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Dubai Silicon Oasis, a member of the Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority, announced this week plans to host the second Middle East edition of Doers Summit from November 24 to 26 2026 at its Dubai Digital Park facility. The event will gather a global audience of more than 5,000 founders, operators and investors along with scaleups, corporates and ecosystem leaders according to the announcement. Organisers described the summit as a platform to move ideas toward execution through structured programming that fosters new business connections across Europe and the Middle East.
The announcement by Dubai Silicon Oasis detailed a format built around three stages of panels, keynotes and workshops together with more than 100 exhibitors and dedicated networking zones. Curated matchmaking sessions and informal interaction areas will prioritise venture building, knowledge exchange and cross-border collaboration in a setting designed for high-impact engagement. Previous editions held annually in Cyprus have grown steadily since the event launched in 2018 under its prior name as the Reflect Festival, a Dubai Media Office report on the inaugural Middle East edition noted.
The first Middle East edition of Doers Summit, which took place in November 2025 at the same venue, connected over 3,000 participants including hundreds of startups with venture capital funds and ecosystem leaders according to the Dubai Media Office. That gathering produced hundreds of partnerships across three continents and established momentum for the return engagement, the announcement indicated. Dubai Silicon Oasis positioned the second edition as a continuation that will expand both scale and depth of regional connectivity.
MAGNiTT data shows UAE startup funding rose 47 percent year-on-year to a record $419 million in the first quarter of 2026. Dealroom.co figures place total MENA venture capital raised in 2025 at $5.8 billion, with Dubai accounting for a leading share of $3.6 billion that year. The Tracxn platform reported that the UAE is home to more than 59,000 startups, of which roughly 3,000 have raised collective funding exceeding $105 billion.
A statement carried by WAM highlighted the alignment of the summit with Dubai’s broader push to strengthen its position as a global hub for innovation and entrepreneurship. Dubai Silicon Oasis has developed as a specialised economic zone focused on knowledge-based industries within the authority’s portfolio. The event will leverage the hub’s infrastructure to support connections that contribute to economic diversification objectives.
Organisers expect the 2026 edition to build on the inaugural Middle East gathering by drawing additional participants from Central and Eastern Europe as well as African markets. The summit will include purpose-built lounges and community areas that facilitate smaller-group collaboration alongside the main stage content. Dubai Silicon Oasis noted that the chosen dates in late November will allow seamless integration with the city’s established calendar of technology and investment events.
