- What
- Pitch competition with US$50,000 in equity-free cash prizes.
- Who
- Women-founded startups; co-founder holds at least 33%.
- From abroad
- Within the region: Female-founded or co-founded startups, women co-founder(s) with at least 33%; Licensed companies registered on or after 1 Jan 2019 All programmes open to founders from abroad →
- Latest
- Last call for applications 2026 — TiE Women MENA Program 2026: applications openNewest dated item on its own site · checked Oct 2026
Checked · October 2026 · dubai.tie.org/tie-women · How we check ↗
In detail
TiE Women MENA is a competition — equity-free cash prize in the UAE. Pitch programme of TiE Dubai for women-founded startups, run as an annual edition covering the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the rest of the Middle East. Winners receive equity-free cash prizes and the pitch must be delivered by the female founder or co-founder.
- Amount
- US$50,000 in equity-free cash prizes
- Terms
- No equity — equity-free cash prize
- Eligibility
- Women co-founder(s) holding a minimum 33% stake
- company licensed and registered on or after 1 January 2019
- the pitch is delivered by the female founder or co-founder
- Status
- Active — the TiE Women MENA Program 2026 page links "Apply Now" to the TiE Women pitch portal; no closing date published (checked October 2026)
Is this for you?
Where is your company?
Are you open to giving equity?
We match them against what TiE Women MENA publishes.
A guide to the published criteria, not a decision — the programme selects.
What the source says
“UAE | EMIRATI | SAUDI ARABIA | EGYPT | REST OF MIDDLE EAST”
“$50,000 Equity free cash prizes”
“Women co-founder(s) must have minimum 33% stakeholder”
“Licensed companies registered on or after 1 Jan 2019 eligible to apply”
“Pitch opportunity provided only to female founder/co-founder.”
“Login”
Closing soon on the map
No published deadline in the next 30 days · All published deadlines →
Compare grants & prizes in the UAE
| Cost | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| TiE Women MENAPitch competition with US$50,000 in equity-free cash prizes. | US$50,000 | No equity | Active |
| Create AI Agents Championship (Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy)USD 150,000 grant for each of four category winners of Dubai's AI Agents championship. | USD 150,000 | No equity | Open |
| Expo City Dubai Foundation — Changemakers AcademyGrants up to AED 50,000 plus incubation for idea-stage impact founders. | up to AED 50,000 | Grant | Closed |
| Zayed Sustainability PrizeNon-dilutive prize: US$1M per category winner, US$100K per finalist. | US$1M | No equity | Closed |
| Al Quoz Creative Entrepreneurship Competition (Dubai Culture)Cash prizes of AED 80,000 / 50,000 / 30,000 for the top three (2025 edition). | AED 80,000 | No equity | Closed |
| FoodTech Challenge (UAE)Global food-tech competition; the third edition offered $2m in cash, winners selected. | $2m | No equity | Closed |
| MBZUAI Incubation and Entrepreneurship Center (IEC)AI startup incubator at MBZUAI; competitive grants of up to AED 200k for its founders. | up to AED 200k | Grant | Active |
No programmes match these filters.
Highest amount in each programme’s own “What” line. Other currencies converted for sorting only (Gulf pegs; KWD, EUR, GBP approximate).
More programmes that take no equity →
Questions founders ask
What does TiE Women MENA offer?
Pitch competition with US$50,000 in equity-free cash prizes.
Does TiE Women MENA take equity?
No equity — cash prize.
Can founders from abroad apply?
Within the region: Female-founded or co-founded startups, women co-founder(s) with at least 33%; Licensed companies registered on or after 1 Jan 2019.
How do I apply?
Through its own application form — the Apply button on this page goes straight there.
Sources
Primary source · dubai.tie.org/tie-women · Checked October 2026