Sanabil Talent by LAUNCHA Founder University Program
AboutCurriculumFormatCalendarAlumni
Apply
Sanabil Founder University cohort
Cohort 1 - November 2025

Turn your startup idea into a reality.

A 12-week pre-accelerator by Sanabil Investments and LAUNCH helping entrepreneurs build, launch, and scale MENA-based startups.Online with in-person sessions in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Cohort 1 - Graduation, January 2026Apply Now →Cohort 2 - Kick-Off, November 2026
Sanabil Founder University by LAUNCH

From an idea to a company
ready for the region.

Three-Day Kick-Off in Riyadh

At Sanabil Hub. Meet your fellow founders and work with Jason Calacanis and the LAUNCH team. Speakers and mentors run workshops on pitching, go-to-market strategy, business models, and building in the MENA region.

Attendance required.

Online Sessions

Two 90-minute live sessions and mentoring per week. Learn entrepreneurial mindset, MVP development, validation, TAM analysis, fundraising, competitive positioning, and more.

Attendance required.

Learning at Sanabil Hub

Founder Saturdays, Mid-Cohort Seminar and Graduation Day will be hosted at Sanabil Hub. Join the community of founders, mentors, and investors as you build, launch, and scale your startup.

Attendance for the mid-term seminar and Graduation Day required.
Inside the program
Cohort workshop day
Kickoff at Sanabil Hub, Riyadh
Graduation and certificates
Founders connecting during a program gathering
Founder presenting to a panel and audience at Sanabil Hub
Traction and growth session at Sanabil Founder University
Founders in a small-group mentor session
Two members of the Sanabil Founder University community
Founders taking part in a facilitated roundtable

What you'll accomplish.

  1. Build and iterate your MVP
  2. Identify your target customers and business model
  3. Onboard users; employ marketing and sales strategies
  4. Sharpen your pitch; identify sources of funding
  5. Build alongside peers who challenge and support you

What's included with your cohort seat.

Curriculum, expert mentors, and a network that grows long after your 12 weeks end.

0
Online Sessions
0
In-Person Sessions
0
Lessons
∞
Community

Curriculum.

From first principles to building, launching, fundraising, and beyond.

01Week

Foundational Knowledge

02Week

Being a Founder

03Week

Building an MVP

04Week

Business Model

05Week

Customer Profiles

06Week

Validation Research

07Week

Metrics & TAM

08Week

Iterating on MVP

09Week

User Feedback

10Week

Competitive Matrix

11Week

Perfecting the Pitch

12Week

Accelerator Prep

How the program runs.

Monday strategy sessions

  • 90 minutes, attendance required
  • Presentations from industry experts
  • Founder Q&A with the LAUNCH team and speakers

Wednesday mentor sessions

  • 90 minutes, attendance required
  • Interactive mentorship with LAUNCH team, startup experts, and fellow founders
  • Practice pitches and get candid feedback

Structured learning

  • 12-week asynchronous curriculum and resources
  • Weekly activities and action plans
  • Frameworks to apply beyond the 12 weeks

Community

  • Collaborate with fellow cohort members across MENA
  • In-person meetups and opportunities in Riyadh
  • Access to LAUNCH founders across the network

Program calendar.

From the AMA to Graduation Day. In Riyadh and online.

Founder Saturdays are optional but highly encouraged. All other sessions are mandatory.

October – November 2026

  1. Week 0
    Oct 27
    AMA with Jason CalacanisOnline
  2. Week 1
    Nov 8–10
    Three-Day Kick-OffRiyadh
  3. Week 2
    Nov 16
    Speaker SessionOnline
  4. Nov 18
    Mentoring SessionOnline
  5. Nov 21
    Founder SaturdayRiyadh
  6. Week 3
    Nov 23
    Speaker SessionOnline
  7. Nov 25
    Mentoring SessionOnline
  8. Nov 28
    Founder SaturdayRiyadh
  9. Week 4
    Nov 30
    Speaker SessionOnline

