KUWAIT: Zain, the leading digital service provider in Kuwait, kicked off the orientation meeting and first bootcamp session of its Zain Great Idea 7 tech startup accelerator program. The bootcamp witnessed great turnout from idea owners and new entrepreneurs to lean the most essential business and startup management skills from global experts and mentors.
Zain recently inaugurated the all-new season of its renowned tech startup accelerator program in collaboration with Brilliant Lab. The program continues its mission to enrich the tech startup ecosystem in Kuwait and further push it forward towards expansion into the MENA region.
Zain's main headquarters in Shuwaikh hosted the program's orientation meeting and first bootcamp session, attended by many eager and enthusiastic new entrepreneurs who are starting their startup careers. The first bootcamp continues for four days and covers some of the most essential topics that are crucial for every new startup owner, including establishing startups, building teams, creating a brand, attracting investors, developing products and services, and much more.
The first session was mentored by Alharith Alatawi, the cofounder and Chief Executive Officer of onegcc, an employment platform focused on matching job seekers with job opportunities based on their skills and personalities. onegcc recently raised $2.5 million in its last fundraising round.
Along with onegcc, Alharith is also a cofounder in Level Z, the first tech startup factory in the MENA region with its first startup Skiplino, an intelligent cloud-based queue management system with 1,500 clients globally. Both onegcc and Skiplino have been named as one of the top 15 innovative startups in the Middle East by Forbes in their latest Forbes Innovators edition.
ZGI aims at taking entrepreneurs towards the best experiences that bring them sustainable growth, not only to help grow their businesses, but grow themselves as well. Zain always strives to leverage on its partners ecosystem to connect its entrepreneurs with venture capital firms and business partners to help them put a steady first step in the business world.
Last year, Zain celebrated 10 years of Zain Great Idea as one of the most successful projects under the umbrella of its Innovation and Entrepreneurship strategy. Investments in ZGI startups are well over KD 6 million ($20 million) to this date. 30 percent of ZGI alumni now own thriving and active businesses to this day across local and regional markets, and 40 percent of these businesses have raised capital.
Throughout a decade, ZGI has empowered, trained, and invested in over 1,500 passionate Kuwaiti and Arab young people. Zain learned a lot from previous seasons and heard what ZGI alumni had to say about how to further refine the program year after year. And so, this year the company is offering greater flexibility and more freedom for every participant to take part in the sessions and programs that best suit their schedule and unique business needs.
For example, some relatively advanced entrepreneurs have already finished preparing the most essential parts of their businesses and have no need to take part in the bootcamp that covers the essentials and basics of building startups. So, this year, they have the chance to skip this session and save their time for other more advanced sessions that are more suitable to their needs and level.
This year, ZGI will also focus on regional expansion through unique programs held throughout MENA like Riyadh, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Cairo. These programs are set to cover crucial topics like establishing and accelerating startups, communicating with investors and funds, building teams and brands, one-on-one consultancy sessions, enriching innovation, challenges facing entrepreneurs in today's markets, local and regional success stories, and much more.
ZGI 7 is also set to offer a new win-win concept that serves both entrepreneurs and fresh graduates. Zain will host a special career fair-like event that links ZGI participants with students and graduates of various studies. The entrepreneurs will have an invaluable opportunity to introduce their businesses, attract local talents, and build their future teams, while graduates get a chance to be a part of the next big success story.
Zain strongly believes in the crucial role played by private sector organizations in supporting social and economic sustainability projects. The company is committed to printing a positive impact through all its activities, and this has led it to embrace the most influential topics in the community, perhaps most importantly the support of youth, entrepreneurship, and innovation, not only in Kuwait, but across the entire region.