Kuwait – January 13, 2026:
Zain Group announced the successful conclusion of the international tour of its regional Zain Great Idea (ZGI) program in Silicon Valley, following two weeks of meetings and sessions with several of the world’s leading global technology companies, involving 11 startups.
The Group explained that the current edition of its ZGI business acceleration program brought together influential leaders in technological innovation from six of its regional operating markets, with the aim of equipping participants with technical knowledge, strategic thinking skills, engagement with global experts, peer learning, building agile business structures, and focusing on anticipating challenges and opportunities.
Zain noted that ZGI has evolved in its latest edition into a regional accelerator, following the wide participation of Arab startups, transforming the program into a regional platform that creates opportunities and opens new growth horizons for entrepreneurs.
The Group highlighted that this expansion phase was driven by the advisory and technical support provided by Zain Ventures—the Group’s investment arm specializing in emerging technologies—and ZainTECH, the Group’s regional arm for ICT solutions, cloud services, and cybersecurity—mobilizing internal capabilities to accelerate AI-driven digital transformation.
Zain affirmed that since its initial launch in Kuwait, the program has delivered positive impact across startup ecosystems, emphasizing that the current edition has positioned ZGI as a digital bridge connecting local innovations in regional markets with global technology companies. Investing in creative talent and minds remains the core objective for advancing the knowledge economy.
This regional participation included entrepreneurs from 11 technology startups selected from Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, who joined a carefully designed program in Palo Alto, California, aimed at strengthening operational foundations, increasing investment readiness, and expanding global networks.
This phase builds on ZGI’s strong legacy in enabling entrepreneurs with access, mentorship, funding, and global exposure, reflecting Zain’s strategic role in building entrepreneurship ecosystems by opening pathways that help founders scale sustainable business models and explore new partnerships regionally and globally.
Over two weeks, participating startups engaged in a comprehensive program combining academic learning, exposure, and interaction across four tracks:
Intensive sessions
Structured training bootcamps to accelerate core startup capabilities
Field visits to major technology companies
Innovation hub engagements translating knowledge into practical application
The program also included panel discussions and dialogue sessions on emerging trends, networking opportunities with investors and innovators, and culminated in the flagship Demo Day, enabling founders to test platforms, expand relationships, and gain immersive experiences at the heart of Silicon Valley.
The acceleration journey began in collaboration with Vibranium VC, a leading Silicon Valley-based venture capital fund specializing in startup investments. Entrepreneurs participated in intensive sessions and bootcamps addressing the requirements of competing in Silicon Valley—starting with a deep understanding of the ecosystem and how founders can build strong relationships with investors and business partners.
Participants accelerated their startup foundations through hands-on workshops and one-to-one mentorship covering entrepreneurial mindset, value proposition development, persona building, business model design, go-to-market execution, modern product development approaches—including AI-powered no-code app building—linking product decisions to UI/UX fundamentals, and customer-centric development.
The program placed strong emphasis on fundraising readiness and investment deal literacy, covering fundraising mechanics, common legal pitfalls and how to avoid them, investor rights, valuation rounds, financial modeling, and mastering investor pitch decks—ensuring founders can confidently navigate investment environments.
The learning journey concluded with strategic insights on scaling, long-term value creation, and exit pathways through mergers or acquisitions, helping participants connect daily execution with founders’ long-term decisions.
The tour included visits to major technology landmarks and innovation centers. Entrepreneurs explored advanced computing and AI innovation within a rich research environment through a visit to the Jensen Huang Engineering Center at Stanford University, linking advanced research to product potential and long-term differentiation. The Stanford campus tour further highlighted how universities act as startup engines through talent flow, research commercialization, and dense entrepreneurial networks.
At Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, participants learned how platform giants drive innovation through experimentation, systems thinking, and rapid product development, while the visit to Apple’s headquarters reinforced the importance of product craftsmanship and user experience as a competitive advantage.
The visit to Tesla included a showcase and test drive of the Cybertruck, offering a close look at how bold product vision pairs with rigorous execution, and how engineering, storytelling, and user excitement combine to maximize impact.
