Last call, startup fans! Tomorrow we kick off the first TechCrunch Startup Battlefield MENA in Beirut, Lebanon. We sifted through more than 400 applications to find the 15 very best early-stage startups the Middle East and North Africa has to offer, and we want you in the audience to witness tech history in the making.
As if watching a Startup Battlefield competition isn’t exciting enough, we’ve worked a stellar list of speakers and dynamic workshops into the day-long mix. Interested in investing? Some of MENA’s leading investment firms will be in the house, including Outlierz Ventures, BeryTech Fund and Leap Ventures — to name just a few. See the full list of investment firms here.
If infrastructure and connectivity is more your thing, you’ll enjoy hearing Ogero Telecom’s Imad Kreidieh and Facebook’s Ari Kesisoglu discuss the impact of changes in the region’s telco industry.
You’ll gain perspective when Omar Gabr (Instabug), Nour Al Hassan (Tarjama), Mai Medhat (Eventtus) and Ameer Sherif (Wuzzuf) talk about the massive changes in MENA’s tech landscape over the last decade. And they’ll take a look at what challenges and opportunities lie ahead. Read the complete agenda here.
Now, about the main event. The 15 teams compete in three preliminary rounds — five startups per round. They have six minutes to pitch and present a live demo to our panel of judges — expert technologists and VC investors in their respective fields. An intensive Q&A follows each pitch.
Five teams move into the final round — to pitch a new panel of judges and endure another stress-inducing Q&A. From the five comes one champion. The first TechCrunch Startup Battlefield MENA champion.
To the winning founders go the spoils, including a $25,000 no-equity cash prize and a trip for two to compete in the Startup Battlefield at TechCrunch Disrupt in 2019 (assuming the company still qualifies to compete at the time).
This full, action-packed event offers excitement, enlightenment and a tremendous opportunity to network with the most influential movers and shakers in the Middle East and North Africa.
If you have a ticket, you’re one of the lucky ones as we’re all sold out! Videos of the event will be posted approximately 2-3 business days after the conclusion of the event on techcrunch.com.