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Register now

8 May 18:00-19:30 GMT+4

Photo byDarcey BeauonUnsplash

Join us for a virtual pitching

Did you know that all-women founding teams raised just 3% of all dollars invested in 2023? And in the Middle East, the numbers are as low as 0.47%.

The numbers speak for themselves - and we want to change this! 

Please join us for an exciting virtual pitching session where female founders will present their companies to a panel of experienced investors and receive feedback.

We will be showcasing some of the most innovative and inspiring companies from the Middle East and North Africa region. Whether you are a startup founder looking for advice or investment opportunities, an investor seeking to support women-led businesses, or simply interested in hearing from some of the brightest minds in the region, this event is not to be missed.

Don't miss this opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals, learn about the latest trends in entrepreneurship, and support female founders in the MENA region. Register now to secure your spot at the MENA Female Founders Pitching Session.

Jury Participation

Elsa Hyland

Angel Investor, ex-VC, Startup Advisor & Mentor

Nadeen Issa

Founder, Growth Investor, and Mentor

Noura Al Kaabi

Investor, Mubadala Ambassador and member of the Mubadala Women's Community

Reenita Das

Transformational Health Partner, Senior Vice President at Frost & Sullivan

Priyanka Vijayan

Director of SEED Ventures at The Private Office of Sheikh Saeed Bin Ahmed Al Maktoum

AbdulBasit Qayed

Senior Principal - Capital Formation & Investments, Dubai Future District Fund

Startups

Marianna Simonian
Founder & CEO, VARD

Vard is a cutting-edge collaborative workspace that empowers data teams to enhance decision-making, streamline data logistics, and excel in modern skilled analytics. With support for Python, SQL, and R, Vard offers an AI tool for continuous learning. Marianna brings over a decade of experience in startups and entrepreneurship to the table. As a passionate advocate for women in tech, she serves as the Director at Women in Big Data Dubai and has authored the book 'Female Career Tao'.

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Sheena Pirbhai
Founder & CEO, Stress Point Health

Stress Point Health is a digital platform building the next generation of mental health tech solutions with a focus on long term brain health. They have built the world’s first software solution targeting emotional mental health through digitised Neurofeedback using specifically designed sound frequencies. Their first product is SPHERE tackles stress, anxiety and PTSD.

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Khadija ElBedweihy
Founder & CEO, PraxiLabs

Incorporated in the Netherlands, PraxiLabs offers educational institutions an innovative 3D interactive virtual lab platform for biology, chemistry, and physics labs. They aim to provide equal access to enhanced STEM education globally. With over one million students benefiting in 15 countries, last year's revenues exceeded $600k. PraxiLabs reinvests revenues to grow and compete successfully with Labster, a main competitor that raised over $140m.

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Alexandra Draycott
Founder & CEO, Ruya Genomics

RUYA Genomics is a pioneer of innovative practices and smart DNA based forensic solutions. We provide comprehensive forensic tools that deliver investigative value from DNA stains using next-generation sequencing, without the need for existing reference databases. Our mission is to create equitable safety and security globally by accelerating case resolution.

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Marina Sol
Founder & CEO, Diagnio

At Diagnio we’re on a mission to help 300M women manage their hormonal & reproductive health with ease, from the comfort of their own homes. Combining the data from proprietary saliva-based biomarker test kits, self-assessment surveys and wearables, we use ML-algorithms to personalize test results and reco's in Diagnio App. Diagnio have been named as one of  Top 100 Future UAE companies by the Ministry of Economy, and target UAE & KSA today, and broader MENA and Asia tomorrow.

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