Zain Group, a leading technology and telecommunications innovator in the MENA region, has announced that its flagship accelerator program, Zain Great Idea (ZGI), has won the “Rising Power in the Business World” award. The accolade was presented at the prestigious Corporate Startup Stars awards ceremony held at the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) headquarters in Paris, in partnership with global innovation advisory firm Mind the Bridge.
This international recognition underscores Zain’s pioneering role in fostering innovation and accelerating technology startups across the region for over 15 years, cementing its commitment to strategic partnerships with entrepreneurs.
A Testament to Regional Leadership
The award was accepted by Nawaf Al-Gharabally, CEO of Zain Kuwait, from Marco Marinucci, CEO of Mind the Bridge, during the 10th annual Corporate Startup Stars celebration. The event gathered global corporations that have successfully embedded innovation, startup acceleration, and venture capital collaborations into their core business strategies.
The award highlights ZGI’s established position as a key initiative driving Zain’s broader “4WARD” strategy, which unifies innovation and AI-powered digital transformation into a clear pathway from idea to investment. This latest honor adds to ZGI’s growing list of accolades, including the “Best Ecosystem Enabler” award at the 2023 Entrepreneur Middle East E-Business Awards.
Fostering Pan-Regional Growth
Since its inception in Kuwait in 2010, Zain Great Idea has evolved into one of the most prominent technology startup accelerators in the region. The program now serves entrepreneurs and innovators from Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, with the primary goal of transforming promising businesses into investable and scalable companies.
ZGI acts as an integrated platform across Zain’s markets, designed to discover, nurture, and connect entrepreneurs with capital access and regional expansion opportunities through the group’s extensive business and consumer service channels.
A Track Record of Impact
Over more than 15 years, Zain Great Idea has been instrumental in developing the skills of over 7,000 entrepreneurs through more than 110 intensive training bootcamps. The program’s success is further quantified by the performance of its graduates, who have collectively attracted over $135 million in investments from regional investors in the last five years alone.
A key component of the program has been bridging the gap between the MENA ecosystem and global innovation hubs. In previous editions, ZGI has taken its top participating startups on an international acceleration program to Silicon Valley, allowing them to test their business models before a global audience of elite investors and innovators.
Strategic Ecosystem Integration
The program receives strategic support from Zain Ventures, the group’s investment arm, and ZainTECH, its regional digital solutions provider. This synergy combines corporate governance with practical market access, allowing participants to benefit from advanced academic and technical support.
Startups in the program are connected with Zain’s technical, commercial, and business development teams to explore pilot projects and build commercial partnerships within the group’s operational markets. This integrated approach solidifies Zain’s role as an active partner for entrepreneurs, investors, and ecosystem builders across the Middle East.
About Zain Great Idea
Zain Great Idea (ZGI) is the flagship startup accelerator program of Zain Group. Launched in 2010, it aims to identify and support promising technology startups from across the MENA region. The program provides entrepreneurs with intensive training, mentorship, academic and technical support, and access to Zain’s vast commercial and technology infrastructure. ZGI is designed to help early-stage companies become investment-ready and scale their operations regionally and globally.
Source: Kuwait News
