Manama, Bahrain — June 11, 2026 — StartUp Bahrain, the initiative powered by the Labour Fund “Tamkeen” and in collaboration with the University of Bahrain, announced that GFH Bank has joined as a featured partner of StartUp Bahrain University of Bahrain, supporting the student founder pathway and strengthening private sector contribution to evaluating and enabling student projects, leading to the June finale within the pilot program that has so far advanced 91 student-founded projects.
This support aligns with Tamkeen’s strategic priorities for 2026, which focus on supporting high-impact economic initiatives, enhancing private sector competitiveness, and connecting skills with labour market needs, alongside adopting an innovative approach to stimulate startup growth and strengthen Bahraini youth readiness to contribute to the national economy, supporting sustainable economic development in the Kingdom.
GFH’s role as featured partner supports the program’s student startup fund and awards pool, and includes awards contributed by Tamkeen, GFH, KFH Bahrain, DOO, General Assembly Bahrain and Reboot Coding Institute. As part of the pool, the GFH Award will provide BD 500 to a selected student startup team.
StartUp Bahrain University of Bahrain was held from May 12–17, 2026 at the University of Bahrain and brought together more than 1,000 students from across academic disciplines, forming more than 160 student teams. The program offered an integrated practical experience that enabled students to move from idea development to building early project prototypes, through mentorship rounds, workshops and various eliminations leading to the semi-final stage. A total of 91 student-founded projects advanced to the semi-final stage, with 10 finalist teams set to pitch in June.
The program also tested StartUp Bahrain’s ability to manage high-volume student startup programming through a dedicated participant system supporting attendance tracking, team progression, important notifications, team records and certificate generation across the university-wide cohort.
“GFH is pleased to support a program that gives students practical exposure to entrepreneurship and early venture building. Bahrain’s future economy will depend on young people who can identify opportunities, work in teams and build solutions with discipline, and this initiative creates a meaningful platform for that.”
— Razi Almerbati, CEO of GFH Capital & Chief Investment Placement and Investor Relations Officer, GFH Bank
“GFH’s support strengthens the bridge between student ambition and the private sector. When major institutions back student founders early, it gives teams more confidence, more credibility and a clearer reason to continue building beyond the program.”
— Maram Murad, Event Lead, StartUp Bahrain
The program included keynote sessions by Ali Mohsen, Chief Executive Officer of DOO, and Ali Alalawi, Chief Executive of Unipal, and was hosted by instructor and radio host Imran Al Aradi. Students joined workshops and hands-on sessions covering idea generation, startup building, pitching, finance, no-code tools, AI and product development.
More than 44 mentors supported students throughout the program, including mentors from DOO, Tamkeen, General Assembly Bahrain, Reboot Coding Institute, the University of Bahrain, Bahrain FinTech Bay, Al Salam Bank, AstroLabs, Amazon Web Services, and other ecosystem organizations.
The program was organized by StartUp Bahrain, powered by Tamkeen, and sponsored by Kuwait Finance House Bahrain, Reboot Coding Institute, General Assembly Bahrain, GFH Bank, American Express Middle East, DOO, and Bahrain Development Bank.
About GFH Bank
GFH Bank is a Bahrain-based financial institution offering investment banking, asset management, wealth management and real estate-related services to clients and investors across regional and international markets.
About StartUp Bahrain University of Bahrain & StartUp Bahrain
StartUp Bahrain University of Bahrain is a university-wide startup program organized by StartUp Bahrain, powered by Tamkeen, and delivered in collaboration with the University of Bahrain. The program connects students with hands-on startup building, mentorship, workshops, team formation and pitching opportunities, supporting a practical pathway from student ideas to early-stage startups.
StartUp Bahrain is the national platform for startups in the Kingdom of Bahrain, convening founders, partners and policy makers through programs, events and content to accelerate entrepreneurship.
More information available at https://startupbahrain.com/weekend and @startupbahrain on social media.
Media Contact
Maram Murad, StartUp Bahrain
Email: maram@startupbahrain.com
About Labour Fund “Tamkeen”
The Labour Fund “Tamkeen” is a national entity established in 2006, aimed at facilitating the Kingdom of Bahrain’s economy by strengthening the private sector to be the key engine of economic growth. This is achieved by supporting the growth and development of enterprises, as well as developing the skills of local talent and enhancing their employment and career development opportunities to become the first choice for employment in the labor market.
Tamkeen offers a range of programs and initiatives that are designed in line with labor market needs and is driven by its strategic priorities and support initiatives which include employment support, career development support, and enterprise support programs.
More information available at www.tamkeen.bh
Follow our official channels (@TamkeenBahrain)
For media inquiries, please contact: media@tamkeen.bh
For general information: support@tamkeen.bh
Call Center: 17383333
About University of Bahrain
The University of Bahrain is the Kingdom of Bahrain’s national university. Established in 1986, the University offers academic programs across multiple colleges and supports education, research, student development and collaboration with public and private sector partners.