Step Saudi is back in-person for 2022 at The Arena Riyadh

Step Saudi 2022 launches DTC Hub for rapidly growing consumer market

Step Saudi 2022, Saudi Arabia’s prominent tech & startup festival, will bring together a global audience of startups, investors, digital enthusiasts, brands, and government over a 2-day in-person event on 12 and 13 December at The Arena Riyadh. Direct-to-consumer brands will showcase their products to over 3,000 consumers and investors in the world’s most exciting economy at the dedicated new DTC Hub.

This year, conversations and highlights will focus on 5 key tracks tackling Fintech with an emphasis on payments, crypto and E-commerce; Future innovations with a focus on AI, mobility, energy and cloud; Digital with media, marketing and content; Start with an emphasis on startups, venture capital and growth and finally, Wellness deep diving into femtech, health and fitness. The event will also host top speakers including Rakan Alrashed from Access Bridge Ventures; H.E Dr. Nabeel Koshak, Saudi Venture Capital Company; Amal Dokhan, 500 Global; Maha Abu Touq, Majid Al Futtaim and many others.

Saudi Arabia is the world's fastest-growing major economy in 2022 and with a young Internet-savvy population, the market is expected to create lucrative opportunities for startups raising capital and scaling in Saudi Arabia. 

Ray Dargham, CEO of Step said: “Technology plays a key role in Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. The Saudi Arabian government announced a series of technological programs totaling more than $1.2bn aimed at improving the digital skills of 100,000 Saudi Arabia youth by 2030 with a focus on cybersecurity, programming, AI and gaming. E-commerce revenue in Saudi Arabia is expected to reach US$ 20.04bn by 2025, and the number is expected to rise as 77% of Saudi consumers are more likely to shop online since the onset of the pandemic. The fundamentals for growth are already in place. Step Saudi will play a vital role in supporting this vision. With this year’s event set to be our best yet – we are pleased to be working with some of the top decision-makers and startups. The event offers a platform for them to come together to shape the future of technology, e-commerce, digital, fintech and others across the Kingdom.”