For the primary time in this system’s 15-year historical past, the 2025 version will welcome functions from innovators in Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and UAE, providing unprecedented entry to mentorship, capital, and international publicity together with a visit to Silicon Valley for a two-week intensive program.
Zain Group broadcasts the regional growth of its award-winning startup accelerator program, Zain Nice Thought (ZGI 2025), powered by Zain Ventures, the Group’s enterprise capital arm, and ZainTECH, its regional digital options enterprise arm.
For the primary time in this system’s 15-year historical past, the 2025 version will welcome functions from innovators in Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and UAE, providing unprecedented entry to mentorship, capital, and international publicity together with a visit to Silicon Valley for a two-week intensive program.
Zain Ventures is a key driver of ZGI’s regional growth, aiming to spend money on and capitalize prime alternatives, whereas ZainTECH will cooperate with the ZGI workforce all through the accelerator program, working carefully with and offering the startups chosen to go to Silicon Valley strategic advisory and determine applied sciences corresponding to Cloud, Ai, Analytics, Robotics and different rising applied sciences that can additional assist their progress all year long.
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This milestone marks a transformative leap from ZGI’s Kuwait-centric roots to a Group-wide initiative, reinforcing Zain’s dedication to nurturing innovation and entrepreneurship throughout the area.
A legacy of empowering entrepreneurs
Since 2010, ZGI has empowered over 7,000 entrepreneurs, facilitated 110+ bootcamps, that led to over USD 135 million funds raised from regional traders over the past 5 years alone. The ZGI 2025 program enhances Zain’s ‘4WARD – Progress with Purpose’ technique, which emphasizes significant innovation, inclusive progress, collaboration, and AI powered digital transformation with actual societal influence. By backing the regional startup ecosystem, Zain reinforces its dedication to constructing a future the place progress is fueled by objective, and innovation is pushed from the area for the area.
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“Zain Great Idea has become a beacon of innovation in Kuwait and beyond. Expanding ZGI across our footprint is a natural evolution of our commitment to nurturing regional talent and driving meaningful change. Through the collaborative efforts of ZGI, Zain Ventures and ZainTECH, we aim to support startups that have the potential to have a marked and lasting impact on technological innovation and job creation across the region, fulfilling our purpose of uplifting economies and societies”
– Bader Al-Kharafi, Vice-Chairman and Group CEO, Zain
Phases of ZGI 2025
The six phases of the ZGI Accelerator cowl the next:
Aspiring entrepreneurs can now register for ZGI 2025 at zaingreatidea.com . This system is open to any startup based mostly in Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and UAE with an bold concept, mission in its early phases, or startup working out there. Sectors of curiosity embody fintech, e-commerce, AI, digital options, edtech, and extra. The deadline for functions is September 20, 2025.
Present process a sequence of workshops, mentorship classes, teaching, and intense pitch coaching to enhance their abilities and create market alternatives as a part of this system’s bootcamp.
Contributors pitch their startups to a panel of judges throughout Tremendous Saturday for an opportunity to advance to the Worldwide Accelerator, with the potential for funding alternatives.
A particular shortlist of as much as 15 startups might be flown to Silicon Valley to participate in an intensive two-week worldwide accelerator program, receiving knowledgeable steering from mentors, trade moguls, and company leaders by way of workshops, occasions, and one-on-one mentoring.
After Silicon Valley, entrepreneurs profit from native and worldwide mentors who information them with precious insights, serving to them speed up and refine their enterprise methods. Technical assist might be powered by ZainTECH
On the ZGI Demo Day, entrepreneurs current their progress, progress, and regional growth plans to enterprise capitalists and potential traders, together with Zain Ventures, aiming for funding and partnerships.
Partnership alternatives will even be explored by Zain working market’s technical, enterprise, and business departments
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ZGI -‘Ecosystem Enabler of the Year’ award
In recent times, ZGI was acknowledged with the E-Enterprise Award because the ‘Ecosystem Enabler of the Year’ from the distinguished Entrepreneur Center East journal, acknowledging the Zain’s ever-growing endeavors in accelerating the regional tech startups ecosystem and empowering entrepreneurs in Kuwait and the area.
Zain Ventures key function in ZGI
ZGI 2025 is delivered in strategic cooperation with Zain Ventures, an entity established in 2021 to enhance Zain’s present funding portfolio and open the door to future funding alternatives in enterprise capital, fintech, digital companies, and e-commerce. The entity focuses on improvements within the fast-growing digital companies and startup ecosystem. Chosen ZGI individuals could have the chance to pitch on to Zain Ventures and entry Zain’s huge geographical and accomplice footprint, and progressive buyer base.
ZainTECH powering ZGI 2025
An integral a part of ZGI 2025 in supporting the startups on a number of ranges, ZainTECH is a regional built-in digital options supplier, unifying Zain Group’s ICT property to supply a singular worth proposition of complete digital options and companies underneath one roof. The corporate is positioned to drive the transformation of enterprise and authorities clients within the MENA area by offering a middle of excellence and managed options throughout the ICT stack, together with cloud, cybersecurity, huge information, IoT, AI, good cities, drones and robotics, and rising applied sciences.
ZainTECH leverages Zain’s international attain, distinctive regional footprint, and infrastructure throughout its operations in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, Iraq, and the United Arab Emirates. ZainTECH kinds a key pillar within the evolution of Zain’s core telecom enterprise to maximise worth and construct on the corporate’s many strengths to selectively create and spend money on progress verticals past normal cellular companies. This helps Zain’s imaginative and prescient of turning into a number one ICT and digital way of life supplier.
15 years of supporting the regional entrepreneurial ecosystem
Other than ZGI’s institution in 2010 and success up to now, ZGI 2025 regional growth additionally builds on Zain’s historic involvement within the regional startup ecosystem, together with its strategic partnership with the MIT Enterprise Discussion board Pan Arab Startup Competitors from 2015 which skilled over 2,480 entrepreneurs and helped launch 450 startups throughout MENA.
For extra particulars, eligibility standards, and to use to take part within the 2025 version of ZGI, go to zaingreatidea.com . Functions are open till September 20.
