Propeller Kernel Camp Brings 5 MENA Startups to Silicon Valley

In short

Propeller Kernel Camp has started its first cohort in Silicon Valley.

The eight-week residency brings five deep-tech startups from Tunisia, Morocco, Jordan, and Egypt into Bay Area networks for AI infrastructure, developer tools, and cybersecurity.

What happened

Propeller, a venture capital firm with roots in the MENA region, has launched Kernel Camp, an annual residency program based in Silicon Valley.

The inaugural cohort includes OORB (Tunisia), Eli by Techbible (Morocco), Firstflow (Jordan), Nexguards (Egypt), and Flowbrave (Morocco).

Propeller says the program is built around workshops, mentorship, guest sessions, and site visits across the Bay Area. It also includes sponsored housing and one-on-one office hours.

OORB is building a cloud robotics workspace, a browser-based environment for robotics developers to build and test ROS projects. ROS, short for Robot Operating System, is a common software toolkit used to control robots.

Eli by Techbible focuses on managing SaaS and AI tool spend, meaning it tracks what companies pay for cloud apps and AI services. Firstflow provides onboarding and analytics for AI agents, which are software bots that can perform tasks like a junior employee. Nexguards runs cyber attack simulations and training, and Flowbrave turns business processes into AI-guided workflows.

Why it matters

Propeller is betting that MENA founders building technical products will move faster when they can access Silicon Valley’s dense mix of capital, engineering talent, and early customer networks.

For African and MENA operators, the cohort is a signal of growing cross-border programs aimed at AI infrastructure. These are the tools that sit under AI products, like developer platforms, security layers, and workflow systems.

Kernel Camp was first announced in December 2025 as part of Propeller’s cross-border strategy. The program targets demo-ready teams that are working full time and showing early traction.