Lina Mounzer

Pioneered health tech innovation for women in Saudi Arabia through Nakheel's groundbreaking telemedicine platform.

Lina Mounzer is the founder and CEO of Nakheel, a Saudi Arabian healthtech startup revolutionizing women's healthcare access in the Middle East. Launched in 2019 during the Kingdom's Vision 2030 reforms, Nakheel's telemedicine platform connects women with licensed gynecologists and lactation consultants through a discreet app-based system. This solves critical challenges in conservative societies where cultural norms restrict women's mobility. By 2023, the platform had served over 200,000 patients across 15 Saudi cities, with 92% user satisfaction rates according to internal metrics. Mounzer's innovation was featured in World Economic Forum articles as a case study in tech-driven gender empowerment. The startup raised $5.8 million in Series A funding in 2022 from investors including Saudi Aramco's Wa'ed Ventures. Mounzer's vision extends beyond healthcare - she created a mentorship program that has trained 300 Saudi women as certified telehealth nurses since 2021. Her work exemplifies the potential of digital health solutions in bridging gender gaps in developing economies, earning her recognition as Forbes Middle East's '30 Under 30' in 2022. Nakheel's success has inspired similar platforms in UAE and Jordan, demonstrating the replicability of this model across the region.