Manama, Bahrain: StartUp Bahrain, the leading platform for startups in the Kingdom of Bahrain, supported by the Labour Fund (Tamkeen) and in strategic partnership with Tap Payments, wrapped up its third edition of StartUp Bahrain  Weekend, which took place during a weekend from 19th September 2024 to 21st September 2024, at IKEA Bahrain. The event showcased new Bahraini startups that will play a key role in driving further innovation in the Kingdom's startup ecosystem.

The electrifying 54-hour weekend brought together over 200 founders, developers, designers, and marketers to build and launch startups over a single weekend under one roof, from ideation stage to MVP.  200 participants competed for grand prizes worth BHD 3,000 in total value, and received surprise perks from ecosystem enablers and organizations to further celebrate their achievements, and reward their hard work.

The keynote speech was delivered by none other than Ahmed Alrawi, serial entrepreneur, Co-Founder and CEO of Calo, who shared invaluable insights from his trailblazing journey in the startup ecosystem to the audience. Participants were also excited to receive insightful advice from Nathan Minns, seasoned trainer and facilitator renowned for his expertise in guiding startup initiatives worldwide, who reprised his role for the third edition.

The judging panel included world-class industry leaders in the likes of Brinc Regional Head of Corporate Innovation, Husain Haji, Partner at Pinnacle Capital, Moayed Almoayed; Hope Fund’s General Manager, Fajer AlPachachi; Executive Director and MP of Tajawoz, Hamad Alfahad; Head of HP Spring Studios - Bahrain, Zainab Khamis;  and Founder and Managing Partner of Plus VC, Hasan Haider.

The winning teams included, I Need You Bracelet, Safebites, and CarPal who respectively won first, second and third place. The first-place winner, Yaqeen Ebrahim, showcased their innovative idea of a bracelet made for parents who are a part of the deaf and mute community to communicate with their babies better to enhance their life quality. The idea received high engagement and appreciation from the judging panel and audience.

“Winning first place at StartUp Bahrain Weekend was nothing short of exhilarating! It’s incredible to see our hard work, passion, and vision come to life in such a rewarding way and in such a short amount of time. Knowing that our solution has the potential to make a real impact is truly thrilling," shared Yaqeen. "We are deeply thankful to StartUp Bahrain, Tamkeen, and all the sponsors for creating this amazing platform that nurtures innovation and inspires entrepreneurs like us to push boundaries and achieve our dreams.”

In a special twist, a surprise fourth-place award titled General Assembly's Choice Award was introduced, which recognized a startup with outstanding innovation and potential. The award was granted to Tryouts, a startup focused on providing a subscription service to try out various hobbies without commitment, connecting users to local venues and rewarding businesses with referral fees.

The event, sponsored by Brinc Batelco, IKEA Bahrain, Tap Payments, Calo, General Assembly Middle East, Reboot Coding Institute, Diwan Hub, Spring Studios, Tenmou, The Collective Hub, Zain Bahrain, Little Caesars, Al Anwar Discount Centre, Etar Productions and Infinigence Consulting.

To stay updated on more initiatives by StartUp Bahrain and the next edition of this event, visit startupbahrain.com and browse future opportunities on the Events’ platform by visiting startupbahrain.com/events