The DFF series will provide a unique platform for aspiring and established female entrepreneurs to connect, learn, and grow. Each month, the events will feature a unique theme, brought to life through interactive workshops, expert-led sessions, and inspiring founder stories designed to equip women with the essential skills and knowledge to succeed in today’s competitive landscape.

The inaugural event highlighted ‘Founder Stories,’ featuring Saba Yussouf, General Partner of Nettle Ventures. A successful entrepreneur, she sold her first company at 24 for £2 million and now leads a $60 million biotech firm. Saba will share key insights on investor readiness, what investors look for, and how founders can better prepare for funding.

The inaugural event will also feature Marisa Peer, celebrity therapist and best-selling author of I Am Enough. Marisa will deliver a powerful session focused on overcoming limiting beliefs, building self-confidence, and achieving entrepreneurial success. Known for her work with global leaders, athletes, and high-profile clients, she brings invaluable insights to help female founders unlock their full potential.

The series will also feature speakers like Nacho Floristan, Director of Generative AI Solutions Architecture at Google Cloud. They will also feature “founder stories” where successful women will share their journeys and insights. Recognizing the importance of mental well-being for entrepreneurs, the series will also include Dr. Louise Lambert, PhD, a renowned expert in positive psychology. Dr. Lambert will speak about applying the science of positive psychology toward social capital and joyful living—proving that even entrepreneurs can build success while maintaining balance and fulfillment.

Faranak Farahmand Pour, Director of Global Strategic Initiatives at Google Cloud, said: “Through our support of the DXB Female Founders event series, we aim to help unlock the immense potential of female talent in this region and contribute to the UAE’s ambitious goals for economic growth and technological advancement.”

Nicki Bedford, Founder & CEO of DXB Female Founders, added, “DXB Female Founders is dedicated to providing women entrepreneurs with the tools, knowledge, and network they need to succeed—while being surrounded by a supportive community of women who genuinely want to see each other succeed. Our monthly series offers practical workshops, mentorship opportunities, and a supportive community to help women overcome challenges, scale their businesses, and achieve their full potential. We are incredibly grateful for Google Cloud’s sponsorship and their commitment to empowering women in tech. Their support will enable us to reach more women and provide them with unparalleled access to resources and expertise.”

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The landmark partnership, which was signed at the Future Investment Initiative 8th Edition (FII8), further establishes Saudi Arabia as a global hub and top AI destination for local and global enterprises and startups. This partnership aims to develop the Saudi workforce through AI programs for millions of students and professionals, supporting the national objective of growing the information and communication technology (ICT) sector by 50%.

Under the partnership, customers will be able to use Google Cloud’s technology to support growth across industries and increase capacity for the delivery of AI applications. Businesses and their end consumers can expect to benefit from better quality AI applications and data services, delivered faster locally.

The partnership, which is subject to obtaining regulatory approvals, will feature joint research on Arabic language models as well as Saudi-specific AI applications. Enabled by Google Cloud’s years of investment and leadership in custom silicon, this high-performance, purpose-built infrastructure will include the newest tensor processing unit (TPU) and graphics processing unit (GPU) accelerators as well as the Vertex AI platform – Google Cloud’s specialized development platform that enables customers to build generative AI applications.

The partnership demonstrates the attractiveness of Saudi Arabia for major technology projects. Investors can benefit from the country’s strategic location at the intersection of three continents, its advanced infrastructure, its position in the rapidly growing markets of the Middle East, and the prospect of reliable and affordable renewable energy to supply the AI hub.

H.E. Yasir Al-Rumayyan, Governor of PIF,said: “We are delighted to welcome this new Google Cloud AI hub to Saudi Arabia. This partnership demonstrates PIF’s dedication to fostering an AI-friendly environment through investments in human capital and technology, upskilling thousands with cutting-edge tools to support our sustainable and innovative infrastructure goals. Saudi Arabia is a prime location for global tech partners as PIF brings both sector expertise and a long-term approach to investment.”

Ruth Porat, President and Chief Investment Officer of Alphabet and Google,said: “This strategic partnership will accelerate adoption of AI in the local language and across industries — including healthcare, retail, financial services and more — for enterprises and startups in Saudi Arabia, across the Middle East, Africa and around the world. As part of Saudi Arabia’s rich technology ecosystem, we aim to create highly-skilled jobs for Saudis and opportunities for global businesses to fuel growth through cloud adoption.”

The technology sector is one of PIF’s priority investment sectors, being a key enabler of other key areas of the economy, including entertainment, financial services, healthcare, transport and logistics, and utilities and renewables. PIF’s investments in the telecoms, communications and technology sector include the Saudi Information Technology Company (SITE), which provides digital and cyber services and solutions through national talents, and “iot squared,” which specializes in the Internet of Things.