December 2026

  1. Dec 2
    Mentoring SessionOnline
  2. Dec 5
    Founder SaturdayRiyadh
  3. Week 5
    Dec 7
    Speaker SessionOnline
  4. Dec 9
    Mentoring SessionOnline
  5. Dec 12
    Founder SaturdayRiyadh
  6. Week 6
    Dec 14
    Speaker SessionOnline
  7. Dec 16
    Mentoring SessionOnline
  8. Dec 19
    Mid-Cohort SeminarRiyadh
  9. Week 7
    Dec 21
    Speaker SessionOnline
  10. Dec 23
    Mentoring SessionOnline
  11. Dec 26
    Founder SaturdayRiyadh
  12. Week 8
    Dec 28
    Speaker SessionOnline
  13. Dec 30
    Mentoring SessionOnline

January – February 2027

  1. Jan 2
    Founder SaturdayRiyadh
  2. Week 9
    Jan 4
    Speaker SessionOnline
  3. Jan 6
    Mentoring SessionOnline
  4. Jan 9
    Founder SaturdayRiyadh
  5. Week 10
    Jan 11–14
    Sprint WeekOnline
  6. Jan 16
    Pitch Deck WorkshopRiyadh
  7. Week 11
    Jan 18
    Speaker SessionOnline
  8. Jan 20
    Mentoring SessionOnline
  9. Jan 23
    Founder SaturdayRiyadh
  10. Week 12
    Jan 25–28
    Pitch WeekOnline
  11. Jan 30
    Founder SaturdayRiyadh
  12. Week 13
    Feb 4
    Graduation DayRiyadh

Apply today.

Applications are open for Cohort 2.

Start your application →
Tuition
$500
1,875 SAR
We value commitment.

Join every live session through the 12 weeks and we'll refund your full tuition.

Sanabil Talent by LAUNCH

Presented by Sanabil Investments.Powered by LAUNCH, founded by Jason Calacanis.

Apply →Sanabil Investments ↗LAUNCH ↗
© 2026 Sanabil Founder University. All rights reserved.

What alumni are saying

Click in to see all testimonials→
AE
Abderrahmane El Fehli
“After participating in six different startup programs across Africa and Europe, it wasn't until I joined Sanabil Founder University that I truly understood how a startup is supposed to function. This program moves past the theory and gets straight to the core of what it takes to build a scalable, successful company. The depth of expertise, the high-intensity environment, and the caliber of the community provided a level of clarity I hadn't found anywhere else. If you want to stop 'playing startup' and start building one, this is where you need to be.”
Abderrahmane El Fehli
Novate
AJ
Abdulrahman Joud
“I highly recommend this program for those founders who are building something great for their community.”
Abdulrahman Joud
Emtethal
BA
Bashayer Alsari
“Sanabil Founder University gave me the clarity, network, and strategic direction I needed to scale Rushd. The program challenged my thinking and accelerated my growth as a founder.”
Bashayer Alsari
Rushd
ZA
Zainab Al Basha
“A program that definitely changes your walk through your milestones. Needed for every founder. ”
Zainab Al Basha
Ajeer Pay
HM
Housseini Mamadou
“I thought I knew a lot about entrepreneurship and startups until I joined this program. This program pushed me to build my product the right way from the beginning, talk to my customers, perfect my pitch, and most importantly, connect with people I couldn’t normally reach.”
Housseini Mamadou
Iqra
NE
Nour Elhouda Zorgui
“I came to launch with just an idea and no plan how yo turn it into a real product and i completed the program with a product a framework to build other products snd a network of experts to ask along the journey”
Nour Elhouda Zorgui
Navia Care
HA
Hussein Alsyoud
“Sanabil Founder University by LAUNCH helped us transform our pitch from good to investor-ready. The weekly check-ins created real momentum, their global mentors helped us avoid critical mistakes on our startup journey, and our overall presence as a company leveled up.”
Hussein Alsyoud
HSInsight
KJ
Kristijan Jordanov
“Sanabil Founder University offered a great founder network, high-quality mentors, and inspiring guest sessions with experienced founders and industry experts. Combined with the strong focus on simplification and hands-on advice for building in Saudi Arabia.”
Kristijan Jordanov
Net Zero Build
01 / 08
Advertisement
Advertisement