Our own series
We run the Founder Corner, Legal Corner, Investor Corner and Education Corner series with MENACatalyst, plus mixers in New York and San Francisco. New sessions land here as soon as they are announced. See past sessions.
October 2026
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19 Oct 2026
Building a Unicorn with AI Agents: From Idea to First Check ↗
Founder Institute · Online
A free online session on using AI agents to get from idea to first funding, open to founders anywhere.
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20 Oct 2026
Startup Alley at ICFT 2026 ↗
IEEE ICFT / German Jordanian University · Amman
Ten Jordanian startups showcase inside an IEEE tech conference in Amman, a quick regional networking stop next door to Palestine.
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22 Oct 2026
Investor Readiness Bootcamp: Build an Investor-Ready Data Room ↗
in5 Tech · Dubai
A hands-on afternoon on setting up your data room so due diligence goes smoothly when a term sheet is close.
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22 Oct 2026
Makloubeh Session: Ecosystem-Led Growth ↗
Peleset Angels · Online
A free hour on Zoom with Palestinian angels on growing your startup through partnerships, open to founders in Ramallah, Gaza and the diaspora.
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25 Oct 2026
Palestinian Investment Forum 2026 ↗
Palestinian Business Council (Dubai) · Dubai
About 20 startups from Palestine and the UAE meet Gulf based Palestinian investors in one room.
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26 to 27 Oct 2026
Dubai AI Festival 2026 ↗
Dubai AI Campus (DIFC) · Dubai
A big room of AI founders and around 500 investors, with a startup agenda and a pitch competition for AI builders.
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26 Oct 2026
Pitch with Confidence: Investor Q&A Masterclass ↗
in5 Tech · Dubai
Practice handling tough investor questions and leave with a clear next step for your raise.
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27 Oct 2026
Makani Talks: Funding and Support for Early-Stage Founders ↗
Makani Innovation Hub with Foras.ps · Ramallah
A one hour practical session on where early-stage founders can find funding, support and growth resources close to home.
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28 Oct 2026, 8pm Palestine time
Brain Gain: AI Is Redefining Responsible Investment ↗
Palestine Techno Park (Palestine Diaspora Technology Network) · Online
A one hour Zoom from Palestine Techno Park's diaspora network on AI and responsible investing.
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28 to 29 Oct 2026
One Way Summit 2026 ↗
One Way Ventures · San Francisco
Two days built around immigrant founders, with a pitch competition and a room full of people who know the diaspora journey.
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30 Oct 2026
Impact Founders Challenge II: application deadline ↗
MENACatalyst Foundation · Online
Early-stage impact startups based in Palestine can apply for a $10,000 prize and a live pitch to investors, and women-led teams are warmly encouraged.
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Apply by 30 Oct 2026
Thrive Mentorship Program: application deadline ↗
Palestine Techno Park · Online
Free structured mentorship for Palestinian startups, with a separate track if you want to mentor.
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Apply before 1 Nov 2026
QSTP Sprint and Incubation (January 2027 cohort): application deadline ↗
Qatar Science and Technology Park · Doha
A four week sprint in Doha, with housing and workspace included, for deep tech founders who already have a prototype.
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31 Oct 2026
Tech for Palestine Hackathon Barcelona (at MozFest) ↗
Tech for Palestine · Barcelona
A one day build for Palestine with engineers, creatives and strategists; capped at 100 people and free for Gaza refugees.
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Apply by 31 Oct 2026
WISE EdTech Accelerator 2026-2027: application deadline ↗
WISE (Qatar Foundation) · Online (program in Doha)
For seed to pre Series A edtech startups with real traction; the cohort starts Jan 2027.
November 2026
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1 Nov 2026
Fundable Today, Acquirable Tomorrow (Scale Now Speaker Series) ↗
Startup Grind Doha with Qatar MCIT · Doha
A practical evening on the numbers investors and acquirers look at, from unit economics to exit readiness.
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Nov 2026Expected
Makani Startup Weekend Ramallah ↗
Makani Hub with MENA Catalyst · Ramallah
Three days from idea to demo day pitch, last run 26 to 29 Nov 2025, a low risk way to test an idea and find a team.