To advance Arabic-language models, PIF and Google Cloud will explore enhancing the Arabic-language capabilities of Gemini — Google’s generative AI model family — by combining additional Arabic datasets with Google Cloud’s technology. Local businesses, researchers and developers will have the opportunity to connect these models to their systems so they can build sophisticated Arabic language AI agents and applications.

Preliminary research commissioned by Google Cloud and conducted by Access Partnership, a global tech policy advisory firm, estimates the new AI hub could add a cumulative $71 billion in GDP to the Saudi economy over eight years. The increased economic activity from AI adoption in Saudi Arabia is expected to support the creation of thousands of highly skilled direct and indirect jobs.

The new investments build on Google’s Cloud’s existing presence in Saudi Arabia, which includes the Dammam cloud region, which launched last year and is part of Google Cloud’s current global network of 40 regions.

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The Dubai AI Campus is a dedicated ecosystem for AI and Web3 innovation providing state-of-the-art physical and digital infrastructure at the heart of Dubai International Financial Centre. The Campus includes R&D facilities, accelerator programmes and collaborative workspaces, to attract, build and scale startups in the region. Under this collaboration, Google Cloud intends to offer mentorship opportunities for selected startups within the Dubai AI Campus, and work with the Campus on programs such as Google Cloud’s Gen AI Startup School. Furthermore, Google for Startups Cloud Program intends to give early-stage startups in the Dubai AI Campus ecosystem access to numerous Google resources designed for early-stage startup founders to help unlock the potential of Google Cloud, including its latest innovations in AI.

Mohammad Alblooshi, Chief Executive Officer of the DIFC Innovation Hub, said: “We are pleased to join forces with Google Cloud to create an optimal ecosystem equipped with resources to enable startups to drive innovation in AI. This partnership is a strategic step in harnessing the potential of emerging technologies. We are confident this collaborative agreement will strengthen the Dubai AI Campus as a favourable destination for startups across the world to scale their AI capabilities. Furthermore, it will solidify Dubai’s position as a hub for technology-focused companies and attract more world class talent and diversified investors to the region.”

Ziad Jammal, Country Manager for Google Cloud in the UAE said “We are thrilled to be working with Dubai AI Campus to empower the vibrant startup ecosystem in Dubai. This is another step towards supporting Dubai’s forward-looking economic agenda D33 that aims to make Dubai the fastest, safest and most connected city in the world.”

Ziad added: “Today, half of all funded generative AI startups are Google Cloud customers, including 70 percent of generative AI ‘unicorns’. Google Cloud can provide the infrastructure that startups actually need through our combination of security, scalability, and AI services. This collaboration reaffirms our deep commitment to nurturing innovation and entrepreneurship in the region. By providing startups with access to Google Cloud’s cutting-edge technology, mentorship, and resources, we aim to accelerate their growth and enable them to make a lasting impact on the global stage. We believe that AI has the potential to transform industries and solve some of the world’s most pressing challenges, and we’re excited to work with Dubai AI Campus to unlock that potential in Dubai.”

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In addition to mentorship, the Google for Startups Accelerator: Climate Change program features deep dives and workshops focused on product design, business growth, and leadership development. Selected startups will also benefit from dedicated Google Cloud technical expertise and receive credits via the Google for Startups Cloud Program.

Eligibility criteria includes-

• Startups demonstrating traction, ideally between Seed and Series A stage.
• Building a scalable product or service with a significant total addressable market and defensible growth model.
• Focusing on sustainable technology climate solutions, cleantech and green energy.
• Deeply technical, preferably leveraging technologies like Machine Learning and AI.
• Commitment from CTO and/or technical roles to participate and engage in required program sessions.

Joyce Baz, Head of Communications at Google, said: “As more organizations navigate the necessary, sustainability-driven business transformations on the horizon, they’re looking for new tools and technology to help them. We believe the global startup ecosystem plays a pivotal role in accelerating their progress, which is why we’re excited to kick-off 2023 with Google for Startups Accelerator: Climate Change programs, and encourage startups in the Middle East and Africa to apply. These programs will focus on identifying, supporting and scaling startups that are building technologies to combat climate change. This is the first time we’re running the program in MENA, we’re looking forward to welcoming participants in our region at a critical time when technology can unblock and accelerate decarbonization of the economy.”

Through a combination of 1-to-1 and 1-to-many learning sessions, startups will receive mentoring from experienced engineers and business experts from Google and the wider ecosystem throughout the program. This support will be specifically tailored to the needs of the startups’ businesses. Along with being paired with specialized Startup Success Managers (SSM) from Google, participants will also receive further training on how to use our best practices, tools, and personnel. At the end of the program, the cohort will present their achievements in a Demo Day in front of Google teams, mentors, investors, partners and key stakeholders from the Middle East and Africa startup ecosystems. After the program ends, startups will continue to receive support via the Google for Startups Accelerator Alumni program & network.

Application window is now open until July 7th, and applicants can apply through the link – https://startup.google.com/accelerator/climate-change/middle-east-africa/.

