18 Organizations Connecting the CEE and GCC Tech Ecosystems

A growing constellation of events, investors, free zones, councils and funds is actively linking Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) tech ecosystem. Recent milestones include a co-investment partnership between Mubadala Investment Company and Hellenic Development Bank of Investments, the UAE becoming a shareholder of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in 2021, and a visible pipeline of delegations and market-entry programmes. In practice, initiatives have moved CEE founders to major Gulf stages: an EBRD cohort that included Aspichi, Alaqan, VanOnGo, UvU, Investbanq and SpaceLab attended Web Summit Qatar before participating in a Riyadh Ecosystem Exposure Day on 5 February organised with Monsha'at and Parachute16 and supported by the Saudi Ministry of Investment.

"Connecting the dots between Europe and the Middle East," said Dušan Duffek, managing partner of Zero One Hundred (0100 VC), summarising the mindset behind a number of on-the-ground moves — including opening the fund's Abu Dhabi office in late 2024 and signing an MoU with Investopia to link CEE startups with UAE investors.

Major events are central to the bridge-building. GITEX Global drew more than 200,000 attendees in 2025 from 180+ countries and 6,800+ exhibitors and will expand its CEE footprint with GITEX Ai Serbia at the Belgrade Fair in May 2027. Web Summit Qatar hosted over 30,000 participants from 124+ countries, 1,600+ startups and 800+ investors in February 2026; organisers reported that 85% of participating startups came from outside Qatar. Doers Summit — launched by Stylianos Lambrou and Dušan Duffek — scaled from a 300-person gathering in Limassol in 2018 to a Middle East edition that attracted more than 4,000 attendees in November 2025 and is targeting 5,000+ participants for the 24–26 November 2026 edition at Dubai Silicon Oasis.

Institutional investors and programmes facilitate two-way capital flows. The EBRD runs the Star Venture Arabian Gulf Market Entry Programme with StrategEast to help founders expand into GCC markets; the February 2026 cohort travelled to both Doha and Riyadh for investor meetings, regulatory briefings and hub visits. EBRD principals have also participated on the deal side: Amine Chabane led a $17.4 million Series B in May 2026 for RemotePass, a UAE-founded employment and payroll platform built by Kamal Reggad and Karim Nadi. RemotePass reported it is profitable, serves 35,000+ workers across 150+ countries and has processed $800 million in cross-border payroll; 500 Global participated in the round.

Venture firms are embedding locally. Zero One Hundred's Fund II focuses on "Emerging Europe" — 21 countries and roughly 200 million people — and operates offices in Slovakia, Czechia, Cyprus and the UAE. Investopia, the UAE state investment platform chaired by H.E. Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, convened a CEE-UAE Strategic Economic Forum on 20 November 2025 and plans Global Talks across Athens, Berlin, Tashkent and Milan, with Abu Dhabi hosting Investopia Bridge 2026 under the theme "Investing in a More Resilient World."

Outlook

• Expect continued use of flagship events (GITEX, Web Summit Qatar, Investopia, Doers) as primary gateways for CEE founders seeking GCC capital and partnerships.
• Programmes like the EBRD Star Venture Gulf Market Entry cohort and institutional LP relationships (for example Mubadala with HDBI-backed vehicles) will keep enabling bilateral deal flow.
• Local presence by CEE VCs and targeted funds — exemplified by Zero One Hundred's Abu Dhabi office — suggests more sustained scouting, corporate partnerships and follow-on financing in the coming 12–24 months.