# Ray Dargham

> Ray Dargham is the co-founder and CEO of Step, the Dubai-born media and events company behind the Step Conference, a startup and tech festival that grew from about 100 people in a co-working space in 2012 into an 8,000-plus attendee gathering that now travels between Dubai, Riyadh and San Francisco. He also runs the digital publishers StepFeed and YallaFeed, founded the brand-tech shop Spiderfrogs, and hosts the Maté podcast for MENA founders. Forbes put him on its 30 Under 30 cover in 2018.

- **Role:** Co-Founder & CEO at Step
- **Organizations:** Step Group, Step Conference, StepFeed, YallaFeed, Spiderfrogs
- **From:** Chouf district, Lebanon
- **Nationality:** Lebanese-American
- **Education:** Secondary school, Beirut Baptist School, B.A. Economics, American University of Beirut (AUB)
- **Known for:** Co-founded Step Conference, one of MENA's largest startup and tech festivals, Forbes 30 Under 30 Middle East cover (Media, Arts & Entertainment), 2018, Ferd's List honoree, 2018

## Career timeline

- **2011** — Graduated from AUB and moved to Dubai
- **2012** — Co-founded the first Step Conference in a Dubai co-working space with about 100 attendees
- **2015** — Step Conference moves to Dubai International Marine Club; launches StepFeed and YallaFeed
- **2017** — Step Group raises $2M Series A
- **2018** — Featured on the cover of Forbes Middle East 30 Under 30 (Media, Arts & Entertainment)
- **2019** — Launches Saudi edition of Step Conference in Riyadh
- **2020** — Pivots Step to hybrid and online formats during COVID-19
- **2024** — Step Conference expands to specialised AI, fintech, and digital media tracks
- **2025** — Announces Step SF, bringing the festival to San Francisco

## Achievements

- Co-founded Step Conference, one of MENA's largest startup and tech festivals
- Forbes 30 Under 30 Middle East cover (Media, Arts & Entertainment), 2018
- Ferd's List honoree, 2018
- Built StepFeed into a leading MENA digital media platform for millennials
- Founded Spiderfrogs to help brands integrate emerging tech
- Grew Step Conference from around 100 attendees to 8,000+

## Latest updates

- **2025-08** — Announcing and hosting Step SF, the San Francisco edition of Step Conference
- **2024** — Step Conference hosted 8,000+ attendees with specialized AI, fintech, and digital media tracks

## Links

- Website: https://stepconference.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raydargham/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/raydargham
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raydargham/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stepconferencepage

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/ray-dargham
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-08