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1 Nov 2026
a16z speedrun SR008: application deadline ↗
a16z speedrun · Online
Last call this cycle for a 12 week San Francisco residency with funding and a demo day in front of top investors.
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2 to 3 Nov 2026
Dubai FinTech Summit 2026 ↗
DIFC · Dubai
The main regional fintech gathering, useful for payments and fintech founders looking for UAE partners and investors.
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Apply by 2 Nov 2026 (noon ET)
MIT Solve Global Challenges 2027: application deadline ↗
MIT Solve · Online
Over USD 1M in prizes and nine months of support for tech based impact ventures, open to founders anywhere.
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Apply by 2 Nov 2026
Y Combinator Winter 2027: on-time application deadline ↗
Y Combinator · Online
Apply by 8pm PT to hear back by 11 Dec; the batch runs Jan to Mar 2027 in San Francisco.
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4 Nov 2026
UNICEF Femtech Ventures: application deadline ↗
UNICEF Venture Fund · Online
Up to $100,000 in equity free funding plus a year of mentorship for femtech founders with a working prototype.
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5 to 8 Nov 2026Expected
Biban 2026 ↗
Monsha'at (Saudi SME Authority) · Riyadh
Saudi Arabia's big SME and startup forum, with pitch stages and government buyers for founders entering the Kingdom.
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6 to 7 Nov 2026
CONNECT Arab America Empowerment Summit 2026 ↗
Arab America Foundation · Chantilly, VA
A national community gathering with entrepreneurship sessions and a founders panel, good for finding US mentors.
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7 to 10 Nov 2026
Cairo ICT 2026 ↗
Trade Fairs International · Cairo
Egypt's largest tech expo, with a startup zone that draws telcos, banks and North African buyers.
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9 to 12 Nov 2026
Web Summit Lisbon 2026 ↗
Web Summit · Lisbon
Europe's largest tech conference, with a Palestinian startup delegation through the IPSD II NEXUS program.
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13 Nov 2026
SXSW Pitch 2027: application deadline ↗
SXSW · Online
Apply to pitch live in Austin in March 2027 for investor and media exposure on a global stage.
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One day during 16 to 22 Nov 2026
A Founder Roadmap (Palestine Innovation Summit) ↗
Flat6Labs · Birzeit
Flat6Labs walks early founders through the path from idea to accelerator and first funding.
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One day during 16 to 22 Nov 2026
BuildPalestine Panels (Palestine Innovation Summit) ↗
BuildPalestine · Birzeit
Panels from BuildPalestine on building impact ventures in Palestine, a good place to meet diaspora supporters.
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One evening during 16 to 22 Nov 2026
Data Room and Investment Readiness (Palestine Innovation Summit) ↗
Station J · Jerusalem
A practical session on preparing a data room before you raise, run by Jerusalem's Station J.
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One day during 16 to 22 Nov 2026
Demo Day, Dar Al-Kalima University (Palestine Innovation Summit) ↗
Dar Al-Kalima University · Bethlehem
A Bethlehem demo day featuring student and early stage ventures from the south of the West Bank.
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One morning during 16 to 22 Nov 2026
From Problem to Product (Palestine Innovation Summit) ↗
Jerusalem High-Tech Foundry · Jerusalem and Online
The one summit session listed as open online, useful for diaspora and Gaza founders who cannot travel.
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16 to 22 Nov 2026
Global Entrepreneurship Week 2026 ↗
Global Entrepreneurship Network · Global and Online
Hundreds of free founder events worldwide, many online, running the same week as the Palestine Innovation Summit.
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One day during 16 to 22 Nov 2026
Mentorship Day (Palestine Innovation Summit) ↗
Gaza Sky Geeks · Birzeit
Gaza Sky Geeks pairs founders with mentors for a full day of one to one feedback.
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One day during 16 to 22 Nov 2026
Mini Hackathon and Demo Day (Palestine Innovation Summit) ↗
Birzeit University · Birzeit
A fast hackathon that ends in pitches on the main Techno Park stage, good for spotting technical cofounders.
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16 to 22 Nov 2026
Palestine Innovation Summit 2026 (10th edition) ↗
Palestine Techno Park · Birzeit (plus Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Jenin, Gaza)
The week when the whole Palestinian ecosystem shows up in one place, with conference days, pitch days and investor sessions across the West Bank and Gaza.
