TiE Dubai Opens Women-Focused Startup Program : TechMoran

TiE Dubai opens applications for seventh TiE Women MENA cohort, closing June 25

TiE Dubai has opened applications for the 2026 edition of its TiE Women MENA Program, the seventh run of the women-focused initiative that supports early- to growth-stage startups across the Middle East and North Africa. Applications close on June 25 and are open to women founders or co-founders who hold at least a 33% stake in ventures founded from January 2019 onwards. The move comes as investment activity in the region shows signs of recovery, with startups across MENA raising about $150 million in April across 27 deals.

“Women founders continue to demonstrate resilience and the ability to adapt in uncertain environments,” said Carlina Marani and Shameema Parveen, co-chairs of TiE Women MENA.

The programme expects to shortlist roughly 45 to 50 startups for 2026, which will be organised into five competitive tracks covering the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Emirati founders and the wider Middle East. Winners from each track will advance to a regional final scheduled to take place virtually in September, with MENA-level finals planned for December during GITEX 2026 — offering top founders exposure to global investors and industry leaders at one of the region’s largest technology events.

• Eligibility: women founders/co-founders with ≥33% equity; ventures established on or after January 2019.
• Programme offerings: mentorship, investor access, pitch training, networking and equity-free prize funding.
• Timeline: applications close June 25; regional virtual finals in September; MENA finals at GITEX in December 2026.

The programme is supported by Nokia as the official partner, alongside long-term collaborators TECOM, Dubai Internet City and in5 Innovation Centers. Nokia positioned its involvement within an economic argument for inclusion, citing research that expanding women’s participation in entrepreneurship and the workforce could increase GDP per capita in the MENA region by more than 30% over time.

Since its global launch, TiE Women has received more than 11,000 applications and supported over 500 startups; within the MENA region the initiative has engaged with more than 1,000 women-led businesses. The scale and longevity of the programme underline continued corporate and institutional interest in supporting gender-diverse entrepreneurship even as funding markets begin to show recovery.

The TiE Women MENA Program explicitly targets startups at early and growth stages, reflecting an effort to bridge the funding and mentorship gap that many female founders face. The equity-free prize funding and investor access components are designed to accelerate scaling while preserving founders’ ownership — a point organisers say is particularly important in markets where capital is often scarce or conservatively allocated.

Organisers say the five-track structure aims to surface market-specific opportunities and challenges across the region, while a unified regional final and a high-profile MENA showcase at GITEX create a pathway for selected startups to reach international investors and partners. With regional investment activity recovering — evidenced by the $150 million raised in April — the programme’s timing is intended to give women-led startups a stronger chance to capitalise on renewed investor interest.