2026
INVITATION ONLY
Event
Agenda
ABU DHABI
AI | SPACE | ROBOTICS
LOCATION
Four Seasons Abu Dhabi at Al Maryah Island
DATE
19-20 October, 2026
Goanna is pleased to coordinate a closed door, invitation only, two-day event bringing together the leading LPs, GPs,Government representatives, researchers and founders focused on AI, Space & Robotics.
DAY 1
19 OCTOBER 2026
BUILDING THE FUTURE
Why We're Here
Setting the stage, the leaders, capital and conviction behind Abu Dhabi’s frontier moment.
8:30 ~ 9:30
TRACK 01
REGISTRATION, COFFEE & NETWORKING
Arrival and early conversations across founders, investors and institutions....
9:30 ~ 9:45
TRACK 02
OPENING REMARKS: BUILDING NATIONAL ADVANTAGE IN FRONTIER TECHNOLOGY
How nations attract talent, capital and innovation to build lasting leadership in AI, robotics and space....
H.E. Hesham Amiri Deputy Chief of Government Services, Prime Minister's Office, UAE
TBC
9:45 ~ 9:55
TRACK 03
WELCOMING REMARKS: THE PURPOSE OF FRONTIER SUMMIT
The technologies, companies and leaders shaping the next decade, and why Abu Dhabi is where they meet....
9:55 ~ 10:20
TRACK 04
KEYNOTE: BETTING BEFORE IT IS OBVIOUS
Where conviction capital looks when the easy bets are gone...
Jack Selby Managing Director, Thiel Capital
The Infrastructure Layer
Compute and the foundations every frontier company is built on.
TRACK 05
FIRESIDE CHAT: POWERING THE FRONTIER: THE UAE'S ENERGY & AI INFRASTRUCTURE STRATEGY
How the UAE is turning energy leadership into AI infrastructure advantage, and why that makes it the place to build....
Host TBC
10:20 ~ 10:40
10:40 ~ 10:55
TRACK 06
COMPANY KEYNOTE: BLUE ORIGIN
Company keynote, details to follow....
10:55 ~ 11:25
TRACK 07
PANEL 1: BETTING ON THE INFRASTRUCTURE LAYER
Where does the real value accrue in the AI stack? Investors and founders debate whether long-term returns sit in models, tooling, or compute, and what the semiconductor arms race means for venture....
Michael Brunner (MODERATOR) Managing Director, Goanna Capital
11:25 ~ 11:40
TRACK 08
COMPANY SPOTLIGHT: NUCLEUS GENOMICS
Company spotlight, details to follow...
The Durable Moat
Data, silicon and the moats that actually hold.
11:40 ~ 12:10
TRACK 09
PANEL 2: DATA AS THE DURABLE MOAT
Proprietary datasets, synthetic data, and what actually wins. Is unique data still a defensible advantage in a world of foundation models? Founders and investors debate what moats look like in 2026 and beyond....
Yousef Gamal El-Din (MODERATOR) Frontier Summit MC
12:10 ~ 12:30
TRACK 10
FIRESIDE CHAT: ACRISURE
Fireside chat, details to follow....
Host Host
12:30 ~ 13:40
NETWORKING LUNCH
Time to connect more directly with founders, investors and operators....
Follow The Capital
13:40 ~ 13:55
TRACK 11
KEYNOTE: CAPITAL, INDUSTRY AND THE NEW MAP OF POWER
What it takes to turn the US-UAE partnership into capital, industry and shared advantage, from someone who has built on both sides....
TBC
13:55 ~ 14:25
TRACK 12
PANEL 3: WHO BACKS THE FRONTIER
How family offices, sovereigns and venture decide where to place their capital, and what earns their conviction....
14:25 ~ 14:45
TRACK 13
FIRESIDE CHAT: THE SOVEREIGN ADVANTAGE
What a fund like Mubadala can do that traditional venture cannot, and how it backs the technologies defining the next decade....
Yousef Gamal El-Din (MODERATOR) Frontier Summit MC
14:45 ~ 15:00
TRACK 14
COMPANY SPOTLIGHT: ULYSSES
Developing Low-Cost, High-Capability Maritime Systems for Persistent Situational Awareness...
15:00 ~ 15:30
TRACK 15
PANEL 4: LIQUIDITY IN THE AGE OF MEGA-ROUNDS
Secondaries, IPO windows and the path to DPI. With late-stage valuations still elevated and public markets selective, how are founders and early investors thinking about exit timing and secondary market access? Covers liquidity from the investor perspective, including tenders and GP-led and LP-led activity.....
15:30 ~ 15:45
TRACK 16
COMPANY SPOTLIGHT: REGENT
The all-electric seaglider, a new class of high-speed coastal transport that floats, foils and flies...
Billy Thalheimer Co-Founder & CEO, REGENT
Into The Real World
15:45 ~ 16:05
TRACK 17
DISCUSSION: ADNOC
Discussion, details to follow...
Nada Meqbali Acting Senior Vice President, Technology Partnerships and Engagement, ADNOC Group
Speaker TBC
16:05 ~ 16:20
TRACK 18
COMPANY SPOTLIGHT: TBC
Company spotlight, company to be confirmed....
16:20 ~ 16:50
TRACK 19
PANEL 5: BUILDING IN THE GREY ZONE: AI REGULATION
Navigating AI regulation before the rules are written. Founders, incumbents and policymakers on operating where AI rules do not yet exist: how builders manage regulatory risk, how governments and standards bodies think about what is coming, and who wins when the rules finally land....
