TiE Dubai, the regional chapter of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE), a global network fostering entrepreneurship, unveils the 7th edition of the TiE Women MENA Program 2026, one of the region’s largest structured platforms dedicated to supporting, mentoring, and scaling up women-led startups across the MENA region. Applications are open until 25 June 2026 for women founders or co-founders holding at least 33% equity in their businesses, with companies licensed on or after 1 January 2019.

In April 2026, MENA startup funding reached $150 million across 27 deals, reflecting renewed investor confidence across the ecosystem. The TiE Women MENA Program 2026 is set to contribute further to this momentum by empowering women founders across the region.
The program will deliver end-to-end support for select founders through structured mentorship, investor connections, pitch training, visibility opportunities, networking with regional and global stakeholders, as well as funding opportunities including equity-free prize money, and entry into a long-term entrepreneurial community that continues beyond the competition cycle.

As a mission-driven initiative, the program is supported by a wide network of ecosystem partners, including various accelerators, incubators, VC funds, angel investors, corporates, and entrepreneurship platforms, working together to provide women founders mentorship and support. This year’s program is powered by official partner Nokia, and longtime partners TECOM, Dubai Internet City and the in5 Innovation Centers.

In anticipation of the program, the June month will feature several events, including an AMA with TiE Women Alumni on June 14, a dedicated webinar to get all queries answered related to this year’s program, and the TiE Women MENA Open Pitch Night on June 21, at Cafe Rider, Al Quoz, Dubai, a space for women founders to pitch their startups, get real feedback, and connect with investors, mentors, and fellow founders.

Carlina Marani and Shameema Parveen, Co-Chairs of TiE Women MENA commented, “Having co-led the 2025 edition, we have seen firsthand how this program brings incredible energy, enthusiasm, and a positive boost to female entrepreneurs across the region. Since the launch of TiE Women in 2020, the women founders we met through the program never stopped building, whether through the global pandemic, or through current geopolitical turbulence. Women founders are defined by not just resilience, but the ability to make decisions under pressure, adapt quickly, and maintain long-term vision when the environment around them is anything but certain. We have witnessed many participants grow beyond the program and establish themselves as successful entrepreneurs within the MENA ecosystem. We are also seeing bold ideas emerge from women who are determined to make a meaningful impact through their ventures. The program’s reach across multiple countries in MENA creates significant value for both the candidates and the wider entrepreneurial landscape by encouraging collaboration, knowledge exchange, and regional connections. We look forward to this year’s edition.”

From a large regional pool, the program will shortlist approximately 45 to 50 participants, who will compete across five tracks representing the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Emirati founders and wider Middle East. Each track will name two runners up and one winner. The five winners will compete at the MENA finals. Winners will receive equity-free prize money, along with structured mentorship and preparation support for the next stage of competition.

Building on the program’s strong legacy, the MENA Winners have been supported with AED 100K in equity‑free prize money in recent years, contributing to a total of AED 380K awarded over the past four years. All track winners will also gain exposure at Expand North Star at GITEX Global in Dubai, providing direct access to investors, corporates, and global ecosystem leaders.

The program will progress through regional virtual finals in September, followed by MENA-level finals in December at GITEX 2026, positioning finalists on an international stage alongside leading women entrepreneurs from around the world.

Danial Mausoof, SVP, Regional Leader Mobile Infrastructure at Nokia said, “At Nokia, inclusion is at the core of how we innovate and create value. The data is clear: closing the gender gap in entrepreneurship and the workforce isn’t just a diversity metric, it is a massive economic driver. Economic research indicates that advancing women’s equal participation in the MENA region could increase GDP per capita by over 30% in the coming decades. By partnering with TiE Women MENA, we are actively investing in this underutilized economic engine. Empowering female founders with capital, global networks, and mentorship ensures that the technology and businesses of tomorrow are being built by diverse teams who truly reflect the communities they serve. We are proud to back a platform that directly accelerates both gender equity and regional economic resilience.”

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. In the MENA region, the program has supported more than 1,000 women-led businesses, curated over 350 pitches, and delivered one-to-one mentorship and coaching to more than 35 founders, alongside equity-free funding opportunities that help early-stage ventures move towards scale and investment readiness.

TiE Women MENA Program 2026 continues to show its commitment to advancing women-led entrepreneurship as a key driver of innovation and economic diversification. To apply, go here: https://dubai.tie.org/tie-women/