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Women in Tech Startup Competition Middle East 2nd Edition 2024

Her Vision, Our Future

SDGs
 

Innovative entrepreneurship has disrupted the tourism sector, changing the ways people travel and experience destinations, and in doing so driving digitalization and sustainability. At the same time, tourism offers many opportunities for prospective entrepreneurs in tourism-adjacent sectors to grow their businesses and capitalize on the demand for goods and services from incoming tourists. The synergies between tourism entrepreneurship and innovation are well-founded and can be meaningfully strengthened. A key enabler in this regard is fostering environments for investors to empower entrepreneurs to push the sector forward.

Why women in tech?

57% of science technology engineering and math (STEM) graduates in the Middle East are women. 34% of the region’s tech-focused startups were founded by women. However, globally, women founders secured only 2.2% of global venture capital funding in 2019.

Countries across the Middle East, have integrated innovation and women empowerment within their long-term economic development plans. This is the case of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, where increasing women's participation in the labor force is a strategic target. (Saudi female participation has already risen from 16% to 35.6% between 2016 and 2021). In the GCC region, a robust entrepreneurial culture has fuelled a surge in start-up businesses led by women, averaging at 40.9% of the total, according to World Economic Forum’s (WEF’s) 2022 Global Gender Gap report.

Women in Tech 2nd Edition Theme: Creating a Sustainable Tourism Sector

This year’s theme will be directly linked with the UN Tourism Investment Framework: Investing in People, Planet and Prosperity.

Presented during World Tourism Day 2023, it reflects a growing consensus among sector stakeholders about the need to diversify away from the traditional investment framework to a new one where people (education), planet (green transformation), and prosperity (innovation) are at the center to guarantee the development of a sustainable tourism sector.

This framework is at the same time anchored on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), part of the Agenda 2030. As we have already passed the halfway point to 2030, every sector must increase efforts in the path towards sustainability. The tourism sector is not different – the tourism sector has to be at the forefront of this sustainable transformation due to its multiplier impact across all economic industries, and also by offering high-quality jobs, and supporting countries in bringing prosperity to rural areas and less favored communities.

Hence, the categories of the competition will be based on the mentioned key elements, which are economic, social, and environmental factors.

 

  • 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 a business plan.
  • Be scalable with potential for international growth.

The competition will be divided into 3 categories: Tech categories relevant to Sustainable Tourism and connected directly to our UN Tourism Investment Framework: Investing in People, Planet and Prosperity.

Category 1:
People & Skills | Investing in People

It is no secret that people lie at the heart of the tourism sector. Millions of people support the sector either through working in tourism-related industries or simply traveling. This category focuses on solutions that build human capital capacities in the tourism sector. Top solutions will facilitate the upskilling and training of the tourism workforce around the world by utilizing innovative and creative options that are inclusive, effective, and accessible.

This category calls for start-ups that use environmentally friendly and sustainable approaches in education tech, tourism & travel tech, social & messaging, wellness, health, with cross-cutting benefits with tourism.

Start-ups involved in the above areas are invited to participate in this competition under this thematic area.

Category 2:
Green Tourism & Travel Solutions | Investing in Planet

The tourism sector relies on travel and mobility, which can contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. The sector is also vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. This category will feature solutions that aim to address emissions from traveling and/or increase the resilience of the sector to the adverse effects of climate change. Top solutions will be tailored to local contexts, manage emissions, and offer new and innovative technological solutions that can address climate change and ensure the sustainable growth of the sector globally.

This category calls for start-ups that use environmentally friendly and sustainable approaches in green tech, green infrastructure, sustainable travel & logistics, urban development, rural development, with cross-cutting benefits with tourism.

Start-ups involved in the above areas are invited to participate in this competition under this thematic area.

Category 3:
Market Innovators | Investing in Prosperity

Digitalization is no longer a trend in the Middle East, it is here to stay for all sectors, including tourism. The region is moving towards implementing a smart destinations approach to tourism that leverages different emerging technologies.

This category calls for startups working in the areas of fintech, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality (AR/VR), cryptocurrency, Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain and web3 technology, digital twining and the metaverse.

Start-ups involved in the above areas are invited to participate in this competition under this thematic area.

  • Pitch at the UN Tourism Tech Adventure in AlUla taking place in November (TBC)
  • Mentorships by UN Tourism and top partners. (TBC)
  • Invited to participants to any relevant new activities related to tourism, sustainability and business.
  • Invited to participate in the annual Gala WITH Female Leaders to be held in Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao in 2025.
  • Invitated to participate in online training events and networking meetings.
  • Tailored support for the startup.
  • Membership in the UN Tourism Innovation Network.
  • Scholarship opportunities for the Tourism Online Academy.
  • Media, PR and communications benefits. 
  • Opportunities to speak as panelists and keynote in our events.

LaunchApplication Launch: May 8th 
Review Webinar for Participants: June 19
Closing Applications Close: August 31st
AnnouncementSept 30 – Oct 2 : Semi-Final rounds
Review Finals (Demo Day): Tourism Tech Adventure in Nov 2024
 

Travel Partner

Almosafa
 

Partners

AIM Congress
Plug and Play

Ecosystem Collaborators 

With
Impulse 4 women
Worlddesign
FHS
FHS
FHS
Worlddesign