LEAP’s fifth Riyadh edition puts dealmaking center stage

LEAP, Riyadh’s annual technology gathering, opens August 31 for a four-day fifth edition that brings global technology companies, startups and investors together—not simply new products. Organizers expect more than 1,800 tech companies, 600 startups and 1,900 investors, while Saudi Communications Minister Abdullah Alswaha says the event will feature multibillion-dollar agreements and projects involving major international firms. The larger aim is to make LEAP a marketplace for building Saudi Arabia’s digital economy: Alswaha says it has grown more than 75% cumulatively to 522 billion riyals, or about $139 billion. The announcements still need to be read carefully, since conference “deals” can include future investment plans and partnerships rather than money already deployed.