Meta, Startupbootcamp to speed up agentic AI startups in MENA with Llama design drive 

Meta, the worldwide know-how chief, and main startup accelerators Startupbootcamp introduced a partnership to launch a brand new version of the ‘Llama Design Drive’ programme within the Center East.

The three-month initiative will equip MENA-based startups with instruments, mentorship, and supply compute сredits to construct agentic AI purposes — clever assistants and chatbots that autonomously resolve real-world issues.

Empowering MENA’s AI startups

The programme centres on Meta’s Llama fashions, the newest open-source natively multimodal giant language mannequin.

Startups will use this know-how to deal with regional challenges in mobility, aviation, healthcare, vitality, retail, training, and public companies.

The initiative will conclude with the Llama Summit, the place chosen startups showcase their options to regional and world audiences.

“At Meta, we consider within the transformative energy of open-source AI. Via Llama Design Drive, we’re co-creating it with the area’s most promising founders, constructing AI brokers that replicate the priorities, challenges, and alternatives of the MENA area,” mentioned Joulan Abdelkhalek, Coverage Packages Supervisor at Meta.

This yr’s deal with agentic AI displays the area’s rising urge for food for digital transformation and scalable automation.

With governments throughout the MENA area actively investing in digital infrastructure and AI capabilities, there may be an growing demand for AI brokers that present sensible, self-directed assist in public companies, on-line studying, digital healthcare, and inexperienced mobility. Startupbootcamp mentioned it views this as a pure evolution of AI within the area.

“From conversational healthcare bots to digital tutors and public service assistants, agentic AI is uniquely positioned to unlock regional potential. We’ve seen startups in our previous cohorts ship impactful options, and this yr we’re doubling down on that imaginative and prescient,” mentioned Hani Murad, CEO of Startupbootcamp.

Chosen startups will obtain a complete assist package deal, together with as much as $25,000 in AWS credit for compute-intensive improvement, in addition to technical mentorship from Meta’s engineering groups and AI specialists.

The programme will collaborate with business leaders to design challenges and supply real-world downside statements.

Earlier companions included RTA, Chalhoub Group, Dubai Holding, Emirates Airline, and MBC Group, Startupbootcamp mentioned.