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It is always a joy to look back and celebrate the great moments that happened within the StartUp Bahrain community. And as we step into the last day of 2017, we decided to take a pause and reflect back on these moments.

We compiled the biggest highlights that occurred through the year, giving you enough reading to fill your holiday downtime! So, without further ado, StartUp Bahrain wishes you a Happy New Year and a good read!

  1. StartUp Bahrain launched its website in September 2017, giving the Kingdom’s startup community a platform to inspire, share their success stories, and track events. While also providing them with the tools and resources to add themselves to the ecosystem directory to create a larger network by meeting fellow startups and investors.
  2. Everyone loves a good event, and Bahrain hosted some of its largest tech events this year! The Technology Week Pavilion (#TechWeekBH) took place over four days in collaborative efforts between the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB), Amazon Web Services (AWS), and the StartUp Bahrain community. Discover what took place during the week!
  3. The Pavilion was held in parallel with the first Middle East AWS Summit which took place on the 25th of September, bringing together over 1,300 professionals from different sectors to explore the impact of cloud technology on business outcomes. During the Summit, AWS announced the opening of the Middle East’s first Region in Bahrain. Keynotes were then delivered by industry experts, followed by several sessions where attendees had the option to attend sessions in either the technical or the business tracks.
  4. During the Technology Week, MITEF Pan Arab also held their first Innovation Forum in the Kingdom on the 27th and 28th, where it focused on unique and state of the art technologies, and scientific research.
  5. The action-packed Technology Week included a pitching competition, “FACE-OFF ON THE BAY”, where tech-enabled companies competed against each other for the title of “StartUp Bahrain Champion” – and a whopping $50,000 first place cash prize.
  6. Malaeb, who raised seed investment from Raed Ventures, got crowned as the StartUp Bahrain Champion and received the $50,000 cash prize to scale up their startup, as well as tickets to take part in Web Submit Lisbon. Want to know what else happened on the last day of Technology Week Pavillion? Here is everything you’ve missed.
  7. Let’s be honest, this success wouldn’t have happened without the efforts of the entire ecosystem, so a big shout out to every entity who was involved in making one of the most memorable events in the Kingdom! Curious to know who took part in the Technology Week Pavillion? Well then click here.
  8. Forbes magazine announced the top 100 startup companies in the Arab world, where Bahrain-based startup OneGCC was recognized as the 5th most innovative startup company in the Middle East, and 46th for the most funding raised. It was also awarded as one of the 15 most innovative startups in the entire MENA region!
  9. Bahraini startup Skiplino also received an award for being one of the 15 most innovative startups in the MENA region by Forbes, and was ranked 80th in the top 100 startups in the Arab world!
  10. AI-driven startup WNNA was the winner for the Most Promising Seedstars in the GCC, and earlier this year it raised an initial round of $90K from Rowad Seed Fuel and Angel Investors.
  11. Winter came to Bahrain and so did the IGN Convention! Now in its fifth year, the event keeps getting bigger and bigger! We were excited to take part in it this year (and here is why!). It was also refreshing as always to meet creative Bahraini game developers throughout these events!
  12. November had its share of events too – including the perfect event for inspiring entrepreneurs who are looking for a team and some resources to launch their startup in 54 hours! You’ve read it right, sleepless nights brought to you by Startup Weekend! Is it actually possible to have a startup launched in just a few hours?
  13. Moving into December, Seedstars MENA returned to Bahrain to discover the most innovative startups, and showcase the potential of entrepreneurship in the region. Want to know what you’ve missed? Here are the highlights of the day!
  14. In addition to local events, StartUp Bahrain also had its share of international events too! From ArabNet Riyadh, to RiseUp Summit in Cairo and all the way to Web Summit Lisbon, this has been quite a year!
  15. It’s been an eventful year for startups too, as demonstrated by the inspiring individuals whose success stories we featured this year. These stories include a Bahraini startup that will let you say goodbye to unemployment, an Indian entrepreneur who is currently the co-founder and managing director of a groceries delivery app in the Kingdom with a huge customer base, and many more!
  16. Speaking of FinTech, Bahraini financial technology company Eazy Financial Services turned to NCR to introduce the region’s first Biometric enabled payment services!

2017 was a phenomenal year, and we are very optimistic about next year! If you are not done reading and would like to learn more about the region’s most exciting startup community, head over to our website or simply follow us on Instagram.