Dubai will host startups from five continents this December, positioning the UAE once again as the launchpad for companies chasing international growth. Expand North Star 2026 opens its doors with national pavilions, trade delegations, and AI ventures from across the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.
The gathering matters because cross-border collaboration now drives startup success. Founders need access to capital, customers, and partners beyond their home markets. Dubai has built its reputation as the venue where those connections happen.
The dual event runs 7 December at Dubai World Trade Centre and 8-10 December at Dubai Exhibition Centre in Expo City. Expand North Star shares the calendar with GITEX GLOBAL, a pairing that pulls together more than 6,000 exhibitors from over 80 countries. Organizers describe it as the world’s largest tech, AI, and startup showcase.
Dubai Chambers of Digital Economy serves as the event’s digital economy partner. The numbers behind this partnership tell a compelling story. In 2025, the emirate drew US$48.3 billion in foreign direct investment. International companies made up 75 percent of the 1,690 digital startups the Chamber supported that year.
Canada, Italy, and Thailand headline the international delegations. Brazil, China, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, and Serbia will also send major contingents. Austria, Belgium, Egypt, France, Mauritania, Oman, the Philippines, Poland, Saudi Arabia, and the United States round out the lineup.
Canada Startup Association makes its third appearance, this time with its first dedicated national pavilion. The Canadian delegation brings AI business tools, financial inclusion platforms, cardiovascular health tech, and photonics. A first-ever Canada Mobility Summit takes place 7 December with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority.
Hammad Siddiqui, the association’s executive director, said Dubai puts Canadian founders within reach of investors and buyers across multiple markets. He framed the pavilion as essential for building a stronger regional profile.
Italy sends 30 startups under the Italian Trade Agency banner. Their pitches include an AI platform that cuts energy use and CO2 emissions in industrial pumping by up to 60 percent, voice-cloning detection, and autonomous robotics sensors. Thai MarTech Association brings 12 companies focused on AI, agri-tech, climate, and marketing technology.
As a result, the event now functions as a dealmaking floor, not just a showcase. ScaleX connects high-growth companies with investors and acquirers. Supernova 0X offers equity-free cash prizes.
The 2026 program adds ENS Founders Academy, where entrepreneurs learn from investors and unicorn builders, plus Apollo100, which opens business routes across 100 global destinations. For startups eyeing new markets, Dubai in December represents the shortest path to a passport.
