Application Deadline: July 31st, 2023
The UNWTO Women in Tech Startup Competition: Middle East, calls for women entrepreneurs from all over the world and based in the Arab region willing to grow their tech startup in the tourism industry, and provide sustainable solutions to the sector.
Requirements
- Startups must be led, owned or managed by women in the Middle East, residing in any of the following countries: Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Libya and Yemen.
- Be an Idea Stage, Early Stage or Series A startups with a minimum viable product or idea that is ready to be developed and funded.
- Have a full-time team, a tested pilot and business plan.
- Be scalable with potential for international growth.
Categories
Startups will apply to one of the 4 categories below, defined by UNWTO. Since some initiatives may be fitting into more than one category, please choose the one where the predicted positive impact will be greatest.
- CATEGORY 1- Social Impact
- CATEGORY 2 – Tourism and Travel Experience
- CATEGORY 3 – Future Tech
- CATEGORY 4 – Events and Community
Benefits
The winners of Women in Tech Startup Competition Middle East will gain from the following benefits:
- Invitation to join UNWTO Innovation Network, with access to more than 447 investors, 47 incubators, 1274 corporations and representatives from governments, academia and media from all over the world.
- Opportunity to participate and pitch in the UNWTO Tourism Tech Adventure high-level event, that will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 27 September for the celebration of International Tourism Day.
- Visibility on all UNWTO platforms and social media networks, with a global reach.
- Mentorship programs with international leaders in the field of innovation.
- Access to potential seed funding, investments, and partnership opportunities with consultancies, accelerators and incubators.
- Scholarships for UNWTO Tourism Online Academy, which has more than 20.000 alumni, and offers courses in different languages, including Arabic, produced in partnership with international top Universities all over the world.
- Prospective opportunities to talk as guest keynote speakers and panelists at international forums.
Timeline
- March 2023: Launch Date
- July 2023: Application Deadline
- July 2023: Shortlisted decision
- 27 September: World Tourism Day Tourism Tech Adventures Pitch of the finalists Round tables and thematic session
- 2023-2024: Impact Personalized support for finalist startups
For More Information:
Visit the Official Webpage of the UNWTO Women in Tech Startup Competition in the Middle East