Noor Al-Nahhas Co-Founder & CEO, Nybl
Moderator TBC
16:50 ~ 17:05
TRACK 20
COMPANY SPOTLIGHT: TBC
Company spotlight, company to be confirmed....
All Day
TRACK 21
All Day
TRACK 22
ROUNDTABLE BREAKOUTS: GROUP 2
Meetings scheduled throughout the day. ...
(Founders & Operators)
17:30 ~ 18:30
PRIVATE DRINKS RECEPTION
An evening reception with drinks, music and a few announcements we're excited to share. ...
DAY 2
20 OCTOBER 2026
DEPLOYING THE FUTURE
Beyond Earth
Space, defense and the institutions shaping the new frontier economy.
9:00 ~ 9:30
TRACK 01
COFFEE & NETWORKING
Arrival and early conversations to open day two....
9:30 ~ 9:45
TRACK 02
OPENING REMARKS: DEPLOYING NATIONAL ADVANTAGE IN FRONTIER TECHNOLOGY
How the UAE turns national strategy into real-world adoption, drawing the companies, capital and talent shaping AI, robotics and space....
9:45 ~ 9:55
TRACK 03
WELCOME REMARKS: FROM BUILDING TO DEPLOYING
Where day one leaves off and what today is really about: turning frontier technology into real-world impact....
9:55 ~ 10:15
TRACK 04
KEYNOTE: THE INTELLIGENCE AGE
Where AI goes once it leaves the lab, and what changes when it reaches everyone....
10:15 ~ 10:30
TRACK 05
COMPANY SPOTLIGHT: STARCLOUD
A live call-in company spotlight....
10:30 ~ 11:00
TRACK 06
PANEL 6: THE NEW FRONTIER ECONOMY
Commercializing space, defense and the domains beyond. The frontier economy from the operator, investor and policy perspectives: where real revenue exists today, government's evolving role as customer and partner, and sovereign capital's growing influence....
11:00 ~ 11:20
TRACK 07
FIRESIDE CHAT: FACTORY
Fireside chat, details to follow....
11:20 ~ 11:40
TRACK 08
DISCUSSION: SOVEREIGN SCIENCE: FROM LAB TO LAUNCH
How nations turn deep science into deployable frontier capability....
Moderator TBC + Need to add topics to share with guests in discussion
The Hardest Problems
11:40 ~ 12:00
TRACK 9
CANVA PRODUCT KEYNOTE
AI as workflow: from SMB to enterprise, how Canva is supporting design in the AI era....
12:00 ~ 12:30
TRACK 10
PANEL 7: THE LAST FRONTIER FOR VENTURE, DEEP TECH
As software returns plateau, venture is shifting toward capital-intensive sectors like space, robotics and advanced manufacturing. Founders and investors discuss how to fund, scale and evaluate businesses where timelines are longer, risks are higher, and outcomes are driven more by major contracts than recurring revenue....
12:30 ~ 12:45
TRACK 11
COMPANY SPOTLIGHT: TBC
Company spotlight, company to be confirmed....
12:00 ~ 13:15
TRACK 13
COMPANY SPOTLIGHT: NUCLEUS GENOMICS
Company spotlight, details to follow....
12:45 ~ 14:15
NETWORKING LUNCH
Time to connect more directly with founders, investors and operators....
What Comes Next
The buildout ahead, from research labs and mobility to what still breaks at scale.
14:15 ~ 14:25
TRACK 12
KEYNOTE: THE HARDEST THINGS TO BUILD
What it takes to build companies where engineering, capital and real-world constraints intersect....
14:25 ~ 14:55
TRACK 13
PANEL 8: DEEP TECH AND THE AI BUILDOUT
Where are the next strategic opportunities emerging? A founder and operator discussion bringing together senior leaders from technology companies, large enterprises, investors, sovereign wealth funds and government institutions....
14:55 ~ 15:20
TRACK 14
FIRESIDE CHAT: FROM RESEARCH LAB TO ENTERPRISE ADOPTION
How frontier research crosses the gap into production enterprise systems....
15:20 ~ 15:35
TRACK 15
COMPANY KEYNOTE: TIKTOK
Company keynote, details to follow....
Mario El Feghali Head of Business Partnerships, Bytedance
15:35 ~ 15:55
TRACK 16
FIRESIDE CHAT: WHAT STILL BREAKS AT SCALE
The real bottlenecks in compute, data, latency, reliability and security at scale....
Moderator TBC
15:55 ~ 16:25
TRACK 17
PANEL 9: ENTERPRISE PANEL
Enterprise AI adoption and deployment, from experimentation to operational reality. Every large enterprise has run an AI pilot; far fewer have moved AI into core operations where it touches revenue, safety and millions of customers. Leaders deploying AI inside heavy industry, aviation and the region's AI champions on what it takes to get from proof of concept to production at scale....
Yousef Gamal El-Din (MODERATOR) Frontier Summit MC
16:25 ~ 16:55
TRACK 18
PANEL 10: THE FUTURE OF MOBILITY
From eVTOL to autonomous transit, building the next layer of physical infrastructure....
16:55 ~ 17:10
TRACK 19
CLOSING REMARKS
Request an invitation
Participation is limited to a highly selective group of founders, investors and operators.
