StrategEast, in partnership with Saudi Arabia’s Small and Medium Enterprises General Authority (Monsha’at), facilitated the participation of leading entrepreneurship enablers and startups at Biban 2025, held on November 5–8 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The delegation’s presence at the event was supported by the EBRD’s Star Venture Program, InvestMoldova, ATIC, and the Al-Farabi Innovation Hub.
During the four-day event, participants joined ecosystem tours to engage with key players in Saudi Arabia’s rapidly growing digital and entrepreneurial landscape, including Monsha’at, MISA, Garage, the CODE program, and other innovation institutions.
Biban, one of the region’s premier startup and SME events, attracts global stakeholders and strengthens both domestic and international entrepreneurship. Launched by the Saudi government, it serves as a platform for startups to enter new markets, gain visibility, and build connections across the Gulf and beyond. StrategEast’s deep knowledge of regional ecosystems and its strategic partnership with Monsha’at enabled participating startups and enablers to showcase their innovations and explore new opportunities within Saudi Arabia’s dynamic market.
Startups benefited from multiple tracks, including showcasing products at exhibition booths, participating in ecosystem tours, engaging in B2B and B2G meetings, and networking with investors, accelerators, and incubators.
The participating startups represented a wide range of transformative technologies:
- Direct Payment Network, a fintech company from Moldova, provides bilateral infrastructure that enables licensed financial institutions to execute secure, real-time, low-cost cross-border payments without intermediaries.
Kallina, an AI-driven voice platform from Moldova automates natural, empathetic phone conversations at scale, reducing call center costs by up to 80% - Cropsa, an agri-fintech platform from Egypt, connects farmers, suppliers, and buyers across Egypt and the MENA region through digital marketplaces, financing solutions, and contract farming tools.
- SmartRent, a property management startup from Moldova, offers an all-in-one platform connecting property owners and tenants to streamline the entire property management cycle.
- Aspichi, founded in 2021 in Ukraine, created Luminify—a Mixed Reality-based mental health platform enhanced with AI-driven diagnostics, already serving over one million users and entering the U.S. market.
- FACEPLATE, a deep-tech company from Kazakhstan, provides AI-driven, real-time energy grid visibility and optimization tools for utilities and grid operators.
- InteractiveRange is a comprehensive cybersecurity training platform from Kazakhstan, providing schools and universities with interactive theory modules, labs, AI mentorship, competitions, and content creation tools.
- Afiya is an AI-powered skincare platform from Kazakhstan that analyzes users’ skin and delivers personalized recommendations, integrating dermatological expertise with machine learning.
- Alem, a startup from Kazakhstan, builds a safety and trust layer for agentic commerce, preventing fraud and chargebacks in chat-based and AI-driven transactions across platforms like Discord and Telegram.
- Delever is a SaaS operating system for restaurants and retailers from Uzbekistan, enabling rapid deployment of multi-channel ordering, delivery management, analytics, loyalty programs, and more.
- Dev, Play, Go! focuses on developing talent for Saudi Arabia’s gaming industry through events, training, and community-building—supporting the growth of a sustainable game development ecosystem.
StrategEast’s participation at Biban 2025 underscores its commitment to strengthening global innovation ecosystems and creating new opportunities for startups across the Eurasian region. Through this collaboration, participating companies were able to gain valuable exposure, expand their networks, and explore partnerships in one of the world’s fastest-growing innovation markets.
