Cisco and Abraaj Capital Join Forces to Strengthen Entrepreneurship in the Region
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - November 09, 2010 - Cisco today announced that the Cisco® Entrepreneur Institute and Abraaj Capital will be joining forces to support the launch of Wamda, www.wamda.com, a platform created by Abraaj Capital and its subsidiary Riyada Enterprise Development to facilitate entrepreneurship in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia. Through the Entrepreneur Institute, Cisco enables entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to succeed. As a knowledge partner of Wamda, and through its collaboration with Abraaj Capital, the Cisco Entrepreneur Institute will help build and strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia.
Key Facts / Highlights:
- Wamda will be officially launched at the Abraaj Capital celebration of entrepreneurship which was held from 8-9 November 2010 in Dubai.
- Wamda is a platform created by Abraaj Capital, and its subsidiary Riyada Enterprise Development, to facilitate entrepreneurship in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia. Abraaj regards embracing and driving entrepreneurship through investment in knowledge, capacity-building programs and long-term partnerships as central to its vision to maximize the potential of the region.
- Cisco, in collaboration with top business organizations and local governments, established the institute to help foster entrepreneurial development, speed the development and success of small and medium-sized businesses, and boost the number of jobs on a local and a national basis. The institute offers media-rich business workshops, delivered in person or virtually via Web 2.0 collaborative technologies, including Cisco WebEx™.
- Since the Cisco Entrepreneur Institute's inception in 2007, more than 10,000 entrepreneurs have participated in workshops at training centers and local institutes in 39 countries around the world.
- In the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia, institutes are located in eight countries: Egypt, India, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates.
- Knowledge Horizon, a Cisco Entrepreneur Institute training center, will host two free workshops at the celebration of Entrepreneurship 2010 on November 8-9, 2010. The course is specifically designed to explore the mindset of successful entrepreneurs. Rather than focus on business plans and balance sheets, participants will examine the world through the eyes of real-world entrepreneurs.
Executive Quotes:
- Kevin Warner, senior director, Cisco Entrepreneur Institute
"The Cisco Entrepreneur Institute is pleased to further our commitment to entrepreneurship in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia by becoming an official Wamda knowledge partner and by collaborating with Abraaj Capital. Initiatives like Wamda exemplify the Cisco Entrepreneur Institute's mission of fostering and enabling entrepreneurship around the world. Successful entrepreneurs are the largest contributors to economic development and have the potential to be the greatest source of innovation and growth. At Cisco we are dedicated to supporting and strengthening the efforts of entrepreneurs. Together we are the human network."
- Frederic Sicre, executive director, Abraaj Capital
"We've come a long way since Wamda.com was first conceptualized: Hypotheses and ideas about how to fill the huge knowledge gap in the Middle East's entrepreneurship space have grown and flourished into a living, breathing entity which will become a unique and dynamic online platform for connecting the region's entire entrepreneurial ecosystem and sharing world-class enterprise knowledge. None of this is possible without the contribution of our knowledge partners. Partners like the Cisco Entrepreneur Institute embody the values of entrepreneurship and are fully engaged. Cisco shows its commitment to enabling Wamda by sharing knowledge through best practices and content that will benefit the region's entire community of entrepreneurs."
- Claire Jones, regional manager, Cisco UAE
"A significant economic force in the UAE lies across small and medium enterprises (SME). Through Cisco's technology innovation, SMEs today are able to increase their productivity and virtual proximity to the world. This collaboration between Cisco Entrepreneur Institute and Abraaj Capital demonstrates our commitment to the SME sector in UAE and the region."
Additional Resources:
- For more information on the celebration of entrepreneurship event, visit http://www.abraaj.com/celebration/
- Learn about the Cisco's and other Entrepreneur Institutes at: www.ciscoinstitute.net
Links /URLs:
- Emerging Markets RSS feed:
http://newsroom.cisco.com/data/syndication/rss2/EmergingMarkets.xml
- Middle East news:
http://www.cisco.com/web/ME/about/news/index.html
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About the Cisco Entrepreneur Institute
The Cisco Entrepreneur Institute supports entrepreneurs worldwide by working with local government and business organizations to foster the creation and success of small and medium-sized businesses. The institute provides practical business insights for entrepreneurs, facilitates knowledge sharing with local business leaders, and shows participants how to take advantage of technology to speed business growth. Its results-oriented approach creates long-term economic and social prosperity for entrepreneurs, communities, and nations. At the same time, it extends Cisco's business and social impact around the globe. More information on the Institute is available at www.ciscoinstitute.net.
About Cisco
Cisco, (NASDAQ: CSCO), the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate, this year celebrates 25 years of technology innovation, operational excellence and corporate social responsibility. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go to http://newsroom.cisco.com.
Cisco, the Cisco logo, Cisco WebEx and WebEx are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. A listing of Cisco's trademarks can be found at www.cisco.com/go/trademarks. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company.
© Press Release 2010
