Fintech platform Tanami took first place and Sirati placed second at the 19th StartUp Bahrain Pitch on September 23, 2025, an edition supported by the Labour Fund Tamkeen in collaboration with the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, the Bahrain Economic Development Board, and the Bahrain Development Bank, as reported by the Bahrain News Agency and echoed by the Gulf Daily News.

The cohort cut across sectors. Sirati is a job-matching platform that connects job seekers and employers through AI filters to reduce time-to-hire, a model reflected on its Talent Finder. Thoubify tailors traditional men’s attire via a digital marketplace with AI-powered measurements on its app and site. Lamma enables entrepreneurs to create online stores using AI tools described on lamma.ai. Tanami widens access to private markets with alternative investments focused on transparency and goal-based tools, outlined on its platform. XSEEN offers an AI-powered ERP that integrates accounting, inventory, POS, and sales, with product details on seenerp.com. These profiles align with event materials and the BNA roundup of participating startups in the results brief.

The judging panel featured regional operators and investors with venture and company-building track records. The panel included Samantha Evans, Managing Director, MENA at Startup Genome, Laith Al Khalili, Associate Director at Mumtalakat, Sara Anan, Investment Advisor at Blossom Accelerator, and Abdulrahman AlJiffry, Partner at 500 Global, as listed in the BNA report.

Winners highlighted the platform’s value for founders. Dr. Nawaf Al Maskati, Co-Founder of Tanami, said he was “honored to have secured first place in the Startup Pitch Bahrain rounds,” calling it “a high-potential platform that supports innovation and entrepreneurial projects,” as quoted by BNA and reproduced in the Daily Tribune ePaper. Yousif Sabba, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Sirati, thanked the organizing and supporting entities and described the experience as “valuable and thought-provoking,” also carried by BNA and the Daily Tribune ePaper.

The competition aligns with Tamkeen’s 2025 priorities around upskilling Bahrainis, enabling private-sector career growth, and supporting enterprise digital transformation and sustainability, themes reiterated across Tamkeen’s 2025 updates and reflected in the BNA coverage. For Bahrain’s ecosystem, the immediate value sits in sector-specific pilots, investor introductions, and hiring pathways that convert pitch-stage progress into customers and jobs.

Next step for founders: review hiring and growth support through Tamkeen’s National Employment Program and Wage Increment Program, check sector setup guidance at the Bahrain Economic Development Board, and monitor the BNA business desk for the next StartUp Bahrain Pitch cycle announcements.