Pakistani technology companies heading to Saudi Arabia for LEAP 2026, one of the world’s largest tech gatherings, are looking beyond exhibition booths and networking, with several seeking clients, partnerships and a permanent foothold in the kingdom’s rapidly expanding digital economy. The four day global technology event, which opened in Riyadh, brought together more than 1,800 technology companies, 600 startups, 1,900 investors and over 1,000 speakers as Saudi Arabia continues pouring investment into technology and innovation under its Vision 2030 economic transformation plan.
For some returning companies, the event has already translated into tangible business opportunities. Abdul Muqsit Abbasi, CEO of Karachi based ByteCorp Technologies, said this marks the company’s fourth edition attending LEAP, with every edition proving better than the last, crediting the event with helping the company build deep industry connections and long term relationships that have opened doors in the Saudi market. Khizer Ahmed Siddiqui, founding member and director of KAACIB, said his company’s participation last year had gone a step further, opening the way to establish a local office in Riyadh, with the business now looking to build on that presence in 2026 through additional partnerships and connections.
Other Karachi technology companies are approaching this year’s event with similarly specific ambitions, targeting opportunities in Saudi Arabia’s real estate, logistics and enterprise technology sectors. Syed Zain Ali, founder of property technology company Fortify, said the company sees the Saudi real estate market as a strong fit for its software, aligning with Vision 2030’s broader goals. Stellisys, an operations and enterprise resource planning platform developed by FifthThought and attending as part of a startup delegation backed by Ignite National Technology Fund, is bringing a Saudi version of its platform incorporating invoicing compliant with the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority, alongside an AI layer and migration tooling for businesses moving off older systems, according to co-founder and CEO Rajiv Pardhan. Separately, MaalBardaar, a Karachi based digital supply chain logistics platform, is bringing its solution to LEAP 2026 to help importers and exporters gain full visibility and transparency across their logistics operations, according to co-founder Faiz Hanif.
Pakistan recorded its largest ever presence at LEAP last year, with more than 100 companies and over 1,500 delegates, according to a post event report published by the Pakistan Software Export Board. That report found Pakistan’s 2025 participation generated 9.74 million dollars in business and 78 leads for participating companies. For Abbasi, the value of LEAP lies not only in immediate deals but in understanding how business is done in Saudi Arabia and building relationships over time, describing the event as one of the best places for any new entrant to understand how the market operates.
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