Standard Chartered, in partnership with Bahrain FinTech Bay, has announced the selection of ten promising female-led startups for the sixth cohort of the Futuremakers Women in Tech Bahrain programme. This initiative is part of Standard Chartered’s global Futuremakers Women in Tech Initiative and is supported by strategic partners including Tamkeen, the Supreme Council for Women (SCW), United Nations Industrial Development Organization Investment and Technology Promotion Office (UNIDO ITPO Bahrain), and Innovate for Bahrain.
The programme aims to empower Bahraini women entrepreneurs by equipping them with tools, networks, and knowledge to accelerate their ventures and foster a more inclusive tech ecosystem. Following a competitive application and evaluation process, the selected founders were chosen based on the strength of their ideas, potential market traction, and alignment with innovation and technology goals.
The selection event took place at Innovate for Bahrain with attendance from key figures such as Afnan Al Zayani, Member of the Supreme Council for Women; Bader Sater, CEO of Bahrain FinTech Bay; Noora Al Nusuf, Head of Corporate Affairs and Brand & Marketing for Standard Chartered in Bahrain, Iraq, and Qatar; Faisal Alahmed from Tamkeen; and Ameer Hassan Abubakr of UNIDO ITPO Bahrain.
The ten startups represent diverse sectors including agritech, information technology, e-learning, fintech, marketing automation, healthtech, real estate, retail technology, and food & beverage marketplaces. The selected startups are:
- Tamam Technology (Information Technology)
- Engine (FinTech)
- TellSaleem (HealthTech)
- Wajba (Marketplace, Food & Beverage)
- Nabni (Architecture, Real Estate, Industrial Engineering)
- AGRI AI (AgriTech)
- Voxa (Remote Education, Learning, Training)
- Sadeed Technology (Retail Technology, SaaS)
- Goodies (Food & Beverage Marketplace)
- Planway (Event Management)
Over the next eight weeks, participants will embark on a curated acceleration journey involving expert-led workshops, one-on-one mentorship, and pitch development. The programme will also facilitate connections with ecosystem leaders and alumni to build a robust network of support. The cohort will culminate in a Demo Day where startups pitch to a judging panel. Three winners will receive financial awards and three months’ access to a co-working space.