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One day during 16 to 22 Nov 2026
Pitching Day, Jenin (Palestine Innovation Summit) ↗
Hassib Sabbagh Center of Excellence and MENA Catalyst Foundation · Jenin
A rare pitch stage in the northern West Bank, co-run by MENACatalyst, where early founders can get in front of investors and mentors.
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17 Nov 2026
Downtown Tech Summit Doha and Tech Innovation Challenge ↗
Inc. Arabia with Msheireb Properties · Doha
A one-day summit with a startup pitch challenge, a good way to meet Qatar's investors and corporates.
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18 to 21 Nov 2026
Dubai Future Week 2026 ↗
Dubai Future Foundation · Dubai
Four days of talks, pitches and a startup track that bring Dubai Future Forum and Dubai AI Week together.
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18 to 19 Nov 2026
Slush 2026 ↗
Slush · Helsinki
One of Europe's biggest founder and investor gatherings, with investor office hours and a meeting tool built for startups.
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19 Nov 2026
2026 AAWBC Pitch Competition ↗
Arab American National Museum · Dearborn, MI
An evening of live pitches for seed funding in the heart of a large, supportive SWANA community in the US.
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19 Nov 2026
Founder Institute London: application deadline ↗
Founder Institute · London
A structured pre-seed program with mentors and a cohort to keep you building.
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24 Nov 2026
Founder Institute New York: application deadline ↗
Founder Institute · New York
A pre-seed program for founders who want accountability, mentors and a first network of NYC investors.
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30 Nov 2026
Hello Tomorrow Global Challenge: application deadline ↗
Hello Tomorrow · Online
A free, equity free competition for deep tech startups, with finalists pitching in Amsterdam in June 2027.
December 2026
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Dec 2026Expected
Palestine Diaspora Tech Gathering (2nd annual) ↗
Palestine Techno Park · Online
An online meetup for Palestinian tech people abroad, first held 13 Dec 2025, good for finding diaspora mentors and angels.
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Dec 2026Expected
Sanabil Accelerator by 500 Global, Batch 12 Demo Day ↗
500 Global and Sanabil Investments · Riyadh
MENA startups pitch at the end of the 12 week Riyadh program (27 Sep to 9 Dec 2026); a good read on what Saudi investors fund.
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2 Dec 2026
Y Combinator Fall 2026 Demo Day ↗
Y Combinator · San Francisco
A useful benchmark for what top seed rounds look like right now; attendance is mostly by invite.
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5 Dec 2026
Muslims in Business Conference at Harvard Business School ↗
HBS Islamic Society · Boston
A full day of founder and investor panels with a warm, well-connected professional network; early bird pricing ends 2 Nov.
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7 to 10 Dec 2026
Abu Dhabi Finance Week 2026 ↗
ADGM · Abu Dhabi (Al Maryah Island)
Where Abu Dhabi's funds, family offices and LPs meet; most useful for founders raising later rounds or building fund relationships.
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7 to 11 Dec 2026
GITEX Global 2026 ↗
Dubai World Trade Centre · Dubai (Expo City)
The world's biggest tech expo, now at Expo City Dubai; the place to meet Gulf corporates and government buyers.
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8 to 10 Dec 2026
Expand North Star 2026 ↗
Dubai World Trade Centre · Dubai (Dubai Exhibition Centre)
The startup and investor side of GITEX, with a Palestinian startup delegation again this year.
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14 to 15 Dec 2026
KEMET-X Global Entrepreneurship and Innovation Summit ↗
Career 180 · Giza
Startups and VCs from 50+ countries meet at the Pyramids, with an exhibition and investor matchmaking.
January 2027
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Jan 2027Expected
Palestine Pavilion at Web Summit Qatar 2027: call for startups ↗
PalTrade with IPSD II, Intersect, Ibtikar Fund and Flow · Online
Last year's call closed 10 Jan for a funded spot in the Palestine Pavilion; watch for the 2027 call.
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Late Jan 2027Expected
Tech for Palestine Summit 2027 (Bay Area) ↗
Tech for Palestine · San Francisco Bay Area
The largest Palestine focused tech gathering in the US, last held 24 Jan 2026.
