LEAP East closes inaugural edition with 25,000 attendees and three-year commitment to Hong Kong

LEAP East closed its inaugural three-day edition in Hong Kong with 25,000 attendees, 340 speakers, 450 exhibitors, 300 startups and 600 investors representing more than US$6.5 trillion in assets under management, organisers announced. The event cemented a three-year strategic partnership with the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau (ITIB), the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) and organiser Tahaluf, securing Hong Kong as LEAP East’s exclusive Asian host city through 2027, with the next edition scheduled for December 2027.

"LEAP East has brought together enterprises, investors, exhibitors and high-calibre talent from Saudi Arabia, the Middle East and the Chinese Mainland," said Prof. Sun Dong, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry. "We are delighted to continue serving as LEAP East’s Government Partner for the next three years, and we remain firmly committed to providing strong support to LEAP East for co-creating a larger platform in Hong Kong to foster I&T exchanges from Saudi Arabia, the Middle East and the world."

The three-day forum was positioned as a bridge between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Asia, convening governments, investors, technology companies, founders and policymakers to accelerate investment and commercial partnerships. High-level meetings included H.E. Abdullah Alswaha, Minister of Communications and Information Technology of Saudi Arabia, who met with Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, Financial Secretary Paul Chan, Prof. Sun Dong and senior representatives from Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP). Technology delegations from SenseTime, Tencent, Tencent Cloud and Sony AI also took part in discussions aimed at deepening Saudi–Hong Kong technology and investment ties.

Startup outcomes and programming

LEAP East staged a programme that spanned artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, smart cities, fintech and emerging technologies, while LEAP’s flagship startup competition, Rocket Fuel, awarded equity-free funding to three winners. Finland’s ROTOBOOST, Saudi Arabia’s Uvera Inc and Hong Kong’s Meinong Robot each secured part of a combined US$100,000 in equity-free funding intended to support growth and international expansion.

• Attendance and scale: 25,000 attendees; 55% international participation, 45% local.
• Exhibitors and investment: 450 exhibitors; 600 investors representing over US$6.5 trillion AUM.
• Startup support: 300 startups on site; Rocket Fuel awarded US$100,000 equity-free.

Organiser Tahaluf — a Riyadh-headquartered joint venture between Informa PLC, the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity Programming and Drones and the Events Investment Fund, with Sela set to join — framed the event as a long-term platform for cross-regional collaboration. "LEAP East has exceeded expectations as a premier meeting point for the global technology ecosystem," said Annabelle Mander, Executive Vice President of Tahaluf. "The scale of engagement, quality of conversations and level of investment interest underline Hong Kong's strategic importance as a bridge between Asia and the Middle East."

Dr Peter Lam, Chairman of The Hong Kong Tourism Board, described the partnership as evidence of market confidence in Hong Kong’s role as a "World’s Meeting Place" and a "super-connector" for innovation and technology. The three-year commitment aims to leverage Hong Kong’s institutional advantages under "One Country, Two Systems" to facilitate both Mainland enterprises going global and GCC firms accessing Asian markets.

Outlook: With a confirmed return in December 2027 and a formal three-year hosting agreement, LEAP East intends to scale its matchmaking between capital and technology across the GCC and Asia. Organisers and government partners said they will continue to build the event’s role in driving investment conversations, commercial partnerships and I&T collaborations between Saudi Arabia, the wider Middle East and Greater China.