• A strategic initiative in partnership with LOYAC to foster entrepreneurial skills and empower youth to build sustainable ventures
  • The program featured 94 hours of intensive training and personalized mentorship from 24 entrepreneurs to transform innovative ideas into scalable ventures

Kuwait City: Boursa Kuwait concluded its gold sponsorship and hosting of the Kontinue Social Entrepreneurship Program, one of LOYAC’s flagship initiatives dedicated to developing the entrepreneurial skills of aspiring business leaders and startup founders between the ages of 20 and 35.

The fourth edition of the program, which spanned six weeks from November 2 to December 10, delivered a total of 94 training hours and culminated in a graduation ceremony for its participants at the Boursa Kuwait premises on Wednesday, December 10, 2025.

“Boursa Kuwait’s sponsorship and hosting of the fourth edition of the Kontinue Entrepreneurship Program reflects our firm commitment to supporting Kuwait’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and empowering youth to transform their innovative ideas into viable, scalable ventures,” said Boursa Kuwait’s Senior Director of Marketing and Corporate Communications, Mr. Naser Meshari Al-Sanousi. “The program embodies our belief in the importance of investing in human capital and equipping aspiring entrepreneurs with practical knowledge and applied skills to navigate market challenges and build sustainable businesses.”

Sessions took place in the inspiring setting of Boursa Kuwait’s state-of-the-art training halls, which served as a dynamic learning environment for participants. Equipped with advanced facilities, the space enabled a wide range of integrated training activities, demonstrating Boursa Kuwait’s commitment to fostering creativity, encouraging interactive learning and empowering participants to maximize the benefits of the program.

“Boursa Kuwait was keen to provide a fully equipped training environment within its premises, supported by the latest technologies and comprehensive technical and logistical support to ensure participants gained the maximum benefit from the program’s content,” Al-Sanousi added.

As part of the program, 24 local entrepreneurs were selected to serve as mentors for each business idea, bringing diverse expertise across key fields such as technology and digital transformation, business strategy and growth, corporate finance and investment, food and beverage branding, healthcare and community empowerment, risk management and startups, youth development and education, operations and procurement, governance standards and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices, as well as retail, e-commerce, marketing, and artificial intelligence.

These critical areas of expertise provided participants with the support needed to develop scalable and sustainable business ventures, with mentors offering hands-on guidance and personalized follow-up throughout the various stages of building their projects, in turn helping participants better understand challenges, capitalize on development opportunities and improve the overall quality of their final outputs.

Additionally, the program’s content was developed in collaboration with Babson College, a U.S. academic institution specializing in entrepreneurship and leadership education, to equip participants with the essential knowledge and tools for entrepreneurial success, with a strong focus on developing leadership skills and understanding both the theoretical and practical foundations of launching and managing startups.

The Kontinue Social Entrepreneurship Program focused on enhancing participants’ abilities to identify user needs and build ventures based on effective and sustainable foundations, while gaining a solid understanding of success metrics and business continuity. Featuring interactive workshops led by entrepreneurship experts, the program covered key areas such as idea development, financial planning, team building and strategies for sustainable growth.

“Supporting such impactful initiatives aligns with Boursa Kuwait’s strategy for corporate social responsibility, which places youth empowerment and education at the core of its priorities,” said Al-Sanousi.

He emphasized that the exchange aims to contribute to building a more diverse and sustainable national economy by promoting innovation and entrepreneurship in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and affirmed that Boursa Kuwait takes pride in sponsoring and hosting this program, recognizing its role in enhancing the quality of training and connecting participants with global best practices in entrepreneurship.

Boursa Kuwait’s sponsorship of the Kontinue Social Entrepreneurship Program marks its second collaboration with LOYAC this year, having sponsored Eco-Quest earlier this year. One of Kuwait’s largest interactive environmental initiatives, the competition aims to instill values of sustainability and foster environmental awareness in school students through hands-on, experiential learning activities that strengthen their connection to the environment.

Boursa Kuwait and LOYAC have a strategic partnership focused on empowering youth and supporting their ambitions in the fields of innovation and entrepreneurship, which underscores both parties’ commitment to developing young talent and enhancing their practical and professional skills through impactful initiatives that embody the values of social responsibility and promote long-term positive change in society.

The partnership forms part of Boursa Kuwait’s broader efforts to create meaningful impact within the communities it serves, in line with its corporate sustainability strategy. Aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, specifically Goal 4: Quality Education, and Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals, it reflects the company’s ongoing commitment to implementing initiatives that elevate knowledge, skills and expertise across all segments of society, including market participants and aspiring entrepreneurs.

LOYAC Board Member Mrs. Fareeha Al-Saqaf stated that the Kontinue program reflects the organization’s commitment to supporting purpose-driven entrepreneurship among youth, noting that the program has helped transform innovative ideas into projects with sustainable economic and social impact throughout its tenure.

“LOYAC is dedicated to investing in the potential of youth and empowering them to contribute to community development. The Kontinue Program serves as an integrated platform for skill-building and fostering socially driven entrepreneurial thinking that responds to community needs and supports future development,” she added.

Established in 2002, LOYAC is a Kuwaiti organization dedicated to empowering and developing youth to become impactful leaders within their communities. Through unique opportunities that foster leadership, the organization aims to cultivate a generation of enlightened youth committed to peace and prosperity and guided by the core values of peace, empowerment, inclusion, sustainability and innovation.

Editor's Notes:

Brief Overview of Boursa Kuwait:

The establishment of Boursa Kuwait in 2014 marked the first step in the privatization project of the Kuwait Stock Exchange, which was founded in 1977 as the first exchange in the Gulf Cooperation Council region and was reorganized in 1983 as an independent financial institution. The transitional phase began in 2016, with Boursa Kuwait officially assuming the responsibilities and operations of the Kuwait Stock Exchange, replacing it with an official license in the same year after the successful completion of the transitional phase. This ensured that Boursa Kuwait developed the infrastructure and operated according to best practices and international standards. It commenced the creation of an advanced, reliable trading platform built on efficiency, credibility, and transparency to serve all asset classes with a focus on the interests of traders and the national economy.

Boursa Kuwait has undertaken various market reforms as part of its comprehensive plans to enhance it in several stages. It succeeded in introducing innovative investment tools, enhancing transparency, and restructuring the market to increase its liquidity and competitiveness, based on its mission-focused strategy, which emphasizes developing the market to meet international standards. The company's developmental and improvement efforts have also contributed to the reclassification of the Kuwait market as an «Emerging Market» among key global index providers, enhancing Kuwait's position as a leading regional financial center.

In a pioneering step in Kuwait's privatization field, the privatization of Boursa Kuwait was successful, conducted in two stages. The first stage was in February 2019 when a consortium of Kuwaiti investment companies and a global exchange operator won the privatization bid, acquiring a 44% stake in the company.

In December 2019, the privatization process was completed through the public offering of a 50% stake owned by the Capital Markets Authority to Kuwaiti citizens, with the offering oversubscribed by more than 850%. Boursa Kuwait is listed on the «Premier Market» under the name «Boursa».