Khaberni - Zain Group announced the selection of 13 emerging technology companies by juries from 6 of its companies across regional markets to participate in the next phase of its flagship acceleration program, Zain Great Idea, which is the global acceleration stage in Palo Alto, California, specifically in Silicon Valley – the global capital of entrepreneurship.
From Jordan, Alefredo Exams qualified, which is an educational platform providing school and university students with an interactive assessment tool with explanations highlighting their weaknesses and recommending supportive materials to strengthen them.
From Kuwait, the following startups qualified: "Farah" the comprehensive destination for organizing weddings, LumenPro a platform that gathers the strongest AI tools in one place, and Playbook the digital platform for discovering and booking children's parties.
In addition to Provis Management specialized in attracting and hiring talents in the culinary sector, "Tenmeya" the first Arabic platform enabling content creators to monetize their work, and theQA the first research platform in Kuwait that connects brands with trusted local participants for collecting quick insights.
From the United Arab Emirates, FortyGuard qualified for AI solutions for measuring temperatures, and from the Kingdom of Bahrain, "Wajba" the digital platform for selling surplus food at discounted prices qualified.
From Saudi Arabia, WePay the innovative fintech company for assurance-based payments qualified, and from Iraq, Andalusi which offers educational technologies enhancing learning through apps and digital classrooms, "Jaamila" the online platform connecting buyers and sellers to enable digital trade, and "Saleem" the platform for digital health care innovations qualified.
The names of the qualifiers were announced after the curtain fell on the Super Saturday event held in each of the six markets, where entrepreneurs from each country utilized the skills and expertise they gained in the first phase, the boot camp stage, to present the final vision of their companies and display their business plans to the jury panel, which in turn selected the final participants based on a number of academic criteria.
In Jordan, the jury consisted of elite specialists in the field of entrepreneurship in Jordan, including Tamer Salah - General Manager of Endeavor Jordan, Tambi Jalouqa - Founder and General Partner of Maza Ventures, Saad Al Jasser - Manager of Digital Investments in Zain Ventures, and Ahmed Ibrahim - Head of Entrepreneurship at Zain Jordan.
The final participants will undergo the global acceleration program in Palo Alto, California, USA, specifically in Silicon Valley which is considered the global capital of entrepreneurship, in collaboration with Vibranium VC, an investment fund specialized in startup investments headquartered in Silicon Valley.
The program will offer a golden opportunity for entrepreneurs to closely understand business management dynamics in the heart of Silicon Valley, through participating in workshops, networking with startup founders, visiting major business accelerators and technology companies, presenting ideas and projects to investment funds, building relationships, and understanding the global entrepreneurship ecosystem.
The first phase of the program, the intensive training camps, recently concluded. These camps gathered an elite of international, regional, and local experts in Zain markets, as part of the new version of the program launched in several Gulf and Arab countries, including Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, carrying a vision and goal to empower entrepreneurs to develop their projects and build more impactful and sustainable business models.
The initial weeks of the program saw a series of intensive training focused on strategic areas including marketing, finance, operations management, and digital transformation, aiming to accelerate the growth of the startups and prepare them for entry into regional and global markets confidently and efficiently.
The training camp activities included quick individual advisory sessions between participants and a number of specialized coaches and mentors, to develop their skills in various business areas that contributed to accelerating their companies towards achieving sustainable growth and market expansion.
This year, the program was launched with strong support from Zain Ventures - Zain Group's investment arm in emerging technologies, and ZainTECH - its regional arm for digital solutions and information and communication technology, where for the first time in the program's history of over 15 years, doors were opened to applicants from Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, providing unprecedented opportunities in guidance, financing, and global experiences.
Zain Ventures targets exploring promising opportunities in the participating startups and investing in them, while the ZainTECH team works alongside the ZGI team to provide strategic support for the selected startups participating in the Silicon Valley journey, by offering advanced solutions and technologies such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence, analytics, robotics, and other advanced technologies that enhance business growth.
It is worth noting that this expansion represents a qualitative leap for the ZGI program since its inception, as all previous editions were exclusive to the Kuwaiti market, and this regional launch enhances Zain's commitment to supporting technological innovations and entrepreneurship at the regional level.
Meet the qualifiers
Farah
Founded by Abdulwahab and Khaled Al Tabtabai from Kuwait, it is the comprehensive destination for organizing weddings, where the bride and groom can book all their wedding needs directly from certified providers in one place.
LumenPro
Founded by Hussein Alsaffar from Kuwait, it is a platform that gathers the strongest AI tools in one place, providing a hub for creativity where ideas can be transformed into images within seconds, and seamlessly designed for creators and companies and visionaries in the Middle East, North Africa, and beyond.
Playbook
Founded by Hanan Al Kulaib and Basma Al Humaidi from Kuwait, it is a digital platform that makes it easy for parents to discover and book children's parties, helping suppliers manage their businesses and streamline their operations efficiently.
Provis Management Consulting
Founded by Nasser Alhalili and Fatema Booarki from Kuwait, it is a human resources company that helps local companies and startups build strong, effective teams, and manages the Searly platform specialized in attracting and hiring talents in the culinary sector and kitchens around the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.
Tenmeya
Founded by Eid Al Mejebel from Kuwait, it is the first Arabic platform enabling content creators to monetize their work by uploading digital content, selling it, and delivering products in one place, without any technical complications.
theQA
Founded by Ahmad Ibrahim from Kuwait, it is the first research platform in Kuwait that connects brands with trusted local participants to gather quick and high-quality insights, helping companies make smarter, data-backed decisions.
Alefredo Exams
Founded by Ahmed Fareed Al Saif, it is an educational platform that provides school and university students with an interactive assessment tool with explanations highlighting their weaknesses and recommending supportive materials to strengthen them.
FortyGuard
Founded by Jay Sadiq from the United Arab Emirates, it offers artificial intelligence for temperature measurement with an accuracy up to 2 meters, and is 115 times more accurate compared to traditional models, serving various applications in the logistics, real estate, energy, and smart cities sectors, with readiness for global expansion as a gateway for temperature intelligence.
Wajba
Founded by Ghassan Asfahani from Bahrain, it is a digital platform that helps food and beverage companies sell surplus food at discounted prices, reducing waste, making meals accessible to consumers, helping businesses recover lost revenues, and contributing to environmental sustainability.
WePay
Founded by Maha Al Rasees from Saudi Arabia, it is an innovative fintech company redefining transaction security through a guarantee-based payment platform, providing secure and transparent payment solutions for individual buyers and sellers.
Andalusi
Founded by Hussam Amer from Iraq, it offers educational technologies enhancing learning through apps, digital classrooms, creative tools, and training simulations.
Jaamila
Founded by Khaled Al Saadi from Iraq, it is an online platform connecting buyers and sellers to enable digital trade, manage inventory, and simplify supply chains.
Saleem
Founded by Taha Ayyad from Iraq, it is a platform for innovations in digital healthcare such as telemedicine, home care applications, medical devices, and other solutions enhancing patient access to health services and improving their delivery.
