KUWAIT: Zain, the leading digital service provider in Kuwait, announced the qualification of 26 tech startups to the pre-final phase of its sixth Zain Great Idea (ZGI) tech startup accelerator program. During this stage, the finalists from 8 GCC and Arab nations will take part in the ZGI Demo Day virtual event, where they are set to present their tech startups to investors and business partners for potential investment opportunities.

From a total of nearly 160 participating startups, 26 finalists qualified to the pre-final phase: TDALAL, DHANA, Amaakin, Punch, BNCHR+, and SNATCHR from Kuwait, Hayi, Shala, Bazaara, Sweech, Askwho, SCARLT, and Connected Community from the United Arab Emirates, Tamarran and Crowed Powered from Lebanon and Bahrain, Paw Arabia from Bahrain, Trenjh, Ketabilik, Rehla, and Breez from Saudi Arabia, Tanfees and Loy Club from Oman, OOSTOORA and Branper from Tunisia, and Qurba and Fulltact from Egypt.

Zain recently concluded the program's second stage; the ZGI bootcamp, which was held in a virtual format for four weeks. The bootcamp featured workshops, training sessions, panel discussions, and more, facilitated by world-class experts, academics, and trainers from top international educational institutions such as IE Business School, MIT, Stanford, and more. In addition, one-to-one sessions with top experts in various fields were offered for every finalist.

All of Zain Great Idea's phases came this year in an all-virtual format to abide by health guidelines imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The 26 finalists will now move forward to the pre-final phase, ZGI Demo Day, where they will present their tech startups to representatives from the investment community and business partners for a chance to get promising investment opportunities that will push their startups forward towards growth and profitability.

After ZGI Demo Day, the 26 finalists will advance to the Zain Co-development and services phase, where they will have the opportunity to benefit from Zain's leading experiences in areas that are essential to any startup, including marketing, advertising, customer care, public relations, digital partnerships, business/consultancy/legal services, and much more.

This year, Zain received many submissions from local and regional talents to take part in Zain Great Idea 6. Many submissions were accepted, from both those who own startups that have just begun their journey and those in the process of establishing them. Accepted applications particularly centered around startups working in areas related to tech, digital transformation, and innovation.

ZGI offers a refreshed opportunity for local talents and Kuwait's entrepreneurial community, as it has been one of the most successful initiatives Zain presented to the Kuwaiti market as part of its comprehensive innovation and entrepreneurship strategy. Throughout 10 successful years, ZGI empowered, trained, and invested in hundreds of creative and driven Kuwaiti youth, of which many now own thriving and active Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) to this day in local and regional markets.

Zain's program comes in joint collaboration with Brilliant Lab, a startup Accelerator Service from Kuwait, and Mind the Bridge, a global organization based in Silicon Valley that bridges the world through entrepreneurship education for startups, enterprises, and investors to succeed in global markets. Zain is well aware of the crucial role played by private sector organizations in supporting social and economic sustainability projects.

Springing from its growing commitment towards practicing its social responsibility, the company is committed to printing a positive impact through all its activities. This has led Zain to embrace the most influential issues in the community, including the support of youth, entrepreneurship, and innovation.