Unipal Wins Startup of the Year at 2025 Excellence Awards
May 1, 2025, 6:08 pm

Unipal Wins Startup of the Year at 2025 Excellence Awards

يونيبال تحصد جائزة أفضل شركة ناشئة لعام 2025

Unipal, the biggest youth platform in the region, has been honoured with the prestigious Mastercard Startup of the Year 2025 award during the Startups and SMEs Excellence Awards.

This recognition reflects Unipal’s outstanding contribution to empowering the youth community by providing exclusive offers and discounts that deliver tangible value.

The award was presented to Mr. Ali Alalawi, CEO of Unipal, at a distinguished event held at the Gulf Convention Centre, Gulf Hotel Bahrain. The ceremony was organised in collaboration with the Labour Fund (Tamkeen), Mastercard, Bahrain Development Bank, and KPMG Bahrain, and supported by a host of strategic partners committed to nurturing Bahrain’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
The ceremony was graced by the presence of distinguished officials, leading entrepreneurs, and influential investors. It recognised startups and SMEs that have excelled in innovation, demonstrated outstanding creativity, and adopted forward-looking practices that promote sustainable growth.

“Receiving the Startup of the Year award is a proud milestone for all of us at Unipal. It stands as a testament to the continued dedication and hard work of our team, whose drive to create meaningful value for youth remains at the heart of our mission. This recognition inspires us to deepen our impact, broaden our service offerings, and further enrich the youth journey.” commented Mr. Ali Alalawi.

Unipal has established itself as a leading platform in the region, dedicated to enhancing youth life by providing access to an extensive array of exclusive offers. The platform currently offers over 500 local discounts and more than 150,000 global discounts across various sectors, including food and beverage, retail, education, and entertainment.

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”