The 27th edition of StartUp Bahrain Pitch Series crowns "Cogman"& "Luma" as its winners

As part of its ongoing efforts to enhance the entrepreneurship ecosystem in the Kingdom of Bahrain and support the growth of startups, StartUp Bahrain, the Kingdom’s leading national platform for supporting startups, powered by Tamkeen, hosted the 27th edition of StartUp Bahrain Pitch. 

The event was held in the presence of H.E. Noor bint Ali Al Khulaif, Minister of Sustainable Development and Chief Executive of the Bahrain Economic Development Board, H.E. Abdullah bin Adel Fakhro, Minister of Industry and Commerce and Chairman of the SME Development Board, H.E. Maha Abdulhameed Mofeez, Chief Executive of the Labour Fund “Tamkeen”, Ms. Dalal Al Ghais, Chief Executive of the Bahrain Development Bank Board, and Mr. Waleed Kanoo, member of Tamkeen’s Board of directors.  

The Startup Pitch series is held in collaboration with the SMEs Development Board and provides an interactive platform for entrepreneurs to showcase their ventures before a group of experts and investors, and gain the mentorship and guidance needed to further develop their ideas and enhance their growth and expansion. 

The event also showcased a group of innovative startups offering digital and technology-driven solutions across various sectors, including Vibo, a social media platform that enables users to create and share short-form content; Meem AI, an AI-powered platform to streamline operations and enhance communication; Luma, a digital health platform, and Cogman; an AI-powered business management platform. 

After the participating startups presented their projects and were evaluated by the judging panels, the winners were announced with “Cogman” awarded first place and “Luma” awarded second place. 

On this occasion, Fahad Al Suwaidi from "Cogman" expressed pride in earning first place, saying: 

"This achievement marks a significant milestone in our project’s journey and reflects the continuous efforts made by our team to develop an innovative business model that efficiently meets market needs. Our participation in the StartUp Bahrain Pitch competition also provided us with a valuable platform to showcase our idea to a distinguished group of experts and investors and to benefit from their constructive feedback and guidance, which will support our future growth and expansion plans.” 

Second place winner, Bader Mattar from Luma, highlighted that this achievement serves as a strong incentive to continue developing the project and accelerating its growth.  He added that participation in the StartUp Bahrain Pitch competition offered a valuable opportunity to showcase the project and demonstrate its potential, while fostering meaningful connections with entrepreneurs, investors and startup ecosystem experts.

The event featured the participation of a group of leading speakers, experts and investors from the entrepreneurship ecosystem, including Nawaf Al Koheji, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Reete.co and keynote speaker at the event; Khalid Saad, founder and Managing Partner of Bunat Ventures; Mahmood Al Saati, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Saturn Consultants; and Laith Al Khalili, Associate Partner at Mumtalakat.

Tamkeen’s support for StartUp Bahrain aligns with its strategic priorities for 2026, which focus on supporting initiatives with high economic impact, enhancing the competitiveness of the private sector, connecting skills with the needs of the labor market, and adopting innovative approaches to stimulate the growth and expansion of startups, contributing to the Kingdom’s sustainable economic development. 

For more information about StartUp Bahrain and to participate in future editions of StartUp Bahrain Pitch, follow @startupbahrain on social media.