Enter TechRound’s MENA40 2026!
TechRound is proud to announce our first-ever MENA40 campaign, celebrating the most exciting startups in the Middle East and North Africa.
Whether your business is based in the MENA region or has another connection to the region, this is an opportunity to have your story heard.
Enter for free for a chance to be featured as one of our top 40 MENA companies. Each company featured will get an individual write-up, so it’s great publicity!
Founded in 2016, TechRound is the UK’s best-known and fastest-growing startup and tech news site. This is where decision-makers, investors and startups of all sizes and nature come to find out the latest developments and trends within the industry.
Entries Open: 9 June
Entry Cost: Free
Entry Deadline: 26 June, 5pm GMT
Winners To Be Announced: 10am GMT 2 July 2026
Why Enter?
- Featured in front of an audience of 200,000+ visitors per month
- Top 40 placements get a full page write-up (see example)
- Recognised by VCs, investors, journalists and industry leaders
- Free to enter
Our Criteria
- All companies must have some connection to the MENA region
- Revenue is not a deciding factor
- Both new businesses and established businesses welcome
Meet The Judges
Ebenezer Ojo, Co-Founder, Product Strategy and Innovation at Taxmingo
Ebenezer Ojo is the Co-Founder, Product Strategy and Innovation at Taxmingo, a fintech-driven tax and business compliance platform helping startups and SMEs simplify regulatory processes and scale more efficiently through digital solutions. With a multidisciplinary background spanning business management, project management, customer relations, and entrepreneurship, he is passionate about building practical innovation-led products that solve real business challenges in emerging markets.
Holding both an MBA and an MSc, Ebenezer combines strategic thinking with operational experience to support founders, startups, and growing businesses navigating compliance, growth, and digital transformation. His work and professional interests are centred around fintech innovation, startup scalability, product development, and enabling sustainable business growth across Africa and the wider MENA ecosystem.
Read more about Ebenezer’s experience and what he’s looking for in MENA40 entries here.
Obinna Umeh, Co-Founder and CEO of Growwr
Obinna Umeh is the Co-Founder and CEO of Growwr, an AI-powered hiring and workforce management platform connecting businesses with vetted African talent. Under his leadership, Growwr has grown to serve over 2,000 paying clients across 15+ countries and has received backing and support from leading startup and innovation programs.
Prior to Growwr, Obinna worked in growth and product marketing, helping technology companies scale user acquisition and revenue, including contributing to the growth of products that reached over 100,000 users. He is passionate about building technology that expands economic opportunities and enables businesses to hire and manage talent more efficiently.
Furkat Kasimov, Angel Investor and Serial Entrepreneur
Furkat Kasimov is an angel investor with over 20 years of experience building, scaling, and advising technology companies. As an angel investor who has backed several unicorns, he has a keen eye for companies with high-growth potential.
Read more about Furkat’s expertise and what he’s looking for in MENA40 entries here.
Gina Marrs, Editor, TechRound
Gina is TechRound’s Editor, overseeing daily operations are the publications and finding and sharing the most successful and exciting startups, investors and entrepreneurs in different sectors around the world.
With a keen interest in technology and the potential influence of AI on society, Gina aims to highlight both businesses and individuals who are taking great strides towards achieving innovation and change.
Stiven Muccioli, Founder and CEO, BKN301
Stiven Muccioli is a tech entrepreneur and investor, and the Founder and CEO of BKN301, the fintech infrastructure provider supporting banking operations across the Middle East, North Africa and Europe.
Stiven has founded and scaled multiple technology and financial services businesses. He is the Founder of venture capital firm SM Capital and Ventis, a fintech company that was later acquired by Iccrea Banca Group, where he previously served as CMTO. He is also the co-Founder and a member of the Board of Directors of Golee, a Milan-based SaaS solutions company. Stiven also founded Libertas, the first widely adopted news app in the Republic of San Marino, and Tippest, an e-commerce company that he later sold.
Alongside his entrepreneurial activities, Stiven is an active investor and startup mentor. He serves as an angel investor with the Founder Institute of San Francisco, the world’s largest pre-seed startup accelerator, and has invested in startups including RealtyMogul, Andalin and MallIQ. He was also an early investor in companies including SpaceX, Nubank and Palantir. Stiven holds a master’s degree from INSEAD and serves as Special Envoy for Innovation & Economic Development for the Republic of San Marino.
Taiwo Akinropo, Founder and CEO, Heyfood and Applied General Agents
Taiwo Akinropo is the Founder and CEO of Heyfood, the first African food delivery company backed by Y Combinator. As the first engineer in the company’s early days, he wrote the first version of the product and has since led Heyfood to more than ₦5 billion in transactions and over 250,000 downloads, raising capital from Y Combinator, Goodwater Capital, Ventures Platform, Olumide Soyombo, Oo Nwoye, and a number of angel investors.
He also helped build Serveet, Heyfood’s sister product, a point-of-sale platform that has processed over ₦4 billion in transactions.
Taiwo is now building Applied General Agents, an AI lab focused on software agents that handle real work for people. Its first product, Someone@, is a personal AI team that handles your finances, health, calendar, and more.
As a founder operating across consumer technology, marketplaces, payments, AI, and emerging-market infrastructure, Taiwo brings practical experience in building and scaling technology companies in complex, high-growth markets. He is especially interested in helping founders navigate the messy stretch between an idea and their first paying customers.
Get to know Taiwo and what he’s looking for as a judge here
Important! Advice From The Judges
Use the first line to describe your business, what it does and what you are about in two sentences…what makes you tick?
With our judges reading through hundreds of applications, we are looking for a clear description of your business, its concept, its success and plans for growth.
Try to avoid waffle and discuss your business clearly and concisely.
Model application example 1 >>
Model application example 2 >>
