Are you an aspiring entrepreneur? Ever dreamed of launching your own business but didn’t know where or how to start? Stay tuned because we have a feeling that you’ll like what we’re about to share.
Tamkeen Bahrain is kicking off its 5th edition of Mashroo3i and its inviting all youth between the ages of 18 and 30 to participate in this competition that’s going to get your creative juices flowing (We promise)!
Wondering what’s Mashroo3i and what’s in it for you? Well, Mashroo3i is an annual competition, launched back in 2012 with the aim of providing participants with a unique practical opportunity of experiencing what it’s like being an entrepreneur. Participants get to learn how to prepare business plans, business stereotypes, and they even get a chance to build their products and have them presented!
Mashroo3i’s objective is to foster the entrepreneurial spirit amongst Bahraini youth. So far, the program has had 735 participants representing 239 business concepts from its previous 4 editions.
Still don’t believe us?
Here’s what one of the previous participants said about their experience in Mashroo3i:
Mohammed Hilal Abdulhusain, Msquare Design
Participating in Mashroo3i gave me valuable lessons in career building and personal growth. I started to have a better understanding of business and entrepreneurship and learned that starting a business is not just an individual gain, rather a contribution to our local economy and community.
This program basically opens a door of endless opportunities. Need a little bit of a push to apply to Mashroo3i? Here are 5 reasons why you really don’t want to miss out on this year’s Mashroo3i:
- What better way to learn about entrepreneurship than actually experiencing it? Participating in Mashroo3i will give you a hands-on practical experience on what’s it like being an entrepreneur. You’ll learn how to work under pressure, develop a business plan, time management, present (and convince) your idea on stage to a jury in a timely period and the list goes on. If you’d like a taste of entrepreneurship, Mashroo3i is the right program for you.
- Learn from the best of the best. Throughout the competition, there are going to be mentors and coaches guiding you throughout your Mashroo3i journey. From planning, preparing your pitch to develop and executing your ideas. Selected teams will undergo coaching sessions with successful Bahraini entrepreneurs, and they will also have 1-on-1 interviews with mentors from the same field.
- Gets you out of your comfort zone. Trust us, having a dream while netflixing and being a couch potato doesn’t work, even just researching an idea is not going to make you implement it. Being an entrepreneur means that you have to step out of your comfort zone, connect with people and assess the market to see if your idea is valid or not. Even if it’s not, we can assure you, your mind would be buzzing with at least 100 different other ideas when you’re in Mashroo3i. You get to learn from experts in the field who can guide and better enhance your idea. In addition, you’ll be in a room filled with like-minded innovative and creative people who will definitely inspire you.
- There is no “ I ” in Team. As cliché as that sounds, it’s still true. With Mashroo3i, you’ll learn how to work in a team. This is an excellent opportunity for you to work on your communication skills – you’ll learn how to listen more than talk, be open to other ideas, teaches you how to resolve conflict, builds trust and more. The best part of it all? You won’t feel like you’re alone in this! Working in a team means that every member has a responsibility and a task to complete.
- You actually BUILD something! No one leaves Mashroo3i without bringing their concept to life – even if it’s just for a short period of time. Shortlisted applicants will eventually have to build a prototype of their product and display it to a committee – this is when you actually feel the fruit of your labor. All the time and effort spent planning and building your product eventually pays off when you see it right in front of you.
What are you getting if you win? Of course, the competition is going to have the top three winners, whereby Tamkeen is going to offer them financial and non-financial prizes. The winners will benefit from incubating opportunities in addition to international internships. Not only that, but they’ll also be able to connect with potential investors and organizations that can further help them with their business idea.
Dr. Ebrahim Mohammed Janahi, Tamkeen Chief Executive, announces that Mashroo3i has achieved tangible success in spreading the culture of entrepreneurship amongst Bahrain’s youth. The competition also helped in increasing their career options and exposing them to the different opportunities available to them within the field of entrepreneurship.
What are you waiting for? The deadline for Mashroo3i’s competition is on June 7th, so hurry up and apply NOW!
Tamayyaz, Body Jar, and Fannan won last year’s 4th edition of Mashroo3i, who do you think is going to win this year?
Follow @tamkeenbahrain on their social media to stay up to date with their announcements. And make sure you follow @startupmgzn on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn for the full live coverage of Mashroo3i’s competition.
For more information about the competition, check out their website here.