500 Startups and Misk Innovation jointly announced Wednesday that all 16 startups in the third batch of the Misk500 accelerator have now graduated the program.

As you may know, the 14-week long program is a collaboration between both entities for discovering and backing talented entrepreneurs across the Middle East and North Africa. The significance of this initiative is more now than ever given the disastrous impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing lockdown on the global economy and startup ecosystem.

For those uninitiated, the third batch of the Misk500 program includes a diverse group of B2b and B2C startups from across Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Collectively, the 16 startups represent various sectors including, but not limited to, health and fitness, recruiting, health-tech, and e-commerce.

They include:

• Bankiom (digital bank)

• Appgain.io (an online platform for mobile marketers)

• Bondai (online marketplace for travelers visiting Saudi)

• Circle (mobile app for real estate managers)

• Coveti (online platform for independent fashion designers)

• DigitaSport (SaaS platform for sports teams and leagues)

• Elcoach (health-tech startup)

• Johrh (online abaya store)

• MWJ (online marketplace for pre-owned luxury watches)

• Elva (health-tech platform)

• Tammwel (FinTech platform for securing personalized loans)

• Tasaira App (mobile that connects Saudi drivers to affordable repair shops)

• Wee (Saudi Arabia's first electric scooter sharing platform)

• Wuilt (DIY website builder for creating Arabic websites in under 5 minutes)

• Yovza (SaaS platform for construction companies)

With the successful completion of the third rendition of the program, 500 Startup has now more than 150 MENA-based investments to its name.

Sharif El-Badawi, Managing Partner, 500 Startups MENA, said: “I would like to congratulate our founders, their teams and our mentors for the smooth and seamless transition of the accelerator program to fully remote teaching. Despite the challenging times, the founders have gained valuable insights from the program.”