TiE Dubai, the regional chapter of TiE Global, has officially announced the winners of the sixth edition of the TiE Women MENA 2025 competition, following the MENA pitch finals held on 13th October at Expand North Star, the startup event of GITEX Global at Dubai Harbour. The MENA title went to Ayesha Mansha, Founder of Sahl, from Saudi Arabia, with Rahaf Aldruby and Seem Alkabbani, Co-Founders of TarKeys, from the rest of the ME track, named runner-up, receiving equity-free grants of AED 70,000 and AED 30,000, respectively.
This year drew almost 200 licensed, women-founded businesses, with strong showings in compliance and AI, edtech, clean beauty, femtech, and HR tech. After regional rounds across the program’s five tracks, five standout founders advanced to the regional finals: Anisha Oberoi, SECRET SKIN, from the UAE; Ayesha Mansha, Sahl, from Saudi Arabia; Mahra AlQubaisi, Elevation, from the Emirati track; Nesma Amin, Aziza, from Egypt; and Rahaf Aldruby and Seem Alkabbani, TarKeys, from the rest of the ME track. Each finalist was paired with one or two dedicated mentors who worked closely with them to get pitch- and market-ready, helping scale their businesses ahead of the regional finals.
They then presented before a jury comprising Zahra Zayat, Acting CEO, evision, Mouna Abbassy, Founder and CEO, izil Beauty and Danial Mausoof, Vice President and Head of Technology MEA, Nokia. All five regional winners advance to the TiE Global Summit in Jaipur, India, in January 2026 to compete for a USD 50,000 global prize pool. Each founder also received a pod to showcase their business at Expand North Star.
The winning company, Sahl, is a digital platform in KSA that simplifies and automates compliance processes, helping businesses manage regulatory requirements efficiently so they can focus on innovation and growth. The runner-up, TarKeys, is an e-learning platform transforming education in Syria by delivering interactive, high-quality content for baccalaureate students and empowering teachers to build a knowledge-driven future.
The program is run by TiE Dubai, in close association with GITEX Global and Expand North Star, to provide women founders with access to one of the world’s largest global tech platforms. It is supported by e& life, alongside ecosystem partners including Dubai Internet City, in5, Playbook, C3, AngelSpark, Plug and Play, Wamda, Astrolabs, StartAD, and various other funds, accelerators, and incubators that continue to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial network.
Carlina Marani and Raed Hafez, co-chairs for TiE Women MENA 2025, commented: “At TiE, we are deeply committed to supporting entrepreneurs at the early stages of their journey, particularly across the MENA region. Over the past six years, we’ve been building this mission from the ground up, creating equity, access, and a level playing field for women founders. TiE Women MENA has become a flagship program that empowers women entrepreneurs to build, scale, and lead from this region to the world. The rise of female-led businesses in MENA reflects a broader shift toward innovation and inclusion, fully aligned with the UAE’s vision of driving sustainable, diverse, and knowledge-based growth.”
Harrison Lung, Group Chief Strategy Officer, e&, said: “At e& we support women-led startups with more than funding, offering hands-on mentoring. Our ‘She Leads’ program with Nokia and UN Women graduated 22 participants in 2024 with a 96% satisfaction rate, while our ‘She&’ initiative on Emirati Women’s Day highlights how we develop women leaders. It’s the same approach we bring to TiE Women MENA, combining skills, networks and real opportunities. At e& capital, we’re driven by a belief that innovation flourishes when ecosystems are inclusive and well-supported. Through our long-standing partnership with TiE Women MENA, we’re proud to champion the next generation of female founders who are redefining entrepreneurship across the region. Their creativity, resilience, and determination not only inspire us, they remind us why investing in inclusive innovation is so vital for the future.”
Ten mentors, the majority TiE Charter Members, will continue supporting the cohort beyond the finals. Mentors include Shameema Parveen , CEO of Edutech; Raed Hafez, CEO of elGrocer by Smiles, e& UAE’s everyday rewards Super App; Ramit Harisinghani, General Manager of Luxury Tech at Chalhoub Group; Maria Paula (MP), CVC and Investor at Mashreq Bank; Sanjay Babur, CEO of Best Insurance; R. Sashikanth, Partner at Ardent Advisory; Ahmed Arif, Founder and CEO of Clara; Deemah Kayed, Global Partner Services at Nokia; and Hind Rasheed, Director of Communications at Amazon.
Recent research reveals that gender parity could add US$2 trillion to MENA’s GDP, yet male-only ventures still raise roughly five times what women-only ventures do. Women lead under 5% of businesses region-wide, even as the UAE saw a 23.1% rise in women’s private-sector participation in 2024. TiE Dubai aims to make consistent efforts to close the gap through practical support, mentorship, funding access, visibility, and a clear path from pitch to market, continuing to back women entrepreneurs with regional networking and community engagement initiatives that strengthen their growth and presence in the ecosystem.
Ayesha Mansha, Founder of Sahl, Winner of the TiE Women MENA 2025 competition, reflected: “This win isn’t just for Sahl, it’s for every founder in the region, proving that world-class products can be built right here. I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity provided by TiE Dubai and the recognition. It fuels our mission to make compliance simple, transparent, and accessible for everyone.”
TiE Dubai was established in 2003 to promote the spirit of entrepreneurship in the Middle East region and was inaugurated by His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the TECOM Free Zone Authority. Through its diverse charter members, TiE Dubai provides assistance and guidance to a community of more than 3,000 budding entrepreneurs through events and programs that span Networking, Mentoring, Funding, Incubation and Education.
Next steps for finalists
All five winners will continue one-to-one work with their assigned mentors to refine go-to-market and investor materials ahead of the TiE Global Summit, Jaipur in India. TiE Dubai will coordinate preparation sessions and targeted introductions across the TiE global network.
For more information, visit the official TiE Women website.
