Key Trek 2026 Takes 35-Plus MENA Founders to London for Investor Meetings
Key Capital's fourth edition runs September 30 to October 7, linking founders from companies valued at more than US$150 billion with global investors.
Karim El-Sayed Karim El-Sayed covers company news, policy and regulation across the UAE and wider MENA for Anecdoted, with a focus on how new rules and licences reshape how startups operate. karim@anecdoted.com
More than 35 technology founders from the Middle East and North Africa will travel to London for Key Trek 2026, a weeklong program organized by Key Capital, a UAE-based asset manager that invests in venture capital secondaries.
The fourth edition runs from September 30 to October 7. Founders will meet venture capital firms, institutional investors, family offices, and strategic partners across a schedule of meetings, sector-focused discussions, and private dinners. The week is built around introductions rather than a conference agenda, and for the founders involved, the value lies in access to investors they would struggle to reach from home.
Key Capital puts the combined valuation of the participating businesses at more than US$150 billion.
Basil Moftah, a managing partner at Key Capital, argues that uncertainty does not stop strong companies from being built; it makes investors pickier about where they put money. The founders now emerging from MENA are the strongest group he has seen, he said, and they are pursuing growth and innovation while creating jobs, wealth, and lasting businesses. Key Capital's job, in his view, is to keep international investors in the room with those founders so the companies end up in global portfolios.
Participating companies work across artificial intelligence and data, fintech, enterprise software, cybersecurity, deep technology, logistics, mobility, proptech, and vertical software-as-a-service.
The spread is broad. Consumer-facing property and health businesses sit alongside companies that sell infrastructure to other businesses, whether that means AI systems, trade documentation, or payment rails for B2B commerce.
Among the founders taking part are PRYPCO, a real estate platform; ThinkAI, an AI infrastructure firm; BioSapien, a health tech company; CargoX, a logistics and digital trade document provider; SILQ, which builds financial infrastructure for B2B commerce; and Hala, a provider of digital banking and business solutions for small and medium-sized enterprises.
The 2026 edition is supported by ecosystem partners including 500 Global, Arbor Ventures, AWS, BECO Capital, BlackRock, the Dubai Financial Market, DotZero, the Dubai Future District Fund, Endeavor, ExBorder Partners, Hub71, Impact46, Inovia Capital, Jefferies, Key Capital, Pact VC, QED Investors, RAED Ventures, SHUAA Capital PSC, Stride Asset Management, VentureSouq, and Winston Taylor. The list runs from global asset managers and investment banks to regional venture funds and local ecosystem programs.
Key Capital has not said how many investors will take part this year. Its 2025 edition produced 270 meetings and brought together 35 international investors and 32 MENA companies, according to the firm.