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The centre will provide training courses in the latest cloud technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), application and infrastructure modernisation, that will upskill professionals in the Saudi market who are leading digitisation efforts in their businesses or keen to pursue a career in the cloud industry. The courses are offered at no-cost.

Building on Google Cloud’s Skills Boost programme that runs globally, the CoE in Saudi Arabia joins in the company’s global efforts to train more than 40 million professionals around the world in cloud skills, that will equip them with the necessary knowledge to drive a culture of innovation and boost digital transformation in enterprises as well as startups.

The announcement was made at the “Next’22 Developers Hub” event hosted by Google Cloud in Riyadh, where the company also launched the “60 days of Google Tech Programme ” with 300 developers starting their learning journey as the first cohort at the centre to become certified associate cloud engineers. The centre will run multiple cohorts throughout the year that are available to professionals of all ages in the Kingdom and provides Google Cloud certification upon the completion of the training courses.

Additionally, the “Google for Startups Cloud Academy” was also announced at the event which is a 10-week programme designed for startups across Saudi Arabia that are leveraging technology to build scalable, resilient and innovative solutions to solve business challenges. All accepted startups will receive mentorship and support from teams at Google and its mentor network in application modernisation, artificial intelligence (AI), Data and Analytics, machine learning (ML) and marketing.

The Developers Hub event also hosted IT decision-makers, developers and students, who are all coming together to shape the future of cloud skills training in the country.

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Nana’s on-line grocery shopping experience available through the App or on the website, is completely powered by Google Cloud. Running the entire IT backend on Google Cloud enables Nana to grow and scale their business as they continue to expand in the Kingdom. It also provides the capabilities necessary to deploy features quickly, all while running on Google Cloud’s highly safe, secure and reliable global infrastructure.

With on-time delivery being a unique differentiator of Nana, the team relied on Google Cloud’s Fleet Routing tool as the solution to help enhance fleet utilization. The solution also helped in dispatching trucks for deliveries using Google Maps to identify the most efficient routes in the Kingdom, which ended up optimizing fleet utilization with better on-time delivery by 40%.

Ziad Jammal, Digital Natives Lead, MENA at Google Cloud said; “The collaboration with Nana Direct is an exciting opportunity for Google Cloud to bring innovative e-commerce solutions to life in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and share decades worth of expertise in establishing digital natives. Working hand in hand with Nana Direct on their set up from day one, has most definitely helped establish them for success as they became a household name across the country. We are delighted that our work with Nana Direct continues to support in elevating the consumer’s experience for seamless grocery shopping and delivery, as the market continues to demonstrate the rise in demand for such services even as Coronavirus restrictions are being lifted in KSA”.

Sami Al Helwah, Founder and CEO of Nana Direct added: “From day one at Nana Direct, a strategic decision was made to build our entire back-end from the ground up on Google Cloud. This is due to the innovative technological capabilities that Google Cloud provides, combined with the unique expertise in the digital natives and retail space which was shared with us from the onset. The level of support we received and continue to receive everyday from the team is unprecedented, and having this type of support has enabled us to develop a clear digital roadmap for the business, with growth and development at the heart of it”.

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Ten startups will be selected to participate in the Program that will give them access to expert-led masterclasses covering scaling fundamentals – from the business model canvas, and lean methodology, to fundraising. They will also receive tailored mentorship from carefully selected mentors, will be connected with venture capitalists and angel investors from around the world, get to meet the leading corporates in their industries for pilot projects and partnership opportunities.

The successful startups will receive €15,000 in cash and have access to over €500,000 in exclusive partner deals from leading technology providers such as Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, HubSpot, and SendGrid, amongst others.

The three-month Program will conclude with a digital Demo Day during which startups will present their newly scaled up solutions to hundreds of investors, corporates, mentors and press attendees. Notably, the participants will continue to receive support long after the Program ends via the Alumni Growth Program which offers access to alumni-only events, deals and tailored introductions.

Twenty-nine startups completed the first Startupbootcamp AfriTech Program and 90% of participating startups are still operating and scaling at impressive rates. What’s more, 40% have raised follow-on rounds of funding, with the average increase in valuation being 10x since their Demo Day.

In addition to corporate partner, Telecel Group, Program sponsors include Google Cloud Platform, Amazon Web Services, Hubspot, VC4A and Cloudworx. There are a limited number of slots for additional corporate Founding Partners to join the consortium. These partners will have the rare opportunity to help determine the key challenge areas that will be the focus of the Program’s startup scouting and sit on the exclusive selection committee that will choose the top 10 startups to participate.

Additionally, they will have the chance to engage in curated pilot and proof of concept projects with select startups to accelerate innovation within their organisations. Corporates that are interested to amplify their internal Innovation Agenda can email afritech@startupbootcamp.org.

The completely virtual, Pan-African Program kicks off in July 2021. Applications are open now and will remain so until 14 May. To apply, or for more information, go to https://bit.ly/SBC-ASIP

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