Startup Program
Built for cybersecurity startups ready to raise, scale, and get in front of the right people
The Startup Program at Black Hat MEA gives cybersecurity startups and scaleups a direct route into investors, enterprise buyers, CISOs, and decision-makers in Riyadh.
From dedicated exhibition presence to investor matchmaking, founder support, and CyberSeed eligibility, it is built to help strong companies gain visibility, build the right connections, and move faster.
Put your company where the cybersecurity market meets.
In 2025, our Startup Program delivered.
- One Black Hat MEA exhibitor reached unicorn status within 30 days
- Startups from the program progressed into globally recognized accelerators, including Y Combinator
- Direct exposure to 90+ global investors managing $14 billion in AUM
Why join the Startup Program?
Show your technology in the right room
Put your company in front of CISOs, enterprise buyers, government stakeholders, and cybersecurity decision-makers through a dedicated startup pod or scaleup kiosk.
Meet investors with intent
Take part in curated investor matchmaking and power hours designed to create stronger fundraising conversations, not just more introductions.
Get closer to buyers and decision-makers
Use Black Hat MEA to move beyond visibility and into real conversations with the people who can influence pilots, partnerships, and commercial momentum.
Build momentum faster
Use three days in Riyadh to sharpen your market story, increase your visibility, and connect with the people shaping what comes next in cyber.
What the Startup Program includes
Startup PODS
20 Scaleup Kiosks
Investor Matchmaking and Power Hours
Founder Bootcamp
Key Stage Access
CyberSeed Eligibility
Who should apply?
Risk, Governance and Compliance
Hardware and Semiconductor Security
OT, ICS and Critical Infrastructure Security
Enterprise and Information Security
IoT, Embedded and Edge Security
Threat Intelligence, IR and SOC Operations
Application and Software Security
AI, ML and Data Analytics
Cloud and Network Security
Identity, Access and Zero Trust
Digital Forensics and Malware Analysis
Blockchain and Web3 Security
Human Factors and Security Awareness
Success
Stories
Developer-focused security platform
When Aikido Security exhibited at Black Hat MEA in December 2025, it was already a fast-growing Belgian security company building a unified platform across code, cloud, and runtime security. One month later, it announced a $60 million Series B at a $1 billion valuation.
Since Black Hat MEA:
- $60M Series B at $1B valuation
- US headquarters established in Chicago
- Aikido Endpoint launched
- Zach Rice joined and launched Betterleaks
No-code mobile RASP platform protecting 20M+ end users
After pitching at CyberSeed, RASPIRE progressed into Y Combinator’s Spring 2026 batch. Its platform helps protect Android and iOS applications post-compilation, with no SDKs and no code changes, and is already securing apps used by more than 20 million end users globally.
Since Black Hat MEA:
- Accepted into Y Combinator Spring 2026
- 20M+ end users on RASPIRE-protected apps
- International expansion underway beyond the initial MENA base
Apply for the Startup Program
Put your company in front of buyers, investors, CISOs, and decision-makers at Black Hat MEA 2026.
Spaces for Startup Pods and Scaleup Kiosks are limited and vetted.
Apply now to secure your place. (Participating Startups do not need to apply for CyberSeed again.)