Qatar Development Bank (QDB) and Babson College have concluded the entrepreneurial skill-building workshop titled ‘Entrepreneur’s Boot Camp’ held in Doha.
The camp was attended by 46 professionals and aspiring entrepreneurs, as well as founders of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to learn more about the latest trends in entrepreneurship and innovation, and to transform creative ideas into successful business models.
Faculty members from Babson College, an academic institution for entrepreneurship, brought their distinct method and practice of teaching to the workshop, QDB said in a statement.
Adjunct lecturer Professor Angelo J Santinelli discussed several core themes during the course of the training such as business development and strategic planning. He also shared his 25-year experience in entrepreneurship and business.
Internationally-recognised specialist on entrepreneurship, associate professor Dr Phillip Kim elaborated on how entrepreneurial ideas become realities and stressed on the importance of team-building, emerging economics, and technology
entrepreneurship.  
Abdulaziz bin Nasser al-Khalifa, chief executive officer, QDB, said: “We are delighted by the turnout received at our first Entrepreneur’s Boot Camp as it showed us the demand entrepreneurs across Qatar have for short, intensive training programmes that deliver quality education on entrepreneurship that is practicable in the real
market.
“To this end, we are particularly grateful to the contributions of two of the world’s leading experts in the field of entrepreneurship, Professor Santinelli and Professor Dr Kim for their support of our main organisational objective, which is to strengthen the SME ecosystem in Qatar.”
Over the course of the four-day workshop, the participants engaged in rich discussions on a number of topics and explored common challenges faced by founders and company chief executives in areas like ideation techniques, team-building, entrepreneurs, competitive assessments, defining value propositions, business model development, brand-building, financial management, and customer acquisition.
Babson College senior director Vinod Radhakeesoon said: “It is an honour for Babson College for having brought our flagship Entrepreneur’s Boot Camp programme to Doha. Through Babson’s unique methodology of ‘Entrepreneurial Thought and Action’, the participants are going to be challenged to think and act differently and exposed to various techniques and concepts that an entrepreneur encounters through a medium of interactive teachings and practical exercises. We look forward to learning about the outcomes of the participants’ entrepreneurial journeys post this boot camp that has been sponsored by Qatar
Development Bank.”
Kim said: “Entrepreneurship is a tremendous force for innovation, creativity, and economic development. The participants represent a range of new business ideas and
opportunities.
“We appreciate their excitement to learn and apply the lessons from the programme. We look forward to the success stories that result from this initial sponsorship by Qatar
Development Bank.”