Launch Of Global Business Opportunities Program’s 2nd Version

QRCE

The second version of the Global Business Opportunities program was officially launched yesterday by the Al-Ahli Holding Group in partnership with the Queen Rania Center for Entrepreneurship (QRCE), in a ceremony presided over by HRH Princess Sumaya Bint El-Hassan.

The program aims to train a group of young entrepreneurs of various nationalities in order to prepare them for the launch of global companies. The opening ceremony was attended by a number of prominent figures, businesspeople, ambassadors and participating delegations from Jordan, Argentina and South Africa.

The Queen Rania Center for Entrepreneurship and Al-Ahli Holding Group signed an agreement earlier this year to cooperate on this version of the Global Business Opportunities program; and this launch is a step forward in the frame of that cooperation.

Joi Ito, the CEO of Creative Commons, who was present at the launch ceremony, gave a motivational speech for participants, in which he emphasized the role of entrepreneurship in achieving comprehensive development and the significance of creativity in the success of companies starting up and increasing their ability to compete in global markets.

Husni Khuffash, Google’s UAE Country Manager, went over the different challenges facing entrepreneurs in their endeavors to establish global corporations, and offered solutions for these challenges.

There are 25 young men and women participating in this program from Jordan, Argentina and South Africa. They will be undergoing intensive training for three weeks, during which they will be introduced to administrative, marketing, financing, financial and human resources skills, along with others, presented by the Cisco Entrepreneurship Institute at the Queen Rania Center for Entrepreneurship.

Participants will then be divided into a number of groups made up of people from different nationalities to work on a complete business project, using the skills and ideas acquired throughout the program.

The first version of the program took place in Argentina with the participation of 20 young men and women from the United Arab Emirates and Argentina. Preparations are underway to implement the program in Brazil and South Africa in an expanded capacity and with a larger participation of youth.

Partnership Agreement Signed between QRCE and Al-Ahli Holding Group

Press Release: Partnership Agreement Signed between QRCE and Al-Ahli Holding Grp.
AMMAN, Jordan – (Jan. 2009)

Under the patronage of Dr. Adel Al-Twaysi – Chairman of the founding committee of El-Hassan Science City – the Queen Rania Center for Entrepreneurship (QRCE) held a press conference to announce partnership with Al-Ahli Holding Group-UAE through which it will provide technical support to the 2nd round of the “Global Economic Opportunities” program. Mr. Mohammad Khammas –the CEO of the Al-Ahli Holding Group was present, while QRCE was represented by Mr. Mohammad Khawaja –the Deputy Director.

QRCE - Al AhliThe “Global Economic Opportunities” program was launched last year aiming at expanding Arab youth capacity to work with peers from various countries and cultures in developing successful world-class ventures, as well as establishing newly-born companies that supply global markets with products and services of high economic value. A group of Arab youth and participants from Argentina took place in the program’s first trial, in which they underwent specialized courses in business development, which helped them acquire the entrepreneurial skills needed for venture success.

This year, the program is going to include participants from Jordan, South Africa, Brazil, UAE and Argentina. In addition to the specialized training courses, QRCE will provide seasoned mentors from leading companies around the world to support participating teams in enhancing their business plans and honing their abilities to seize global economic opportunities, as well as building successful global companies. The program will also include field visits to major companies and factories in hosting countries in order to expand the participants’ knowledge and increase their understanding of work environment in different countries, as well as understanding each country’s specificity, both culturally and socially.

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ABAN Hosts Fourth Annual Entrepreneur – Investor Matchmaking Event

ABANThe Arab Business Angels Network (ABAN), a subsidiary of Dubai International Capital (DIC), in partnership with Young Arab Leaders (YAL), hosted its 4th annual entrepreneur-investor matchmaking event, taking forward the concept of angel or seed capital investing, a relatively new phenomenon in the Middle East.

The event, held on October 20th at the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) spotlighted three aspiring start-ups:

  • White Smile, a project specializing in professional teeth whitening, oral detoxification, and cleansing therapies.
  • Chipmunk, a franchise of an eclectic range of baby products from Belgium. 
  • Khayal Interactive, an Egyptian game production company.

ABAN’s matchmaking events offer entrepreneurial ventures in the MENA region an opportunity to showcase their businesses and connect with high net worth investors seeking start-up investment opportunities. The affluent investors, termed angel investors, provide capital for business start-ups, typically in exchange for ownership equity.

In the past year, ABAN has signed up with several leading regional and international organisations to pool resources and promote entrepreneurialism, innovation and knowledge creation in the region.

Recently, ABAN joined forces with the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation to foster entrepreneurship among women across the Arab region. ABAN has also collaborated with Dubai Internet City, one of the world’s largest managed ICT clusters and a member of TECOM Investments, to source new entrepreneurial ventures in the high-growth technology sector for further developing the region as a knowledge-based economy.

In addition, ABAN has partnered with Bader Group to support the establishment of a business angels networks in Lebanon. It has also signed an MoU with the Al Ahli Holding Group (AAHG) to promote developmental, cross-learning relationships between Emirati youth and the youth of other countries to help groom competent leaders for the future. 

ABAN offers a wide range of benefits to its members ranging from advice and consultancy to financial support and training for selected entrepreneurs. ABAN also supports proposal pitching to investors, and facilitates collaboration and syndication among investors to maximise investment opportunities. 

The Arab Business Angels Network is scheduled to host its next matchmaking event on December 15th for introducing yet another batch of entrepreneurs to regional investors.