Womena selects 8 startups for its women in tech accelerator program
By Startup Mgzn
SOURCE: Startup Mgzn - Womena selects 8 startups for its women in tech accelerator program
Womena has selected eight startups to take part in Cycle 2 of its Womentum Accelerator, a four-month experience-based program focused on growing female-led tech startups in the Middle East and North Africa.
Womentum 2019, a women in tech accelerator by womena, in partnership with Standard Chartered, will take the startups to Berlin and Dubai for an immersive experience in these two vibrant hubs, with a remote mentorship period in between.
This year, womena has partnered with Standard Chartered as Womentum’s exclusive banking sponsor, bringing even more expertise and opportunities to the startups.
“After an incredible first cohort and such strong community support, Womentum is back this year to accelerate another batch of women-led startups in the Middle East,” says Elissa Freiha, womena founder and managing director.
“Our cohort represents every area of the MENA region, Tunisia and Egypt from North Africa, UAE from the Gulf and Lebanon from the Levant,” she adds.
Around 200 applications came in from across the MENA region, and the startups were shortlisted for several rounds of interviews until the final eight winners were selected.
“The Womentum selection this year speaks to the maturity of female-founded startups in the Middle East,” says Christina Andreassen, managing director of Womentum Accelerator. “All of these companies have phenomenal businesses from a large diversity of industries, ranging from construction tech to virtual goods and gaming,” she adds.
The top-performing startups will receive access to $160,000: up to $100,000 in direct investment from womena’s founder and $60,000 in prize money awarded by Standard Chartered.
“At Standard Chartered, we embrace and celebrate diversity, including gender diversity. In the world of tech, women are often under-represented and face many challenges that limit their ability to thrive,” says Rola Abu Manneh, CEO of Standard Chartered. “We are proud to launch the women in tech accelerator in collaboration with womena. Womentum aims to support, mentor and connect aspiring and established women-led startups in the region,” she adds.
The winners selected for the 2019 cohort are (quotes from founders can be found below):
- Maj Solution (Lebanon) is a customizable product management tool for construction projects that automates workflows using AI technology while collecting real-time data analytics.
- Fresh Source (Egypt) is disrupting the national horticulture agri-chain through innovative solutions that connect small-time farmers to the modern value chain, saving farmers money and preventing food loss.
- Chefaa (Egypt) is an AI-powered on-demand marketplace for pharmaceutical products, helping patients easily access medicine and scheduling delivery by uploading prescription or using the search engine.
- Luxury Promise (UAE) is a marketplace for pre-loved luxury goods delivered with speed and authenticity. AI visual recognition can identify and value products while human experts use anti-counterfeit technology.
- Pas-sport (Egypt) is a matchmaking platform that connects local and regional athletes with sports scholarships at universities globally. Athletes are smartly-matched with universities that can recruit directly.
- Dimension 14 (UAE) is an AI-powered tool for scheduling and automated decision making in organizations with complex systems, such as scheduling in universities or roster and fleet management.
- MakerBrane (Lebanon) is a peer-to-peer virtual makerspace where toy creators can design, build and trade digital toys using virtual building materials and play instructions that can be replicated in real life.
- Dabchy (Tunisia) is a pre-loved goods marketplace operating in Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco where the online community can buy and sell clothes, bags and accessories.
Are you looking to be featured in our news? Send us your press release HERE
Are you a startup looking for talent? Post and promote your jobs for free HERE
Source: startupmgzn.com