Participants gained hands-on understanding of global operational scale through a visit to Amazon’s fulfillment center, translating operational excellence into lessons on process discipline, systems design, and execution-driven customer experience.
The program also included a visit to InOrbit, an innovation environment focused on large-scale robot operations, where founders explored real-world deployment requirements—from orchestration and monitoring to reliability and workflow integration.
Another key stop was Atlassian, a global software company whose products support team collaboration and work management. Founders learned how Atlassian’s startup platform enables credibility building and market expansion through ecosystem-led growth, partnerships, and enterprise-grade integrations.
The tour also featured a visit to the Computer History Museum, connecting today’s AI wave to previous technology transformations and reinforcing lessons on technology adoption cycles and product launch timing. Additionally, participants visited Five Star Bank, gaining insight into the financial infrastructure supporting high-growth companies and the operational readiness and discipline investors prioritize.
Founders also gained practical perspectives on venture-backed ownership structures during a visit to Carta, a private markets platform supporting cap table and equity management, learning how ownership data becomes a strategic asset as companies scale, raise funding, expand, and attract talent.
The tour provided multiple opportunities for entrepreneurs to immerse themselves in the Silicon Valley ecosystem through structured networking and learning touchpoints. Through curated discussions and gatherings, participants explored how emerging shifts—from data infrastructure to AI-driven workflows—are reshaping investor and enterprise buyer priorities.
These experiences helped founders sharpen market awareness, test assumptions through direct dialogue, and expand peer and ecosystem networks in a fast-paced, collaboration-driven environment.
The global acceleration experience strengthened founders’ pitching readiness through structured coaching, presentation refinement, and multiple content iteration rounds to enhance clarity, narrative coherence, and investor appeal.
The journey concluded with the flagship Demo Day at Pillsbury Law’s headquarters in Palo Alto, where all participants pitched before an audience of over 80 attendees, including venture capital investors, ecosystem leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovation experts. The event provided a high-quality platform for validating narratives, showcasing progress, and accelerating partnership and funding opportunities.
The Silicon Valley tour brought together entrepreneurs representing Zain’s various regional markets, addressing real-world challenges through scalable, technology-enabled solutions.
Noor Al-Fadhli from Zain Kuwait led VEHAB, a virtual reality platform reshaping rehabilitation through immersive 360-degree simulations supporting physical and cognitive recovery.
Ahmed Al-Ibrahim, co-founder of theQA, Kuwait’s first research platform connecting brands with verified local participants for fast, high-quality insights.
Eid Al-Mujebail, founder of Tanmiya, an Arabic platform enabling creators to monetize content and digital products easily in one place.
Hanan Al-Kulaib and Basima Al-Humaidhi, co-founders of Playbook Kuwait, offering innovative solutions for discovering and booking children’s parties while supporting provider growth.
Rashed and Yousef Al-Otaibi, co-founders of Outing, a trusted Kuwaiti platform for booking chalets, villas, and vacation homes with secure payments.
Abdulwahab Al-Tabtabaei, co-founder of Farah, a comprehensive digital wedding planning platform.
From Zain Saudi Arabia:
From Zain Bahrain:
From Zain Iraq:
Khaled Al-Saadi, founder of Jameela.com, an e-commerce platform connecting sellers and buyers, enabling digital trade, inventory management, and supply-chain workflows.
From Zain Jordan:
Ahmed Al-Saif, founder of Alefredo EdTech, an education platform serving over 12,000 students in 16 countries, focused on scaling access to high-quality education.
From ZainTECH UAE:
Kawthar Taher, founder of MeNOW Health, a women’s health solution supporting marginalized women through science-driven, empathetic, and innovative care experiences.
ZGI was recently awarded “Rising Business Power” at the annual Corporate Startup Stars Awards, held at the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) headquarters in Paris. This international recognition underscores Zain’s leadership in innovation and startup acceleration across the region for over 15 years.
The award also highlighted global partnerships that have embedded innovation at the core of business strategies through accelerator programs, venture building, collaboration agreements with venture capital funds, and strengthened internal entrepreneurship.