Press Release.
The Build for Bahrain Acceleration Program, held in partnership with Bahrain FinTech Bay and the U.S. State Department’s MEPI, has successfully concluded with the three winning teams completing the acceleration program and 3-month incubation period at Bahrain FinTech Bay (BFB).
The program received over 150 applications, 10 out of which were shortlisted to progress to the 6-week acceleration program, where they were exposed to a diverse network of thought leaders and mentors who guided them with the resources to grow their solutions further.
The top three teams, TullabApp, The Nourishers, and Women Who Read, were selected as winners during the demo day held earlier this year, with each receiving prize money and 3-months incubation at Bahrain FinTech Bay.
Co-Founder & CMO of Women Who Read, Shreya Rammohan commented on her experience, “Build for Bahrain enabled us to learn from experts and the ecosystem of startups within the program. We were able to demystify the process of pitching and raising funds whilst also re-strategizing the right business model for us.
Winning re-affirmed confidence in our approach, and we’ve been motivated to launch the free-access community to pique interest. We have been able to scale to 400 official members on our mailing lists, circulated pre-prototype surveys, interviewed an NYT Bestselling Author, built custom proposals for three entities in Bahrain & KSA, established a bookstore partnership in Bahrain, tested a brand partnership campaign, grown our social audience by 1.2K organically and onboarded trainees to support!”
“We are presently engaged in refining our MVP with a revised approach based on market feedback to develop an inclusive digital platform under Women Who Read that accommodates multiple book club categories with co-host partnerships that can be subscribed to.” She added.
Women Who Read is a digital book club application that encourages women to read together as a community of reading ambassadors with access to masterclass workshops and a fun customized reading experience.
Azzam Quradhi, Co-Founder, Tullab App, reflected on their journey, “We are exceptionally pleased to have been a part of this program. The fund we attained has facilitated us to kick-start and launch our app. The incubation program has further increased our knowledge, which allowed us to gain access to various new skills and opportunities.
Meeting other startups was one of the most beneficial aspects of this program. We developed relationships with like-minded individuals who provide so much insight as well. The program’s mentors facilitated us to better shape our vision through several workshops; their consistent provision and belief in our idea gave us the additional enhancement to go into the future with our startup.
He added, “Since the completion of the build for Bahrain acceleration program, we have proudly finalized with officially registering the company and connecting with key stakeholders, including the University of Bahrain, for future collaboration opportunities. We are now fully confident to take this to the next level.”
TullabApp is a cloud-based application with a multilingual user interface that is tailored to student’s needs. It empowers students through a secure digital community that allows them to manage their study life, communicate with peers, and share their skills with others.
Founder & CEO Hamad Al Saad said, “Bahrain FinTech Bay is a dynamic center that nurtures startups to provide them all the resources and guidance needed to excel. This program played a vital role in opening up opportunities and aiding in the growth of our business.”
The Nourishers is a holistic directory of lifestyle and wellbeing experts ready to support users in their journey. It also provides coaches with a comprehensive management system and helps in promoting them and their services.
The Build for Bahrain Acceleration Program, in partnership with Bahrain FinTech Bay (BFB) and the U.S. State Department’s Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), was launched to nurture startups that offer tech-powered solutions to current challenges.
The Build for Bahrain program is one of many acceleration programs introduced by Bahrain FinTech Bay’s initiative, Innovate for Bahrain, launched in 2020.
The initiative aims to support the Kingdom in critical areas such as business continuity, community, and healthcare, focusing on community-driven innovation by launching a series of acceleration programs and virtual challenges. To date, Innovate for Bahrain welcomed over 500 startup applications and provided over $111,000 in funding to the winning teams.