In an effort to strengthen the MENA startup scene, Meta, a global leader in technology, and Startupbootcamp, a renowned startup accelerator with more than 1,600 successful startups, have partnered. This strategic partnership will launch Llama Design Drive, a program tailored to the needs of the Middle East and North Africa, with the goal of empowering local startups with state-of-the-art artificial intelligence technologies.
Three four-week sprints will comprise the program, which will be held in Egypt, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. To empower participating startups, these cohorts will include in-depth capacity-building workshops and mentorship sessions. The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), Chalhoub Group, and Dubai Holding are just a few of the prominent companies with which strategic alliances have been formed to explore AI-powered cutting-edge solutions and steer the definition of design challenges.
In order to support domestic innovation using AI, the Meta and Startupbootcamp program fills a vital gap by bridging the divide between established businesses and the vibrant world of AI startups. Through Llama Design Drive, startups in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) can leverage Meta’s open-source Llama 3.1 large language model to create products that address pressing issues in the fields of mobility, aviation, energy distribution, retail, and real estate.
Llama Design Drive provides corporations and startups with a win-win scenario. As they work together to develop innovative solutions using Llama 3.1, startups get invaluable experience collaborating with top companies on real-world challenges. Using this AI technology, corporations can use it to explore and co-create solutions to some of their most pressing issues. The initiative therefore seeks to illustrate the ability of ecosystem participants to collaborate openly in order to generate significant impact and unlock business value.
Participating startups will have the chance to advance quickly into a global program supported by Meta, where they could win up to $500,000 to help develop their products even further.
“Our programme not only promotes the adoption of AI technologies to develop solutions for corporate challenges but also facilitates connections between startups, corporates, and industry experts to expand networks and gain valuable knowledge and technical skills,” explains Ibrahim “Abe” Seksek, CEO MENA at Startupbootcamp.
“The whole world is excited to see how AI can add value to people’s lives,” said Joulan Abdul Khalek, Policy programmes Manager, Africa Middle East and Turkiye at Meta. “Llama Design Drive is a great example of how open source can bring people together to co-create meaningful AI solutions. By doing so, we hope to cultivate a thriving community of tech talent across the region, working with them to unlock the potential of these exponential technologies to address real-world challenges.”
With governments and companies starting to recognize the global shift towards AI and advanced technologies, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is well-positioned for the adoption of AI. With an anticipated yearly growth of 20–34% in the contribution of AI to GDP throughout the region, the Middle East is projected to receive 2% of the benefits of AI worldwide in absolute terms by 2030.
