The sixth edition of TiE Women MENA 2025, organized by TiE Dubai, celebrated the region’s top women entrepreneurs at GITEX Global’s Expand North Star in Dubai. The competition showcased innovation, inclusion, and the rising power of women-led startups in the Middle East and North Africa.
Entrepreneur Ayesha Mansha, Founder of Sahl based in Saudi Arabia, took home the MENA title for her digital compliance platform. Her startup simplifies regulatory processes for businesses. Rahaf Aldruby and Seem Alkabbani, Co-Founders of TarKeys, were named runners-up. They both earned equity-free grants of AED 70,000 and AED 30,000 respectively.
Celebrating Regional Innovation
This year’s program attracted nearly 200 licensed women-founded businesses across industries such as:
- Artificial intelligence and compliance tech
- Edtech and femtech
- Clean beauty and HR tech
Five standout founders advanced to the MENA finals after competitive regional rounds:
- Anisha Oberoi, SECRET SKIN (UAE)
- Ayesha Mansha, Sahl (Saudi Arabia)
- Mahra AlQubaisi, Elevation (UAE)
- Nesma Amin, Aziza (Egypt)
- Rahaf Aldruby & Seem Alkabbani, TarKeys (Rest of ME)
Each finalist worked with dedicated mentors to refine their pitches and market strategies before presenting to a jury of regional industry leaders from evision, izil Beauty, and Nokia.
Empowering Women Entrepreneurs
All regional winners will advance to the TiE Global Summit in Jaipur, India, in January 2026, where they will compete for a USD 50,000 global prize pool. They also received exhibitor pods at Expand North Star to showcase their ventures.
The TiE Women MENA program, supported by e& life, and partners such as Dubai Internet City, in5, Plug and Play, Wamda, and Astrolabs, gives women founders direct access to funding, mentorship, and global exposure.
Carlina Marani and Raed Hafez, Co-Chairs of TiE Women MENA 2025, noted that the initiative has become a flagship program for building equity and opportunity. “We’ve worked for six years to create a level playing field for women founders. TiE Women MENA now stands as a platform for growth, leadership, and global competitiveness,” they said.
Building a More Inclusive Ecosystem
Harrison Lung, Group Chief Strategy Officer at e&, emphasized the company’s ongoing support for women-led startups through mentoring and leadership initiatives. He highlighted programs like “She Leads”, developed with Nokia and UN Women, and “She&”, which celebrates Emirati women leaders. “Innovation thrives when ecosystems are inclusive and supported,” Lung said. “TiE Women MENA embodies that belief.”
Ten TiE Charter Members and industry experts will continue mentoring the finalists beyond the competition, helping them refine investor strategies and scale across borders.
Closing the Gender Gap in Entrepreneurship
Recent research shows that gender parity could add USD 2 trillion to MENA’s GDP. Yet, male-only ventures still raise five times more capital than women-led businesses. Women currently lead less than 5% of companies across the region, even as the UAE saw a 23.1% rise in women’s private-sector participation in 2024.
TiE Dubai remains committed to closing this gap by providing:
- Mentorship and funding access
- Networking and visibility opportunities
- Guidance from pitch to market expansion
As Ayesha Mansha reflected, “This win isn’t just for Sahl—it’s for every founder in the region, proving that world-class products can be built here.”