KAUST celebrated the first graduating class from its New Ventures Accelerator startup program on February 18. Seven teams completed the six-month mentor-led program, presenting ideas ranging from bioinformatics to customer relationship management. Material Solved, a KAUST IP-based startup using visualization software for materials science, won the best pitch award. Why it matters: The program fosters entrepreneurship in Saudi Arabia, creating job opportunities and contributing to the Kingdom's economy.
MBZUAI's Incubation and Entrepreneurship Center (IEC) is launching "Build It Demo Day" in Abu Dhabi, an event for showcasing early-stage AI solutions and prototypes. The first demo day will be held on October 30, 2025, and applications are open to students, founders, and professionals. Participating AI builders will gain exposure to a network of organizations and access over $200,000 in technology credits from NVIDIA, Microsoft, AWS, and others. Why it matters: This event provides a crucial platform for early-stage AI innovation in the UAE, fostering entrepreneurship and attracting investment in the region's growing AI ecosystem.
KAUST's Discovery program supports entrepreneurship. The program appears to have existed since at least 2014, with collaborations including UC Berkeley. Why it matters: Such programs foster innovation and align with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 goals for economic diversification.
KAUST alumna Vasiliki Kordopati turned a student project on laser-based illumination for horticulture into a startup called Oaesis Lighting Systems. She participated in KAUST's TAQADAM Accelerator program and is now developing a pilot project in the KAUST Research and Technology Park. KAUST is focused on embedding entrepreneurship into the academic experience, minimizing risk and offering innovators room to experiment. Why it matters: KAUST is fostering a new generation of deep technology entrepreneurs in alignment with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 goals for economic diversification.
The Spring 2014 VentureLab showcase at KAUST featured six finalist teams presenting their startup ideas to a panel of judges. The teams had completed an eight-week entrepreneurship bootcamp, interviewing 522 people and undergoing 1,500 hours of training. Trochet, a startup focused on alternatives to plastic bags, won the Most Promising Startup Award. Why it matters: This event highlights KAUST's efforts to foster entrepreneurship and innovation, providing a platform for researchers and students to develop and pitch their ideas.
KAUST has launched Hikma, a new accelerator program to develop intellectual property-based startups, involving 16 teams from KAUST and regional universities. The 6-month program is run by the KAUST Entrepreneurship Center with assistance from the KAUST Technology Transfer Office. Hikma aims to provide a structured development process for startups focused on intellectual property and assist in creating homegrown businesses from university technologies. Why it matters: This initiative signals KAUST's commitment to supporting economic development in Saudi Arabia by fostering knowledge-based startups and maximizing the impact of university research.
MBZUAI's Incubation & Entrepreneurship Center (IEC) hosted an Open Day for over 200 community members, including the university's first undergraduate students, to promote building AI startups in Abu Dhabi. The IEC highlighted its progress with 14 Abu Dhabi-based AI startups and announced a new demo day called "Build It" to showcase working demos from students, researchers, and founders. The "Build It" demo day aims to accelerate prototype development into real products, prioritizing submissions from within MBZUAI but also open to external teams. Why it matters: This initiative reinforces Abu Dhabi's growing ecosystem for AI entrepreneurship by providing resources, capital, and community support to foster innovation and product development.
24 startups from the seventh TAQADAM cohort at KAUST are preparing to pitch their business ideas to investors on March 3, 2024, after surviving the accelerator program. The startups received mentorship in product design, pricing, and legal matters. Example startups include Cognna (cybersecurity), BuildBench (construction platform), Talents Arena (AI recruitment), and Trh Capital (Shariah-compliant finance). Why it matters: This KAUST program highlights growing entrepreneurial activity and venture capital interest in Saudi startups, especially in areas like cybersecurity and AI.