Standard Chartered Foundation and Bahrain FinTech Bay announce winners of the seventh women in tech accelerator cohort in Bahrain

Standard Chartered Foundation, in partnership with Bahrain FinTech Bay and Village Capital and with support from UNIDO and Innovate for Bahrain, has crowned the winners of the seventh Women in Tech Bahrain accelerator, awarding three women‑led start‑ups equity‑free grant funding totalling USD 75,000 and three months of incubation support following Demo Day in Manama. The programme supported 13 women entrepreneurs with tailored investment‑readiness support, mentorship and business model strengthening ahead of the final pitches.

“Women entrepreneurs are an important force for innovation, job creation and sustainable economic growth,” said Shaikha Tareef, Acting Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Bahrain. “Through the Women in Tech accelerator programme, we are not only backing promising businesses; we are helping founders develop the investment readiness, strategic networks and leadership capabilities required to scale with confidence. The achievements of the seven cohorts demonstrate the strength of Bahrain’s entrepreneurial talent and the value of sustained collaboration across the public and private sectors. We are proud to support these founders as they build resilient businesses and contribute to Bahrain’s digital and diversified economy.”

The top three finishers, who will share equity‑free grants and enter a three‑month incubation phase, are:

• First prize, USD 35,000: Vivid Algorithms, founded by Marwa Hesham
• Second prize, USD 25,000: Maraj, founded by Latifa Al Khayat
• Third prize, USD 15,000: Jaras, founded by Walaa Aloraibi

“This cohort reflects how far Bahrain’s tech entrepreneurship scene has come,” remarked Bader Sater, Chief Executive Officer of Bahrain FinTech Bay, under which Innovate for Bahrain operates. “Seven cohorts in, we have watched founders move from early ideas to start‑ups with real customers, real revenue, and growing teams. That progress comes from the mentorship, funding, and network opportunities this accelerator provides. Congratulations to this year’s winners and to every founder who took part. We look forward to continuing this work with the Standard Chartered Foundation and our partners in Bahrain.”

Founders presented to a judging panel that included Ms Shaikha Tareef; Ms Suzy Al Zeerah, Chief Operating Officer, Bahrain FinTech Bay; Mr Khalid AlBayat, Deputy Chief Executive of Programme Design and Delivery, Tamkeen; Ms Aseya Galadari, Head of Audit, Bahrain and Iraq, and Audit Director GSF IA Grp Audit Intl Markets, Standard Chartered; and Mr Ameer Abu Bakr, National Investment Promotion Expert, UNIDO ITPO Bahrain.

The Women in Tech accelerator focuses on women building technology‑enabled businesses that address market and community needs. Participants receive investment‑readiness coaching, catalytic grant funding and expert mentorship intended to strengthen competitive advantage, scalability and funding strategies. The Bahrain programme forms part of Standard Chartered Foundation’s global Women in Tech initiative, which, since launch, has supported more than 60 women‑led and women‑co‑founded start‑ups in Bahrain and awarded over USD 380,000 in grant funding.

Village Capital, which partners on the initiative, is noted in programme materials as a global leader in impact investing and early‑stage support; since 2009 it has supported more than 2,100 impact start‑ups across 70 countries. The recent cohort’s outcomes — tangible grant awards plus a defined incubation period — aim to translate Demo Day visibility into concrete next steps for scaling, customer acquisition and future fundraising for the winning founders.

Outlook

Winners Vivid Algorithms, Maraj and Jaras now enter a three‑month incubation period designed to accelerate commercial traction and investor readiness. With continued backing from Standard Chartered Foundation, Bahrain FinTech Bay, Village Capital and partners including UNIDO and Tamkeen, organisers say the programme will keep prioritising measurable growth for women‑led start‑ups and follow‑on support to convert grant momentum into sustainable businesses.