DUBAI: 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 infectious throughout the finals, both online and in person across the UAE and Emirati tracks.We are now looking forward to the GITEX finals and to seeing these companies continue to grow and make their mark across the region.”
Despite MENA startups raising USD 150 million across 27 deals in April 2026, the funding gap for female-founded startups remained stark, with just USD 2.5 million going to them in H1 2026, or 0.14% of the region’s USD 1.7 billion venture funding. TiE Dubai remains committed to closing the gap through practical support, mentorship, funding access, visibility and a clear path from pitch to market, backing women entrepreneurs with regional networking and community engagement initiatives that strengthen their growth and presence in the ecosystem.
In the MENA region, the program has supported more than 1,000 women-led businesses, curated 350+ pitches and awarded AED 380K in equity-free prize money over the past four years. Globally, TiE Women has become one of the largest pitch platforms for women entrepreneurs, receiving more than 11,000 applications across 62 countries and accelerating over 500 women-led startups.
Aisha Alyassi, Founder of SCULP, winner of the Emirati track of TiE Women MENA 2026, reflected, “Being named a TiE Women MENA Regional Winner is an incredibly meaningful milestone, especially as a founder building SCULP from the ground up. The experience has pushed me to think bigger, sharpen my vision, and connect with a community of women who genuinely believe in what we’re building and where it can go.”
Danial Mausoof, Vice President MI Segment, MEA at Nokia, said: “At Nokia, we believe that innovation thrives when diverse perspectives, bold ideas and entrepreneurial ambition come together. We are proud to partner with TiE Women MENA and support a platform that gives women founders across the region the visibility and mentorship they need to turn innovative ideas into businesses with real impact. The diversity and ambition we have seen throughout this year’s program are a strong reflection of the depth of entrepreneurial talent across MENA. We congratulate all five regional winners and look forward to seeing them taking their businesses to the next level and showcase the innovation emerging from the region on the global stage.”
Ahead, all five regional winners will continue one-to-one work with their assigned mentors to sharpen their pitch, go-to-market strategy and investor materials ahead of the MENA finals at GITEX Global 2026 in December. For more information, visit the official TiE Women website.
rafiq@biztoday.news