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9 Jan 2027
Omantel Accelerator Cohort 9: application deadline ↗
Omantel Innovation Labs · Muscat
A six month accelerator with free desk space and a route to investment, open to startups with an Oman angle.
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30 Jan 2027
HBS MENA Business Conference 2027 ↗
HBS Middle East and North Africa Club · Boston
A day at Harvard on business in the region, a good place to meet investors and operators with roots there.
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30 to 31 Jan 2027
Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival 2027 (10th edition) ↗
Sheraa · Sharjah
One of the most founder friendly festivals in the Gulf, with pitch competitions and lots of early stage investors.
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31 Jan to 3 Feb 2027
Web Summit Qatar 2027 ↗
Web Summit · Doha
The biggest startup event in the region; Palestine had its own 13 startup pavilion in 2026.
February 2027
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Feb 2027Expected
Hub71 Cohort 21: application deadline ↗
Hub71 · Online
Apply by February to be considered for Abu Dhabi's Hub71 program, with incentives and a strong network for founders moving into the UAE.
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3 to 4 Feb 2027
Step Dubai 2027 ↗
Step Conference · Dubai (Dubai Internet City)
A founder heavy Dubai festival right after Web Summit Qatar, easy to combine in one trip.
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Apply before 1 Mar 2027
QSTP Sprint and Incubation (May 2027 cohort): application deadline ↗
Qatar Science and Technology Park · Doha
The next intake for the Doha sprint, if the November deadline is too soon for your team.
March 2027
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Mar 2027Expected
Flat6Labs Nawah Pre-Accelerator Cycle 3 Showcase Day ↗
Flat6Labs (supported by Google for Startups) · Ramallah
Up to 10 Palestinian pre-seed startups pitch to partners and investors as Cycle 3 ends on 3 Mar 2027.
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1 to 4 Mar 2027
PITA at MWC Barcelona and 4YFN 2027 ↗
PITA · Barcelona
PITA has a stand in the 4YFN startup area, a Palestinian home base for meetings with investors and partners at MWC.
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10 to 11 Mar 2027
Tech Show London 2027 (Palestinian tech delegation) ↗
UKP Tech Hub with PalTrade · London (ExCeL)
PalTrade and UKP Tech Hub bring a delegation of Palestinian startups to exhibit, an entry point to UK enterprise buyers.
April 2027
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Apr 2027Expected
Dubai AI Week 2027 ↗
Dubai Centre for Artificial Intelligence · Dubai
A week of AI events and side events across Dubai, based on the 6 to 9 Apr 2026 edition.
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Apr 2027, exact dates to be announcedExpected
LEAP 2027 ↗
LEAP / Saudi Ministry of Communications · Riyadh
Saudi Arabia's biggest tech show, confirmed for April 2027, with startup stages and investors from across the Gulf.
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Apr 2027Expected
Palestine AI Week 2027 ↗
Palestine Techno Park · Birzeit / Ramallah
Six days of AI talks, an exhibition for Palestinian startups and a research award, based on the April 2026 edition.
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12 to 14 Apr 2027
AIM Congress 2027 ↗
AIM Congress · Dubai (DWTC)
Investment congress with a startup track, useful for meeting sovereign and cross border investors.
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26 Apr to 2 May 2027
Boston Tech Week 2027 ↗
a16z Tech Week · Boston
Hundreds of founder run events in a week; a good chance to host a SWANA founder side event.
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27 to 29 Apr 2027
Qatar Economic Forum 2027 ↗
Qatar Economic Forum (Bloomberg Media) · Doha
A senior business forum; worth it mainly for founders building relationships with Qatari capital.
June 2027
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Jun 2027Expected
Muslim Tech Fest London 2027 ↗
Muslim Tech Fest · London
Pitch competition and community day that opens Muslim Tech Week, a warm crowd for SWANA founders.
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7 to 11 Jun 2027
London Tech Week 2027 ↗
London Tech Week · London (Olympia)
The UK's main tech week, with lots of free side events for founders looking at UK expansion.
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7 to 13 Jun 2027
NY Tech Week 2027 ↗
a16z Tech Week · New York City
NYC's biggest week of startup events, the natural moment for a SWANA or Palestinian founder meetup.
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