Kuwait City — The regional edition of Zain Great Idea (ZGI), the telecom group’s flagship tech startup accelerator, has officially kicked off with a series of intensive bootcamps across Zain markets. The program marks a new milestone as it expands beyond Kuwait to include founders from Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, offering startups access to mentorship, funding, and global exposure.
The opening phase featured orientation sessions and training bootcamps connecting entrepreneurs with Zain executives, venture partners, and global experts. The goal: to help participants refine their business models, accelerate growth, and prepare for regional and international scaling.
In Kuwait, the orientation was held at Zain’s Shuwaikh headquarters, where executives from ZainTECH and Zain Ventures met with founders and outlined the program roadmap. Participants also engaged with regional mentors, including Abdulaziz Al-Dhubaib (Nizek Tech), Saud Al-Subaie (Cuadro Business Consulting), Omar Al-Othman and Fahad Al-Ibrahim (Prismic Media), who shared practical guidance on startup growth and market readiness.
The bootcamps featured hands-on mentoring sessions covering product design, go-to-market strategy, finance, and operations. International facilitators included Prof. Paris de L’Etraz (IE Venture Lab, Spain), Paul Marca (Parallax Global Advisors and former Stanford executive), and Gaelle Abou Abdo (Ivy & Company, former Nestlé ME innovation head).
Entrepreneurs also received specialized training from Norhan Al Dhann (Noor Coaching), who has advised over 450 startups globally, focusing on investment readiness and financial planning.
Supported by Zain Ventures and ZainTECH, the 2025 regional edition aims to identify and invest in high-potential startups while preparing selected teams for the Silicon Valley phase of the program. The initiative underscores Zain’s mission to empower digital entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems across the Middle East.
