Dubai to Host PlanX 2026, The Founder Growth Conference, From November 25-26

Dubai will host PlanX 2026, The Founder Growth Conference, from November 25-26 at the Grand Hyatt Dubai. The event is designed for founders in the UAE who want to grow, from early-stage start-ups to established business owners scaling toward eight figures.

The conference aims to give the UAE’s founders practical, proven routes to growth. Its program is built on one principle: traction is the only pitch. Rather than motivational talks, PlanX focuses on operators who have built businesses in the region, sharing what works in sales, marketing, AI, raising capital and scaling across borders.

The PlanX 2026 speaker lineup brings together more than 50 speakers. Fadi Ghandour, founder of Aramex and Wamda, will share lessons on resilience from four decades of building in the Middle East. Noor Sweid, founder of Global Ventures, will examine what separates MENA’s start-ups from its scale-ups. Donna Benton, founder of The Entertainer, joins a panel on how homegrown UAE brands go global, while Simon Squibb, founder of HelpBnk, will reverse-engineer the content system behind his audience of 27 million.

The program follows the founder journey. Day one focuses on getting started and getting traction, covering sales, marketing, AI and capital raising. Day two turns to building and scaling in the region. Sessions run across four stages: the Main Stage, the Leverage Stage, the Growth Stage and a Deep Dive Room for hands-on workshops.

Shifting away from passive conference formats, PlanX places strong emphasis on interaction. Attendees can put questions directly to speakers at Speakers Unplugged sessions, join speed networking and test ideas at the HelpBnk Pitch Clinic. An exhibition floor will showcase companies that help SMEs grow, across fintech, AI, hiring and business services.

A highlight of the event is the PlanX Pitch Competition Giveaway, in which founders pitch for a complete business set-up package assembled from the event’s partners.

PlanX has partnered with more than 40 business communities, with a combined reach of over 100,000 founders. Dubai Founders HQ, one of PlanX’s ecosystem partners, will also be at the event with a dedicated start-up pavilion. They are joined by women’s networks including the Dubai Business Women Council, MENA Women Business Club, Women Who Thrive, Women in Tech and Financially Savii Women. The conference builds on the Road to PlanX Founder Series, a monthly program of sessions hosted with partners including Dubai Founders HQ and Ignyte in DIFC, which has drawn more than 1,000 verified attendees.

Frankie Ngo, founder and organizer of PlanX: “The UAE has made it easy to start a business. Growing one is harder, and that’s where founders need real help. My mission is to empower entrepreneurs through growth and events, and PlanX brings the region’s best operators and more than 40 business communities into one room to do exactly that. Founders should leave with people, knowledge and a next step they can act on the following week.”

Readers of Entrepreneur Middle East can avail of a 30% discount on PlanX 2026 tickets using the code EME30 at planxconf.com.