The New Frontier of Tech Investment
Fueling AI innovation, the Middle East is reshaping venture capital worldwide
March 10-11, 2026
Stanford University
In this edition, main topics include:
- A deep dive in AI Investments in the Middle East
- How AI is transforming VC deal flow
- VC Speed-Dating: Pitch to over 50 VCs
- Access Exclusive Dealflow
- Connect with LPs
Main Sponsors & Partners:
✦ 8th Edition
What is VC-BootCamp?
VC-BootCamp (VC-BC) is a well-established symposium held annually in Silicon Valley each March. This innovation-centric event takes place at prestigious venues such as Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB), UC Berkeley, and Skydeck.
For the past 8 years, the VC-Bootcamp has welcomed over 1000 participants that have engaged in the following:
The mission of VC-BC is to connect venture capitalists, institutional investors, and entrepreneurs from over 60 countries, fostering collaboration and building bridges across ecosystems. The 2026 edition will focus on Middle East AI investments, aiming to unlock untapped potential and create cross-border collaboration opportunities.
keynote speakers
who have addressed the opportunities emerging from building bridges between global innovation ecosystems
RECEPTIONS
where corporate executives, leaders, and investors can exchange on strategy, investments and talent attraction
PITCH Competition
for Start-Ups and Scale-Ups
VISITS
to SKYDECK (Plug & Play Incubator), Stanford University, and UC Berkeley
Build Global VC Connections
ollaborate with top VCs from Silicon Valley, Europe, and the Middle East. Forge partnerships that unlock cross-border opportunities and de-risk emerging-market investments.
Access Exclusive Dealflow
Through partnerships with Stanford LISA and SkyDeck, gain access to curated startups ready to scale globally.
Connect with LPs
Meet institutional investors, family offices, and fund-of-funds exploring innovative theses and new regions.
✦ VC-Bootcamp 2025
Africa Focus
Connecting North American Innovation Ecosystems with Africa
Be part of the movement driving investment into Africa and beyond.
Main topics include:
- Unlock Africa’s Innovation Potential
- Build Global VC Connections
- Access Exclusive Dealflow
- Connect with LPs
The True Size of Africa
- Africa is the world leader in Mobile Money.
- Manufacturing output will double by 2025.
- 122 million users of mobile financial services.
- Unmet demand creates huge opportunity to innovate and scale.
- 54 countries expected to create the world’s largest free trade area.
- Extraordinary Growth and Profitability, if you have the right strategy.
credit: Kai Krause
Schedule
Tuesday, March 10, 2026
at Stanford
12:45 pm - 1:30 pm
LUNCH
Arbuckle Dining Pavilion (GsB)
1:30 pm - 2:45 pm
NETWORKING
Meet with the VCs and Executives.
Arbuckle Dining Pavilion (GsB)
3:00 - 3:50 pm
VC-University: A Different Perspective
Adam Sterling
Associate Dean at Stanford Law School
3:55 - 4:05 pm
COMMUNITY OPEN MIC
You have 30sec to pitch ANYTHING to the VCs and audIence – Just raise your hand!
4:10 - 4:40 pm
Perspectives from Different Ecosystems
Cindy Zhong
Country Customer Engineering Leader, Canada Startups @ Google Cloud
Roger Luo
AI Builder Turned Investor, Embedding VC
4:40 - 5:00 pm
Perspectives From the Next Generation of VCs
Yuri Curumthaully
African Entrepreneurship Thought Leader
Paul Yung
Venture capital analyst at Monte Carlo Capital
Nadia Knouz
Public/Private Investment Africa
Anuj Totapudi
Managing Partner, N2 Ventures
5:00 - 5:05 pm
COMMUNITY OPEN MIC
You have 30sec to pitch ANYTHING to the VCs and audIence – Just raise your hand!
7:00 - 9:00 pm
Exclusive dinner with venture capitalists, limited partners, and industry leaders
Macarthur Park
27 University Avenue, Palo Alto
AI Adoption: A Linkedin Perspective
Sharat Raghavan
Director of Data Science & Research at LinkedIn; PhD and lecturer at Berkeley
How Can You Influence Your Innovation Ecosystem
Mahendra Ramsinghani
Managing Director, Secure Octane Investment
8:00 - 8:05 pm
COMMUNITY OPEN MIC
You have 30sec to pitch ANYTHING to the VCs and audIence – Just raise your hand!
9:00 pm
NETWORKING with the VCs and Executives
Wednesday, March 11, 2026
in Berkeley
9:00am- 12:00pm
VISITS: SKYDECK (UC BERKELEY ACCELERATOR)
Gregory LaBlanc
Professor at UC Berkeley
George Panagiotakopoulos
Head of Europe & Global Expansion
Global Innovation & Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Development
12:00pm - 2:00pm
Lunch at Standford GsB
Keynote Speakers
Gregory LaBlanc
International speaker, Investor; Distinguished Teaching Fellow, Berkeley Haas; Academic fellow at Berkeley’s School of Engineering
Hoss - Hosni Zaouali
Co-Founder of Me2We at Stanford University; CEO of ConnectED-Labs, AI Avatars for Education
Sharat Raghavan
Director Data Science & Research @ LinkedIn | PhD & Berkeley Lecturer
George Panagiotakopoulos
Berkeley SkyDeck, Head of Europe & Global Expansion - Global Innovation & Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Development
Mahendra Ramsinghani
Managing Director, Secure Octane Investments
Roger Luo
AI Builder turned Investor, Embedding VC
Adam Sterling
Associate Dean, Stanford Law School
Cindy Zhong
Country Customer Engineering Leader, Canada Startups, Google Cloud
Maximizing Your Return on Attendance
Explore the Middle East's potential — VC Bootcamp connects you with trusted partners and actionable insights to mitigate risks and unlock opportunities.
Sponsorship Opportunities
Main Sponsors & Partners:
Registration
StanfordLEAD participants
General Registration
$290 USD
Includes event, dinner, pitch competition, meet the LPs, and executives