Announcing the newest cohort of the Google for Startups Accelerator: Middle East, North Africa & Turkey

Overview

Google announced the newest cohort of its Google for Startups Accelerator for the Middle East, North Africa, and Turkiye (MENA-T). The 15 selected AI-first companies begin a three-month program on June 1. The cohort follows a sixth group that concluded in November 2025, in which 14 startups from 8 countries received more than 230 hours of mentorship. The 2026 program adds resources to help founders navigate geopolitical uncertainty in the region.

Key Takeaways

Google selected 15 AI-first startups for the new MENA-T accelerator cohort starting June 1.
The program runs three months and includes technical support, stack audits, and one-on-one mentorship.
The prior cohort included 14 startups from 8 countries that received over 230 hours of mentorship.
The 2026 program adds resources to help founders navigate regional geopolitical uncertainty.
Past participant COGNNA reported analysts working 80% faster and closed a $9.2 million Series A round.

Stats & Key Facts

#15 companies in the new cohort
#14 AI-first startups in the prior cohort from 8 countries
#More than 230 hours of 1:1 mentorship
#Three-month program length
#COGNNA analysts work 80% faster
#$9.2 million Series A round closed by COGNNA

Announcing the newest cohort of the Google for Startups Accelerator: Middle East, North Africa & Turkey

About the accelerator

Google frames the program around supporting AI-first startups in the region.

›The program supports AI-first startups in the Middle East, North Africa, and Turkiye building information-driven services.
›The newest cohort has 15 companies and starts on June 1.
›The cohort follows the sixth group, which concluded in November 2025.

Google describes the region as known for resilience and says it wants to help founders flourish in any conditions.

Results from the prior cohort

The fall 2025 program reported measurable outcomes.

›14 AI-first startups from 8 different countries took part.
›Participants received more than 230 hours of specialized 1:1 mentorship from Google experts.
›Startups refined business strategies, accelerated AI/ML work with Google Cloud, and improved product design.

The new cohort companies

The 15 selected startups address a range of industries.

›BioTwin creates virtual twins from health data, and Hakeem translates clinical studies into patient-specific guidance for clinicians.
›Coral, Openfarming, and Promake target sustainability, distributor workflows, and manufacturing optimization.
›Qanooni and TruBuild focus on legal work and construction tender evaluation, while Woliz uses voice AI for nanostore ordering.

Other members include Each::labs, inveon.ai, Jusoor Labs, Plusfinity, Repzo, RFxAI, and Tapper, spanning developer tools, e-commerce, education, field data, procurement, and invalid traffic detection.

The curriculum

The three-month program is tailored to startup challenges.

›The curriculum provides intensive technical support, including comprehensive stack audits and one-on-one mentorship from global experts.
›Technical training focuses on AI security and generative design.
›The program pairs technical work with strategic business modeling and go-to-market planning.

Google says the 2026 program adds resources, focus, and training to help startups navigate uncertain geopolitics that can affect the region.

Example of impact

Google highlighted one prior participant's growth.

›COGNNA provides an agentic security operations center (SOC) suite.
›Improvements made during the accelerator let its platform allow analysts to work 80% faster.
›COGNNA subsequently closed a $9.2 million Series A funding round.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many companies are in the new cohort and when does it start?

The cohort has 15 AI-first companies, and the program starts on June 1.

Which region does the accelerator serve?

It serves the Middle East, North Africa, and Turkiye, referred to as MENA-T.

What did the previous cohort include?

The sixth cohort concluded in November 2025 with 14 AI-first startups from 8 countries that received more than 230 hours of 1:1 mentorship.

What does the curriculum cover?

The three-month program provides technical support such as stack audits and mentorship, training in AI security and generative design, plus business modeling and go-to-market planning.

What outcome did COGNNA report?

COGNNA, an agentic SOC provider, said its platform lets analysts work 80% faster and closed a $9.2 million Series A round after the accelerator.

The new cohort continues Google's effort to support AI-first startups across the MENA-T region.