Officials and participants at the event.
Bedaya Centre for Entrepreneur and Career Development recently held the kickoff event for “Activate”, a one-year programme sponsored by US-MEPI (Middle East Partnership Initiative).
The event brought together 12 Qatari entrepreneurs with as many corporate mentors to meet and network at The St Regis Doha. The mentors will continue to support each entrepreneur and their business in a number of key areas that will help their businesses grow.
The mentors and mentees were linked based on the relevance of the sector, industry, mission, vision, services and track record and discussed current and upcoming challenges while pinpointing areas requiring further support. Additionally, the entrepreneurs presented the respective mentors with an overview of their prospective ideas and strategies for growth, with charts of their situational analysis marking their micro and macro environment and the key driving forces governing each.
In turn, the business mentors gave the entrepreneurs first-hand information, tips and advisory on how to progress their start-ups from a growing idea to a solid corporate entity with the potential to establish strong fundamentals in the industry. Mentors will meet with the entreprenuers a number of times every month to track their progress.
Abdulaziz al-Khalifa, chairman of Bedaya Centre and executive director (strategy and business planning) at Qatar Development Bank, said: “At Bedaya, we have been keen to roll out programmes and initiatives that add tangible value to the entrepreneurial spectrum in Qatar. The ‘Activate’ programme, along with what we do here every day at Bedaya, is central to the steadfast progress of our entrepreneurs owing to its significance in providing the right platforms for both dialogue and improvement.”
Inaugurating the event, Bedaya Centre general manager Saleh al-Khulaifi said: “The ‘Activate’ programme is another initiative that will pave the way for Qatari entrepreneurs to discuss challenges, opportunities and genuine solutions with organisations they truly look up to. It was great to see how each of these 12 entrepreneurs was keen to take in everything they heard and how eager they were to start implementing their newly-acquired tips right away.”
During the event, mentors and entrepreneurs interacted in a manner that benefited both sides.
“Early-stage companies can benefit from the experience, coaching and support of industry professionals. It will help them accelerate their business and achieve profitability more quickly,” said Curtis Avery, entrepreneurial mentor.
Layla al-Dorani, entrepreneur and founder-CEO of RAW ME, said: “Developing a network with people who have expertise in the areas of running a business will certainly give me further ideas and guidance on how to manage the business smoothly.”
The project is funded through the US Department of State, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, office of MEPI.