QDB CEO and QBIC Chairman Abdulaziz bin Nasser Al Khalifa and other participants at the event.
DOHA: Qatar Business Incubation Center (QBIC) founded by Qatar Development Bank (QDB) and Social Development Center (SDC) successfully kicked off its seventh wave of the LeanStartup Program (LSP),with a women edition Speaker Series entitled “The Rise of Female Entrepreneurship in Qatar”.
Building on its successful flagship programme, the centre continues to take on promising entrepreneurs of all ages with innovative ideas, to provide them withthe coaching and support needed to establish a startup. By organising a Speaker Series session and inviting local and successful entrepreneurial experts, QBIC hoped to encourage the new entrepreneurs to refine their business ideas, overcome their obstacles and fully dedicate themselves to their startups as they take their first steps towards turning their ideas into reality.
Abdulaziz bin Nasser Al Khalifa, QDB CEO and QBIC Chairman said: “SME’s are the core of a diversified and flourishing economy. We keep witnessing different ideas that have the potential to highly contribute to the local economy, and this is why we’re pleased to continue kicking off our flagship program twice a year. With our assistance and support, we are actively expanding and developing stronger SME’s.”
“The major role we play at QBIC benefits the interest of entrepreneurs, as we ensure that their startup ideas are turned into reality, through which they can actively participate in the local economic and SME development. Uniting our expertise with established entrepreneurs is an essential part of transferring knowledge, which encourages aspiring ones to venture into the field of entrepreneurship; female entrepreneurs are a great example of this.”
While QBIC previously hosted various Speaker Series sessions with renowned entrepreneurs such as Mohammed Jaffar, former CEO of Talabat.com, Christopher Free, General Manager of Uber Qatar and UAE, and Elmar Mock, co-inventor of Swatch, QBIC wanted to shed light on the local accomplishments of Qatari women to date in an effort to showcase that businesses do not require feasibility studies to succeed; they require hard work, determination, and customer assessment.
Talking at the women edition Speaker Series were women who were chosen based on their personal achievements, to share their acquired knowledge on the way to successful entrepreneurship. The motivation talks were delivered by Razan Suliman, founder of Fanilla Couture; Aisha Al Jaidah, founder of Blue Penguin; Noof Al Marri, founder of Newline 4 Media and Noora Al Amri, founder of Tartebkom Holidays.
Aysha Al Mudahka, QBIC CEO said: “Our entrepreneurs have been greatly benefitting from practical work, networking and collaborating with experts in the field. We strongly believe in the local talents making a difference in the Qatari market, and we especially value and believe in the capabilities of Qatari women, which is what we wanted to highlight in this edition of our Speaker Series.”
The entrepreneurs will be pitching their refined business ideas to a judging panel and potential investors during the Demo Day event marking the end of the programme, which will take place on December 6, 2016.
