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3 teams go through BFB acceleration programme

MANAMA, July 4, 2021

The Build for Bahrain Acceleration Program, held in partnership with Bahrain FinTech Bay and the US State Department’s MEPI, has concluded with the three winning teams completing the acceleration programme and a three-month incubation period at Bahrain FinTech Bay (BFB).
 
The programme had received over 150 applications, out of which 10 were shortlisted for a six-week acceleration programme, where they were exposed to a diverse network of thought leaders and mentors who guided them with the resources to grow their solutions further.
 
The top three teams included:
 
• Women Who Read: A digital book club application that encourages women to read together as a community of reading ambassadors with access to masterclass workshops and a fun customised reading experience.
 
• TullabApp: A cloud-based application with a multilingual user interface tailored to a student’s needs. It empowers students through a secure digital community that allows them to manage their study life, communicate with peers, and share their skills with others.
 
• The Nourishers: A holistic directory of lifestyle and wellbeing experts ready to support users in their journey. It also provides coaches with a comprehensive management system and helps in promoting them and their services.
 
Commenting on her experience, Shreya Rammohan, Co-Founder & CMO of Women Who Read, said: “Build for Bahrain enabled us to learn from experts and the ecosystem of startups within the programme. We were able to demystify the process of pitching and raising funds whilst also re-strategizing the right business model for us. Winning re-affirmed confidence in our approach, and we’ve been motivated to launch the free-access community to pique interest.”
 
Women Who Read has to date scaled to 400 official members, interviewed an NYT Bestselling Author, built custom proposals for three entities in Bahrain and KSA, established a bookstore partnership in Bahrain, tested a brand partnership campaign, grown a social audience by 1,200 and onboarded trainees.
 
“We are presently engaged in refining our MVP with a revised approach based on market feedback to develop an inclusive digital platform under Women Who Read that accommodates multiple book club categories with co-host partnerships that can be subscribed to,” Rammohan said.
 
Azzam Quradhi, Co-Founder, Tullab App, said the fund had facilitated them to kick-start and launch their app, while the incubation programme allowed them to gain access to various new skills and opportunities.
 
“Meeting other startups was one of the most beneficial aspects of this programme. We developed relationships with like-minded individuals who provide so much insight as well. The programme’s mentors facilitated us to better shape our vision through several workshops; their consistent provision and belief in our idea gave us the additional enhancement to go into the future with our startup,” he said.
 
Since the completion of the acceleration programme, Tullab App has officially registered the company and connected with key stakeholders, including the University of Bahrain.
 
Meanwhile, Hamad Al Saad, Founder & CEO, The Nourishers said: “Bahrain FinTech Bay is a dynamic centre that nurtures startups to provide them all the resources and guidance needed to excel. This programme played a vital role in opening up opportunities and aiding in the growth of our business.”
 
The Build for Bahrain programme is one of many acceleration programmes introduced by BFB’s initiative, Innovate for Bahrain, launched in 2020. To date, the initiative has welcomed over 500 startup applications and provided over $111,000 in funding to the winning teams. –Tradearabia News Service



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