE POD. GLOBAL EXPOSURE.

THE FOUNDER’S PASS

A limited-edition pass designed for founders ready to show up, be seen, and connect — without the commitment of a full stand.

Launch your presence at Expand North Star with a dedicated startup pod for one day on the show floor. Meet investors, pitch your solution, generate leads and become part of a curated community of founders shaping the future. It’s the easiest way to step onto a global stage, fast, focused and founder-friendly.

Apply for Founder’s Pass

HOW EXPAND NORTH STAR CREATES REAL OUTCOMES?

2026 CORE THEMES

FOUNDER RESTRUCTURE

From MVP to multi-market scale and Series A–C playbooks

THE NEW CAPITAL STACK

Sovereign funds, family offices, venture debt & secondaries

COMMERCIAL DEEPTECH

From labs to market-ready AI, climate, defence & frontier tech

SCALEUP ADVANTAGE & EMERGING MARKETS

GCC, Africa, India, LATAM growth corridors

One Global Platform. A Decade of Disruption.
1,000s of Bold Voices.

For 10 years, trailblazing founders and global game-changers have taken to the
Expand North Star stages to park change and shape the future.

Supernova 0X
No Noise. Just Deals.

Introducing Supernova 0X, the next evolution of the global pitch competition at Expand North Star Dubai 2026, now structured by venture stage: Built for real investor alignment, this format ensures startups compete within their growth level, while investors engage with opportunities that match their ticket size and strategy. No noise, just high-conviction deal flow.

Win big with USD 50,000 cash prize (Pre-Seed), growth packages for Seed startups, and market access, buyer introductions and international exposure for Series A winners. Book your pod to enter automatically and pitch in front of 1,300+ global investors managing $1T+ AUM.

Investor Programme

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Connecting Visionary Investors with Game-Changing Startups Across the Region

The Investor Programme cemented its position as the biggest VC gathering in the global south and the industry’s most influential platforms for deal-making and discovery.

Be where the smart money moves — only at Expand North Star

LEARN MORE

INSPIRING WORDS FROM
THE COMMUNITY

A NEW ERA IN 2026
Expanding Horizons at Dubai Expo City

In 2026, Expand North Star transitions to the Dubai Exhibition Centre (DEC),
Expo City — entering its next chapter with even greater impact.

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