Powering the Future of Innovation & Entrepreneurship in Bahrain and in the broader MENA region together.
is the Kingdom’s premier platform for innovation, entrepreneurship, and corporate transformation. Rooted in AUBH’s ethos of equipping future leaders with the skills to succeed, the Lab provides a dynamic ecosystem where students, researchers, entrepreneurs, and corporations can transform groundbreaking ideas into impactful, market-ready ventures.
Beyond Startup incubation and academic entrepreneurship tracks, the Lab partners with corporate and industry leaders to deliver customized innovation programs, design thinking workshops, executive training, and collaborative R&D opportunities. This dual focus ensures that Bahrain’s entrepreneurial ecosystem not only nurtures startups but also empowers established companies to innovate, stay competitive, and scale sustainably in a rapidly changing global economy.
To be the leading hub for innovation and entrepreneurship in Bahrain and in the region, empowering students, researchers, entrepreneurs and corporations to transform groundbreaking ideas into impactful, market-ready ventures.
To empower innovators, entrepreneurs, and corporations to create impactful solutions by providing them with the knowledge, mentorship, market access, and advanced facilities needed to thrive. We are committed to bridging academia and industry, ensuring that ideas move from concept to commercialization, shaping Bahrain’s future economy.
Breakthroughs through teamwork.
Connecting Bahrain to the world.
Knowledge as a catalyst for change.
Ethical, transparent , sustainable.
Resilient, resourceful, future-focused.
Always learning, always evolving.
The Investcorp Innovation Lab powered by AUBH is more than a lab — it’s a launchpad for ideas and organizations. Through collaborations with Startup Bahrain, MIT Venture Mentoring Services (VMS), the US Soft Landing Program, Cambridge Innovation Center, Babson College, Bentley University, Raincode and industry leaders, the Lab provides:
At the IIL, innovation doesn’t stop at ideation. We provide three integrated programs Startups, Corporate, and Academics — that converge through pilots, investment, and scale. This creates a unified ecosystem where knowledge, resources, and opportunities flow seamlessly across the entrepreneurial, academic, and corporate communities.
The Investcorp Innovation Lab powered by AUBH is proud to be the first institution to bring the renowned MIT Venture Mentoring Service (VMS) to Bahrain. This world-class mentorship model connects our entrepreneurs with top experts and industry leaders who provide structured, team-based guidance throughout the venture journey.
Our MIT VMS–certified mentors are carefully selected for their proven expertise, diverse industry backgrounds, and commitment to empowering the next generation of innovators. They play a critical role in helping founders refine ideas, validate business models, and build ventures with global potential.
Why it matters: Mentorship is at the heart of innovation. By bringing MIT VMS to Bahrain, IIL AUBH ensures that startups and innovators gain access to the same caliber of guidance that has supported some of the world’s most successful ventures.
Innovation at the Lab is powered by state-of-the-art facilities
Guided by a dedicated Advisory Panel of academics, industry leaders, and innovation experts. This panel provides strategic oversight, ensuring our programs remain impactful, transparent, and aligned with Investcorp’s and AUBH’s vision. By combining global expertise with local insight, the panel helps shape our direction and strengthen every venture we support.
Programs built for startups, corporate teams, and students to learn, build, and scale.
Director of the Investcorp Innovation Lab
Salma Houari is a Bahrain-based innovation ategist and ecosystem builder, serving as Director of the Investcorp Innovation Lab powered by the American University of Bahrain (AUBH). In her role, she designs and delivers programmes that connect students, researchers, founders, and corporates through initiatives spanning incubation, investor readiness, and corporate pilot pathways.
As Founder & Managing Partner of RaiseV, Salma supports startups and executive teams on venture design, scale-up strategy, and the adoption of exponential technologies, including AI, IoT, blockchain, and deep tech.
She serves as an Evaluator and Expert for the European Innovation Council (EIC), as well as a Technical Due Diligence Expert for the EIC Innovation Fund, and is a Certified Exponential Organizations (OpenExO) Ambassador & Coach.
Earlier in her career, Salma held senior roles in Open Innovation at Pfizer, Perrigo, and Unilever, and lectured on innovation at Rotterdam Business School, where she also established the Startup Academy.
A frequent judge and mentor for programmes such as Rockstart, ACE Amsterdam, and SLINGSHOT, her work spans healthtech and medtech, edtech, fintech, the circular economy, and consumer sectors across MENA, Europe, the US, Africa, and Asia.
Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Member of the Board of Directors (Independent)
Mr. Ahmed Alumran brings over 20 years of strategy and management consulting experience, having advised investment institutions, family offices, and corporate clients on the planning, analysis, financing, and growth of their projects and partnerships across North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
He is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Stratum, an independent advisory boutique that supports clients in areas such as strategy, transactions, research, and analytics. In addition, he has advised government agencies on strategic planning and policy development.
Mr. Alumran currently serves as a Board Member and Board Governance, Nomination, and Remuneration Committee (BGNRC) member at Edamah, the real estate arm of Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund, Mumtalakat. He is also a Board Member of the American School of Bahrain, established by Esol Education, the largest operator of American curriculum K-12 schools outside the United States.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Alumran worked with a global management consulting firm founded by former McKinsey & Company partners in New York, as well as with a private equity advisory firm focused on capturing financial synergies across its clients’ portfolio companies.
He has also previously served as a member of the Gulf Venture Capital Association and the Bahrain Competitiveness Council.
Head of Projects and Business Management
Yasser Al Khaja is the Head of Projects and Business Management at Investcorp Private Wealth. He has been with Investcorp since 2017, having also served with the firm earlier from 2005 to 2008.
With over 20 years of experience across leading investment and financial institutions in the region, Yasser has built a strong track record in digital transformation, operational strategy, and stakeholder-centric engagement.
Prior to his current role, Yasser held senior positions at Arcapita, PineBridge Investments, and Mumtalakat, and began his career at the Central Bank of Bahrain. His expertise spans investor services, project management, and digital innovation — including the launch of Investcorp Wealth, the firm’s proprietary digital capital-raising mobile app, as well as an AI-powered relationship management and prospecting engine.
Yasser also plays a key role in shaping Investcorp’s executive education and entrepreneurship strategy, including the design and delivery of the recurring Investcorp Leadership Program in collaboration with leading global business schools such as IMD, HEC, and INSEAD. He recently served as a Judge for the INJAZ Bahrain Young Entrepreneurs Competition 2025.
He holds an MBA from London Business School and a BBA from the American University in Dubai. Yasser is passionate about building inclusive, high-performance cultures and aligning technology with business objectives to drive long-term impact.
Chief Operating Officer
Mr. William D. Hurt is a seasoned operational strategist with more than 10 years of experience in the Middle East, overseeing all business operations and development for the American University of Bahrain (AUBH).
Mr. Hurt began his career with a respected management consultancy firm in the United States, where he executed projects across sectors including education, defence, and pharmaceuticals. During this time, he focused on addressing complex financial challenges in a variety of transactional and operational contexts, with particular emphasis on M&A, product development, and strategic procurement.
Before joining AUBH, Mr. Hurt was a founding team member and later Managing Director of Middle East Operations at Laureate Education Inc., a U.S.-based global education network. In this role, he developed market entry strategies and led the establishment of 11 higher education institutions through public-private partnerships, building them from the ground up.
A hands-on and results-driven leader, he oversaw business model creation and operational design across all functions, helping to scale the organisation to employ more than 500 professionals dedicated to delivering high-quality educational outcomes.
