Why LEAP cares: The power of a platform for collaboration

The tech world has a reputation for being fiercely competitive. Startups are in a race to disrupt, scale, and claim unicorn status. Global corporations are battling it out to own the next big innovation. Investors are chasing the next ChatGPT. 

But every year at LEAP, we’re reminded that collaboration – not just competition – is the real fuel of innovation. 

As of early 2025, the number of unicorns globally has topped 1,450, and venture capital investment in startups worldwide is expected to exceed $380 billion this year. The MENA region alone attracted over $4 billion in startup funding in 2024, with Saudi Arabia and the UAE emerging as serious players in the global innovation ecosystem.

But these big figures don’t tell the whole story; because behind every billion-dollar valuation or product breakthrough, there’s an exchange of ideas that goes unseen. A casual conversation at a conference. An unexpected partnership between people who believe in the same mission.

We hear those conversations and cultivate those partnerships at LEAP, because we know how important they are. 

Working in tech isn’t about beating the competition - it’s about building the future 

When you bring together tens of thousands of brilliant minds from every corner of the tech world (startups, enterprises, investors, and dreamers) you might expect a shark tank. But what actually happens is something much more powerful. 

At LEAP 2024, over 215,000 people gathered in Riyadh to share ideas, challenge assumptions, and form the kinds of relationships that lead to real-world change. We’re not going to pretend that competition doesn’t matter in tech; it does. It makes people work hard, pushes companies to develop faster, and standing out from competitors is critical for a business to succeed. But tech folk don’t just come to LEAP to scope out what others are doing – they also come to find opportunities to build together.

Ghela Boskovich (Regional Director/Head of Europe at Financial Data and Technology Association) said:

“Having so many industries convened in one spot made it so much easier to have conversations about the intersectionality of different data sets, and what potential use cases arise from blending those insights…under one roof we have smart energy, smart cities, and health tech bumping into fintech. LEAP afforded me the chance to talk with others from around the world, in different industries, about the intersectionality of smart data use cases in an open framework; a rare opportunity.”

And Andrew Funk (Founding President at Homeless Entrepreneur) explained that the connections he made at LEAP could ultimately help him design new strategies to combat homelessness using tech; “By tapping into the limitless potential of tech to build a positive future…where homelessness and poverty, as we know it, no longer exists.”

These aren’t just nice soundbites. They’re the kind of real-life impact that can come from giving people space to collaborate without pressure.

Low-stakes conversations lead to high-stakes innovation

Innovation doesn’t thrive in silos. It doesn’t flourish when everyone’s guarded, hiding their ideas, and trying to outdo each other.  

What we see at LEAP – and what the most successful tech professionals tell us time and again – is that breakthroughs happen when people feel free to explore ideas together. 

When there’s no pressure to have a fully formed pitch or product. When people are allowed to experiment with new possibilities. This is a core driver of progress, because ideas can’t grow to be fully formed if they’re cut off before the idea-maker has a chance to explore the boundaries of their imagination. 

The Global Startup Ecosystem Report 2024 indicates that ecosystems fostering collaboration display higher startup success rates, increased funding opportunities, and more robust innovation outputs. 

So creating safe, playful, inclusive and explorative environments is essential – environments where knowledge-sharing is a central purpose, and where everyone has their eye on the future advancement of global tech. 

Collaboration isn’t just a trend

We talk about collaboration a lot on the LEAP blog. And we’ll keep talking about it, because it isn’t just a trend – it’s the heart of tech. 

The innovators we meet at LEAP share the same goal: to make the world better. They’re taking infinite different paths to do that, and in a fast-paced industry disagreements will always happen. 

But whether you’re focused on AI, sustainability, healthtech, fintech, or a totally new frontier, you’re doing it because you believe in the potential of tech to enable positive change in the way we live on our planet (or beyond). 

Leon Winkler (Senior Director of International Events at Ubisoft HQ) put it beautifully when he described the importance of in-person events:

“There’s something incredibly valuable and impactful about creating shared experiences where people can connect face-to-face. These are the moments that build lasting loyalty and a sense of community.”

We believe that technology has the power to solve the world’s biggest challenges. But that can only happen if the people building the tech are connected. So we’re here to keep making that connection easier, more accessible, and more inspiring. 

The future isn’t built by one person. It’s built by all of us, together.