Riyadh: Saudi students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) organized a first-of-its-kind entrepreneurship and innovation conference to connect Saudi entrepreneurs with MIT innovators and academics, and to spotlight investment opportunities in the Kingdom. According to Saudi Press Agency, the event was held in collaboration with government and private-sector entities and featured the participation of Consul General of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in New York, Abdullah Al-Hamdan, along with a distinguished group of academics, investors, and experts from Saudi Arabia and the United States. The conference included a competition for US startups interested in entering the Saudi market. More than 20 startups presented their projects to a panel of experts and investors, focusing on innovative, tech-driven solutions aligned with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030. Winners were announced in a dedicated session recognizing projects with strong potential for scalability and adaptability to the Saudi business environment. Notably, several American companies expressed interest in forming partnerships with Saudi innovation-supporting institutions. The program featured five interactive panel discussions on strategic topics, including empowering the startup ecosystem, the role of corporate innovation in national development, the impact of accelerators and incubators, and investment opportunities in technology. Sessions also addressed digital policies and regulations in light of ongoing transformations under Vision 2030. Officials from various Saudi government agencies and private companies joined experts from MIT in offering a high-level platform for exchanging experiences and insights.