Press Release.
Manama, Bahrain: Hope Ventures, the investment arm of Hope Fund, held a two-day long workshop as part of their partnership with Manama Entrepreneurship Week, with the purpose of inspiring an entrepreneurial mindset amongst university students by highlighting the possibility of starting a business with minimal funding.
The workshop, ‘Build Your Business with Less Than BHD 1,000’, saw students from Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF), University College of Bahrain, Ahlia University, Royal University for Women, Bahrain Polytechnic, and University of Bahrain take part in multiple training sessions over two days, designed to enable entrepreneurs to start businesses utilizing minimal funding. The universities entered teams made up of three to four students per team, who worked together to develop a business concept that can be launched with less than BHD 1,000 in funding. At the end of the workshop the teams presented their solutions to a judging panel who then awarded the winning team.
The teams pitched for an opportunity to win BHD 500 and a seat at the concept refinement phase of ‘Bidaya’, Hope’s recently launched entrepreneurship program. The pitches delivered by the students showcased their creativity and strong problem-solving skills, presenting a wide range of solutions that included a micro financing platform, marketplace for home repairs, restaurant table booking app, social learning platform for students, food pick up app and a solution to invest safely in real estate abroad. The first place prize was snatched by “Pick Me Up”, a team that developed a food pick up solution. The team members, Noora Jehad Khalfan, Fatema Abdulkarim Baslar and Suad Alwatani represented BIBF and were named winners by the panel of judges.
The workshop came as part of Hope’s partnership with Manama Entrepreneurship Week, where General Manager of Hope Ventures, Fajer Al Pachachi, gave a talk on Championing Bahraini Entrepreneurship at the opening session on Thursday. The talk discussed Hope’s role in supporting Bahraini entrepreneurship, going on to explain Hope’s key pillars that work towards setting up an environment where entrepreneurs can thrive by gaining access to opportunities conducive to growth and expansion.
Commenting on the initiative and participation, Fajer Al Pachachi, General Manager of Hope Ventures, said: “We are thrilled to take part in the Manama Entrepreneurship Week, which aligns with our mission to support entrepreneurship in Bahrain. Our role is to provide meaningful contributions to Bahrainis who are looking to launch, grow and expand businesses in Bahrain and beyond. We aim to provide aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners with the necessary tools required to propel them towards success.”
“I’d like to congratulate this weekend’s winning team and extend my appreciation to the participating teams, as well as to all the entities who had a hand in bringing Hope’s vision and goals to life. We look forward to introducing additional programmes that will serve to enrich the Kingdom’s growing entrepreneurial segment.”
His Excellency Sheikh Hisham bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa, Governor of the Capital Governorate emphasized the role of the Bahrain’s wise leadership in supporting and empowering young entrepreneurs and stimulating innovation and creativity, which demonstrates the Kingdom’s commitment to the business community both locally and internationally.
His Excellency proceeded to share his deep appreciation to His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, HM the King’s Representative for Humanitarian Works and Youth Affairs, for his support to similar initiatives represented by Hope Fund and for his continuous belief in the potential of Bahraini youth.
For more information, please visit the Hope Ventures website.