In early 2024, Kickstart Bahrain partnered with The Startup Buddy to launch something we’d never done before, a fully online, international startup accelerator focused on EdTech. No external funding. No established playbook. Just a clear goal: prove that Bahrain could attract global startup talent and position itself as a serious hub for the MENA region.
Here’s what happened.
The program
Running from March to May 2024, the 10-week program brought together EdTech founders from around the world for weekly live sessions covering everything from EdTech trends and doing business in Bahrain, to pitch drills, co-founder evaluation, AI-driven platform development, and mentor matching. It concluded with a graduation and Demo Day on 30 May 2024.
The numbers
28 startup teams applied. 12 were selected. 8 expert mentors engaged. 6 startups graduated and pitched at Demo Day — watched live by 62 viewers and 7 investors from Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and the UAE.
The graduates
Six startups completed the full program and took the stage at Demo Day: Laoshi.io, Pandai.org, Kebloom.com, Sauwat Education, and Ekatra.one, alongside one additional graduate. Each had gone through weeks of pitch drills and mentorship to get to that moment.
The mentors
The program brought together 8 mentors and 4 investor coaches, including Ameer Yousef (Tree Projects), Robin Teurlings (The Startup Buddy), Rich Harland (Private Markets, 25+ years), and Wassim Elsayegh (Kickstart Bahrain). Investor coaches came from Epic Angels in Singapore, WAED in Saudi Arabia, Aim Ventures in Thailand, and Nammal Impact Investment in the UAE.
What we proved
Cohort 1 was built from scratch without external funding — and it exceeded every expectation we set. There is strong international demand for an online accelerator anchored in Bahrain. We proved we could attract global founders, mentors, and investors with limited resources. Three startups began actively exploring Bahrain company incorporation post-program. And we built a community of around 6,000 newsletter subscribers around the Bahrain startup ecosystem.
What’s next
Cohort 1 gave us the blueprint. Cohort 2 will be bigger — broader in sector focus, stronger in mentor and investor depth, and with more structured pathways for graduates who want to set up in Bahrain. Watch this space.