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TiE Women MENA crowns five regional winners ahead of GITEX Global final
Press release: TiE Dubai, the regional chapter of TiE Global has officially announced the five regional winners, who will compete at the seventh edition of the TiE Women MENA program 2026. Following a series of virtual regional finals held from September 8 to 17, five women founders emerged as track winners, one from each category. In the country tracks, Naglaa Mohamed, Co-Founder of P-Vita (Egypt), Lea Mehaweg, Co-Founder and CEO of Maison Safqa (Saudi Arabia), and Anuscha Iqbal, Co-Founder and CEO of Qanooni AI (UAE) took top honours. Rowan Alawi, CEO of Trase, won the Rest of MENA track, while Aisha Alyassi, Founder and Brand Director of SCULP, was named the Emirati track winner. This year drew 250+ licensed, women-founded businesses, up from almost 200 in 2025, with strong showings in AI and SaaS, AgriTech and FoodTech, HealthTech, sustainability and fashion. From this pool, 228 founders were shortlisted and 46 went on to pitch in the regional finals, where each track named one winner and two runners-up. Founders were assessed on their idea, go-to-market strategy, team strength, competitive advantage, product-market fit, financial objectives, and operational and technical viability. Each finalist was paired with dedicated mentors who worked closely with them to get pitch- and market-ready, helping them sharpen and scale their businesses ahead of the regional finals. At the regional finals, shortlisted founders pitched before juries drawn from venture capital, technology, banking, media and innovation. The Egypt panel featured Angeliki Karayianni of Nokia, Dina El-Shenoufy of F6 Ventures and Haifa A, formerly of Riyad Bank; Saudi Arabia brought together Abdulrahman AlJiffry of 500 Global, Dalia Nabil of Nokia and former Google and Microsoft leader Roberto Croci. The Rest of the Middle East jury included Dalia Amin of Nokia, Dr. Islam Shdaifat of JoVision and Nesma Abdel Azim of Wamda, while the UAE panel comprised Aamer Sheikh of Homegrown Ventures, Jacopo Carlo Canale of Global Ventures and May El-Rafie of Nokia. The Emirati track was judged by Lucy Chow of Pact Ventures, Saeed Alnofeli of in5 Innovation Centers and Sönke Peters of Nokia. At Expand North Star in GITEX Global 2026, the winners will receive a dedicated pod to showcase their businesses, gaining direct access to investors and other key stakeholders. The five founders will now compete for the MENA title at the finals in December at GITEX Global 2026. Beyond the winners' circle, the 2026 cohort tells a clear story of founders building for the region's most pressing challenges. AI ran through almost every track, powering solutions in legal services, construction, livestock health, prenatal care and community platforms, while sustainability shaped ventures turning farm waste into fertilizer, discarded yarn into premium textiles and smart sensors into water savings of 30-45% in a water-scarce region. Equally striking was the number of founders designing products specifically for women, from safe mobility to mental wellbeing and maternal health. The program is run by TiE Dubai and powered by official partner Nokia, alongside longtime partners TECOM, Dubai Internet City and the in5 Innovation Centers. It is further supported by a wide network of ecosystem partners that continue to strengthen the region's entrepreneurial network. 5 mentors, the majority TiE Charter Members, will continue supporting the cohort beyond the finals. Carlina Marani and Shameema Parveen, Co-Chairs of TiE Women MENA 2026, commented, “The quality of the candidates and their pitch decks was exceptionally high this year, and what stood out was the diversity of sectors represented. We saw everything from Emirati food products and AI-powered solutions for water conservation and fetal health to second-hand and sustainability-focused businesses. Across the program, there was a clear sense that these women are building businesses with the intention to create meaningful impact. Their enthusiasm was i…
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- women-founded
- regional winners
- in5 innovation centers
- dubai
- mentors
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