We’re excited to announce the full cohort for the 2019 Finance Forward Middle East and North Africa (MENA) accelerator:
Finance Forward MENA 2019 is part of Finance Forward, a multi-year global coalition led by founding partners MetLife Foundation, PayPal, and Village Capital to support entrepreneurs on four continents who are building tech-enabled solutions to challenges around financial health, economic mobility, and community resilience.
This year’s cohort includes entrepreneurs working on different aspects of financial health including helping unbanked individuals gain access to formal financial services, creating digital identities for refugees and migrant workers, gaining access to employment, aiding small business owners to access affordable credit, and offering opportunities for underserved people to earn, save and invest for the future.
This program was open to entrepreneurs across the MENA region, with selected companies coming from Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Tunisia, Morocco and UAE. Company selection was made with guidance from our Advisory Board, as well as our local partners Beyond Capital, Endeavor, Arab Bank, Jordan Entrepreneurship & Innovation Association, Andersen Tax & Legal, and Landmark Hotel.
Participating startups will receive intensive feedback from and connections to potential customers, partners, mentors, and Metlife employees, as well as broad exposure to regionally-focused investors at a weeklong workshop in Amman, Jordan this November. Two participating entrepreneurs will be eligible for capital up to $50,000 from the Metlife Foundation.
Alicia Sornson is the Manager for Programs and Partnerships in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), where she develops strategy and programs that find, train and support entrepreneurs solving problems in the region.