GITEX Global 2026 Guide for Startups: Dates, Venue, Passes | DXBStart

2026-12-07 · Dubai

Expo City Dubai

Held across Dubai World Trade Centre and Dubai Exhibition Centre, GITEX Global and Expand North Star bring together technology showcases, startup programming, and the Supernova 0X pitch competition.

GITEX Global and Expand North Star constitute a massive technology, startup, and investor event week in Dubai. GITEX Global is a large technology and AI trade show, while Expand North Star focuses on founders, investors, and includes the Supernova 0X pitch competition. The event spans multiple venues in December 2026, offering diverse programming from high-level summits to investor concierge meetings.

Founder brief

Who should attend

Pre-seed, seed, and Series A founders across all sectors benefit most, particularly those seeking regional visibility or pursuing the equity-free Supernova 0X competition. Technology executives and scaleup leaders wanting summit-level access can also leverage the high-level programming throughout the week.

What happens

Proceedings begin on 7 December with the GITEX Scale Summit for senior delegates and executives at DWTC. Activities then move to DEC for Expand North Star from 8 to 10 December, featuring investor concierge meetings, Supernova 0X pitch semi-finals, and a 10 December awards ceremony, concluding with the wider technology expo on 11 December.

Who's in the room

Around 200,000 attendees take part across the venues, including roughly 1,300 active investors. You will encounter early-stage startup teams, corporate technology leaders, international delegations, and chief executives participating in trade exhibits and dedicated investor matchmaking.

How to prepare

Apply for the Supernova 0X pitch competition before the 2 November deadline to compete for the 200,000 USD prize pool. With activities split between Dubai World Trade Centre and Dubai Exhibition Centre at Expo City Dubai, plan your transit schedule well in advance to navigate the multi-venue agenda smoothly.

Organizer: Kaoun International

Register

At a glance

Tickets
Free - 495 USD
Prizes
200,000 USD equity-free prize pool across Pre-Seed, Seed, and Series A stages
Attendance
About 200,000 attendees expected · 1,300 investors attending
Stage
Pre seed, Seed, Series a
Sectors
Agnostic
Ticket options
  • Expand North Star Visitor Pass — Free (Standard visitor access)
  • GITEX GLOBAL Pass — 630 AED (Access to GITEX Global exhibition)
  • Investor Pass - Premium — 495 USD (Includes Dubai Ventures breakfast briefing, GP/LP dinner, and curated social events following vetting)

Agenda

  1. 2026-12-07 · GITEX Scale Summit — Summit day for senior delegates, heads of delegation, CEOs and founders
  2. 2026-12-08 to 2026-12-10 · Expand North Star and Supernova 0X semi-finals — Startup and investor side of the week with pitch competition semi-finals
  3. 2026-12-10 · Supernova 0X award ceremony — Announcement of pitch competition winners
  4. 2026-12-11 · GITEX GLOBAL expo — Technology and AI exhibition trade show

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