London Business School Names 10 Finalists for MENA Startup Competition 2026
The ten teams pitch in Dubai on October 14, 2026, with the top three sharing a US$45,000 non-dilutive prize pool.
Karim El-Sayed Karim El-Sayed covers company news, policy and regulation across the UAE and wider MENA for Anecdoted, with a focus on how new rules and licences reshape how startups operate. karim@anecdoted.com
Ten early-stage companies have reached the final round of the London Business School MENA Startup Competition 2026, an annual venture contest run through the school's Institute of Entrepreneurship and Private Capital (IEPC).
The shortlist covers eight sectors: artificial intelligence, health technology, agriculture technology, education technology, climate technology, financial technology, property technology and workforce technology.
The teams pitch in Dubai on October 14, 2026, before a panel of investors, entrepreneurs and startup industry leaders. The top three take a US$45,000 pool awarded as non-dilutive funding.
The finalists
- P-Vita (UAE and Egypt): converts agricultural waste into natural fertilizers and sustainable feed supplements.
- Arusto Inc. (UAE): an AI platform for enterprise training and governance in regulated industries.
- NSBH (Saudi Arabia): trade credit infrastructure built for small and medium-sized businesses.
- SDM (Saudi Arabia): applies AI to detect and predict chronic diseases.
- Persium (UAE and UK): an environmental monitoring platform pairing IoT sensors with digital twin technology.
- Beaver Edu (Lebanon): makes educational construction kits for hands-on learning.
- ReachLLM (UAE): an enterprise AI platform that automates business growth activities.
- Kwelio (UAE): connects patients and insurers through verified data.
- UpSkillMe (Saudi Arabia): a workforce platform offering skills training, certification and job opportunities to blue-collar workers.
- FRANK AI (UAE): an AI-powered operating system for independent real estate professionals across the GCC.
How the ten were chosen
Close to 100 startups applied from around the region. Twenty advanced to the semifinals, a group that included 11 female founders, before judges settled on the final ten.
Judges weighed business potential, early traction, the strength of the founding team, problem-solution fit, and how much each company could draw from LBS' mentoring network. Every semifinalist received mentoring from LBS alumni and volunteers ahead of the final.
The competition is designed to put early-stage founders in front of investors, mentors and entrepreneurs drawn from the school's global alumni and faculty network.
"The competition is an important catalyst for entrepreneurship and innovation across the region, bringing founders and investors closer together. By providing startups with the right connections, exposure and support, we aim to help unlock the region's entrepreneurial potential and create greater opportunities for growth," said Jane Khedair, Executive Director of the Institute of IEPC.
