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Anjal Z Techstars Founder Catalyst Program is enabling the world’s early childhood innovators to dream bigger.

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ANJAL Z

TECHSTARS FOUNDER CATALYST

The Anjal Z program instills innovation in early childhood development by empowering growth-stage global startups, to localize solutions that address critical ECD challenges across Abu Dhabi and the UAE.

We achieve this through a partnerships driven, customized and experiential fellowship program.

Anjal Z refers to the generations inspired by the late founder of the UAE, H.H. Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan and also means “Generation Z” in Arabic.

OUR STARTUPS

Kinedu

Video-centric mobile and desktop platform that unleashes early childhood development at scale by fostering quality learning experiences at home and at school.

Lamsa

Mobile application that encourages parents to engage with their children through culturally relevant and interactive Arabic content (stories, games and videos).

Nurturey

Smart mobile application for parents to manage the health and development of their children.

FinlandWay

School-in-a-box early education franchise network that utilizes technology to transform educator training and support curriculum delivery, learning processes, learning environments and outcome documentation. FinlandWay packages the best of the Finnish early childhood education system in a cost-competitive way to nurseries worldwide.

WonderTree

An affordable physiotherapy and educational game provider that uses augmented reality to help children of determination improve their motor, cognitive and educational skills. The games also have a reporting feature through which the progress of the child can be monitored by parents, teachers and medical professionals.

Thinkerbell Labs

Annie by Thinkerbell Labs is the world’s first digital braille literacy device that helps the visually impaired learn to read, write and type in braille through interactive audio-guided content in vernacular languages. Annie allows for easy monitoring and evaluation of student progress via Helios, a proprietary online dashboard.

LuxAI

Through its easy-to-use humanoid robot, QTrobot, improves the effectiveness of autism interventions by increasing the attention and engagement of children with autism. By empowering non-specialized caregivers and parents to deliver tailored and skill-specific autism interventions, LuxAI is making autism education scalable, accessible and affordable.

Monkibox

A subscription program that supports the cognitive and motor development of babies and toddlers with science-backed toys and activities that turn playtime into a learning experience.

RemmedVR

A telemedicine platform for diagnostics and rehabilitation in neurology and eyecare, able to correct strabismus (crossed eyes) and amblyopia (lazy eye), among other conditions. The RemmedVR medically certified home vision therapy system consists of dedicated VR goggles, therapeutic exercises and a therapist control panel.

Enrichly

Uses machine learning, gamification and data automation to make self-esteem improvement fun for children while providing an on-site mental health curriculum for schools.

Snapi Health

Gives parents an understanding of how to improve their baby’s health based on their actual gut profile with the first direct-to-consumer test kit to solve immune-related diseases and conditions.

Peekapak

Helps early childhood centers, schools and districts meet academic standards while teaching important social emotional learning (SEL) skills for Pre-K to 12th-grade students.

Kanjo

Provides personalized family healthcare, turning children’s games and activities into accurate, evidence-based insights and advice for parents.

Kokoro Kids

Brain app with a personalized model for each kid, no matter their level, culture, location or special condition.

Nuwa Robotics

Makes robots affordable, useful and everywhere that support teachers to deliver STEAM learning.

Program Incentives

3-Month program

Encompasses both an online program and in-person program (starting November 2023) where startups develop and implement bespoke project plans for their localization journeys.

Mentorship

Connects startups with dedicated mentors, both early childhood development and innovation experts.

Financing

Provides equity-free financing in the form of a grant of up to AED 1m in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO).

Localization

Enables public-private partnerships to support startups to launch their pilots in Abu Dhabi.

Providing Investment Opportunities

Abu Dhabi Experience

Promises a rich cultural experience in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

ABU DHABI Youth Challenge

The Abu Dhabi Youth Challenge (ADYC) Techstars Startup Weekend is an immersive and experiential bootcamp designed for students and recent graduates interested in entrepreneurship and its potential to solve modern-day challenges. During the boot camp, you will be equipped with the skills and knowledge to create your very.

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Anjal Z

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ECA.GOV.AE

The Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority (ECA) is a governmental entity based in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. We focus on health and nutrition, child protection, family support, early education and care; from the early stages of pregnancy to the age of eight years old. We are broadening the capabilities of our partners to support holistic child development, developing coordinated and aligned policies and laws, informing decision-making through research, data and evidence and working to transform how people think about and address the needs of young children.

INVESTINABUDHABI.GOV.AE

The Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) is partnering with the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority (ECA) on upcoming cohorts of the Anjal Z programme. As part of its mission to support startups, ADIO will support the selection and incentive award process and provide funding through its Innovation Programme, as well as facilitate the setup of the selected companies in Abu Dhabi.

The partnership will increase support for private sector companies seeking to innovate for regional and global impact, ensuring they have greater access to the support and funding required to succeed.

ADIO is the government entity responsible for attracting and facilitating investment in Abu Dhabi. ADIO enables opportunities for innovative investors and businesses of all sizes, facilitating connections across Abu Dhabi’s innovation ecosystem to help them establish and grow in the emirate.

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TECHSTARS.COM

Past Techstars Founder Catalyst programs have resulted in hundreds of business and investor connections and seeded countless relationships between participants and mentors. By providing introductions to world-class resources and education, Techstars helps participants dramatically increase their chances of success. The tools, insights and strategies Techstars offers through its programs and services are based on the experience of operating nearly 54 accelerator programs around the world–and having accelerated more than 3000 companies to date. Collectively, the Techstars portfolio has raised more than $23.8 billion from investors and is worth more than $147 billion today.

FAQs
Please apply by 27 August 2023
Upon registration, you will receive an email acknowledging the application. You will receive a follow-up email regarding the next steps/if any information is missing/if additional information is needed.
The program has two tracks: Ignite: This track is for founders with an MRR of less than US$20k (or similar traction), who have not raised more than US$250k, and who have a team of fewer than five people. Founders in this category will: 💡 Receive Virtual world-class Masterclasses 👥 Have Access to a global network of mentors 🗣️ Get Techstars 1-2-1s and Pitch Feedback sessions Launch: This track is for founders with an existing customer base and traction, MRR of more than US$20k (or similar traction), have not raised more than US$1m, and have a team of more than three people. For founders in this track, in addition to our top-notch resources, masterclasses, and mentorship, you will also have the opportunity to: 🇦🇪Localize your startup in Abu Dhabi 🧳 Launch a POC project in Abu Dhabi with a one-month all-expenses-paid trip 💰 Up to US$220,000 in equity-free funding from our partner, the Abu Dhabi Investment Office.
You will know the outcome of your application via email by September 2023. Please keep an eye on your inbox/spam for our email, and in case you are selected, please confirm your participation before the deadline (mentioned in the email).
Yes, after applying, if you wish to modify/change it, please email anjalz-foundercatalyst@techstars.com
We will select up to 20 startups.
Selected startups will be invited to the four-week in-person program held in Abu Dhabi in January – February 2024. The Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority (ECA) will sponsor the flights and accommodation for one team member per startup for the duration of the program.
There is no cost to participate in the program. Startups invited to attend the final four program weeks in person will be eligible for up to US$220,000 of equity-free grants to support localization efforts through a strategic partnership formed with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office.
There is no template. Your pitch deck should be submitted as a PDF (.pdf) file.
Please feel free to contact anjalz-foundercatalyst@techstars.com for more information/queries/support.