Meta and Startupbootcamp Partner to Accelerate Agentic AI Startups in MENA Region
Meta, a global technology leader, has partnered with Startupbootcamp, one of the world’s leading startup accelerators, to launch a new edition of the Llama Design Drive program. This three-month initiative equips MENA-based startups with tools, mentorship, and compute credits to build agentic AI applications — intelligent assistants and chatbots that autonomously solve real-world problems.
The program centers on Meta’s Llama models, the latest open-source natively multimodal large language model. Startups will use this technology to address regional challenges in mobility, aviation, healthcare, energy, retail, education, and public services. The initiative concludes with the Llama Summit, where selected startups showcase their solutions to regional and global audiences.
“At Meta, we believe in the transformative power of open-source AI. Through Llama Design Drive, we’re co-creating it with the region’s most promising founders, building AI agents that reflect the priorities, challenges, and opportunities of the MENA region,” said Joulan Abdelkhalek, Policy Programs Manager at Meta.
The MENA enterprise agentic AI market generated $102.2 million in revenue in 2024 and is projected to reach $1.07 billion by 2030, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 48.6%. This growth aligns with the region’s increasing demand for digital transformation and scalable automation.
Selected startups will receive a comprehensive support package, including up to $25,000 in AWS credits for compute-intensive development, as well as technical mentorship from Meta’s engineering teams and AI experts. During the three-month program, founders will engage in intensive workshops, capacity-building sessions, and ongoing guidance to develop, deploy, and scale agentic AI products for the local market.
The program is collaborating with industry leaders to design challenges and provide real-world problem statements. Previous partners include RTA, Chalhoub Group, Dubai Holding, Emirates Airline, and MBC Group — organisations that gained early access to innovative AI solutions, aligned with their digital strategies, and deepened their engagement with regional startup ecosystems.
The MENA region is emerging as a hub for AI innovation, with the agent market projected to grow from $213.1 million in 2024 to $2.2 billion by 2030. With 86% of professionals anticipating that AI will reshape their roles by 2029, the MENA region is positioning itself as a global leader in AI.
