Zain Bahrain has concluded the first phase of its flagship startup accelerator, Zain Great Idea (ZGI), after a two-week boot camp that ran from September 24 to October 9 at Zain Bahrain Tower. The 2025 cohort marks the program’s first Bahrain edition and prepares founders for a high-stakes Super Tuesday on October 14, when startups pitch to judges for a spot in the final stage and a two-week learning journey in Silicon Valley.

The boot camp mixed expert workshops, tech talks, and one-to-one mentorship to sharpen business models and investor readiness. Local coverage has spotlighted hands-on sessions around finance and fundraising delivered by ecosystem leaders from Impactique, Tamkeen, Spring Studios, BAC, Tenmou, and KFH, underscoring how ZGI is plugging founders into Bahrain’s talent bench. See the mentorship update in News of Bahrain published last week.

ZGI’s Bahrain launch followed the program’s regional expansion this year, adding the Kingdom alongside Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Industry outlets captured the start of phase one in late September, noting the boot camp timeline and Zain’s aim to nurture Bahraini entrepreneurs.

The Kingdom is leaning into global exposure moments for startups this month. The Labour Fund Tamkeen announced Bahrain’s pavilion at GITEX Global 2025 for October 13–17, creating fresh deal-flow windows for founders graduating from programs like ZGI. Meanwhile, the Bahrain Economic Development Board wrapped Fintech Forward 2025 on October 10 with new partnerships and investor attention, reinforcing momentum across capital, customers, and policy.

For founders, Super Tuesday is a useful yardstick. Strong pitches typically reveal crisp problem statements, believable distribution, and proof that early users choose the product without heavy discounts. For investors, the Bahrain leg of ZGI expands the regional pipeline with founders already battle-tested through workshops and coaching. For ecosystem teams, the program complements national priorities at Tamkeen and the Bahrain EDB, as the country continues to build repeatable pathways from training to market traction.

Follow ZGI updates this week and register early interest for future cohorts through the official ZGI site, then align outreach with GITEX meetings to test customer demand and partnerships while the region’s buyers are in one place.