Manama - Bahrain, 6 November 2012:  As part of its commitment to help developing the local developers and startup entrepreneurs, Microsoft Bahrain announces its support as Technology Sponsor to Batelco's Startup Weekend Bahrain 2012 for the second consecutive year. Startup Weekend Bahrain 2012 will take place on November 8, 9 and 10 at the Batelco Staff Centre in Hamala.

This year's session comes to further encourage young aspiring entrepreneurs and assist them on the road to establishing successful ICT and e-business enterprises; it coincides with the Global Entrepreneurship Week where a large number of StartUp Weekends taking place globally to mark the occasion.

"Microsoft Bahrain and Oman has a firm belief in the true potential of Bahrain's youth; last year's event was a success and we are delighted to help bring Startup Weekend back to the Kingdom", commented Tareq Hijazi, Regional Country Manager for Microsoft Bahrain and Oman. "We are happy to boost startups by sharing with them our expertise and know-how, and provide them the opportunity to access our Microsoft BizSpark global program that helps software startups succeed by giving them access to software development tools, connecting them with key industry players, and providing marketing visibility", Hijazi added.

Microsoft Bahrain will also host a Windows 8 Developer Training Day on Wednesday 7 November 2012 at Batelco Staff Centre in Hamala, to introduce developers (IT professionals, User Interface designers and students) to its newly launched Windows 8 and teach them about the design and development tools to help them build great applications using Windows 8. The training session will be conducted by Mr. Eduardo Ortiga, Windows8 Technical Evangelist at Microsoft Gulf and Mr. Esam Ali, Account Technology Strategist at Microsoft Bahrain.

Startup Weekends are weekend-long, hands-on experiences where entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs can find out if startup ideas are viable.  On average, half of Startup Weekend's attendees have technical backgrounds, the other half have business, marketing or non-technical backgrounds.

Throughout the weekend, Mrs. Racha Diwan, Marketing Manager for Microsoft Bahrain and Oman, will be part of the mentors team to give the contestants advice, support and answer questions to help the teams develop their ideas into a viable business plan.

On Saturday evening the teams will present their prototypes and receive valuable feedback from a panel of experts, including Mr. Tareq Hijazi, Regional Country Manager for Microsoft Bahrain and Oman, who will select the winning ideas; the top three teams will walk away with cash prizes and follow up support to help them launch their ventures.

"We extend our great appreciation to Microsoft for their support to help us deliver such a worthwhile event that will undoubtedly benefit all the aspiring entrepreneurs who take part," said Batelco Group General Manager Media Relations Ahmed Al Janahi.

For those interested to learn more about how Startup works, register to attend and participate, visit (bahrain.startupweekend.org); to keep up to date with details follow the progress on the Facebook page (facebook.com/StartupWkndBH) and Twitter (@StartupWkndBH).

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About Microsoft Gulf
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ:'MSFT') is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential. Microsoft Gulf opened its Dubai-based headquarters in 1991. Microsoft Gulf today oversees Microsoft activities in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, the UAE and Yemen. Microsoft Corporation's address on the World Wide Web is: www.microsoft.com Microsoft Middle East's Web site is http://www.microsoft.com/en/xm/

For more information                                  
Christiane Salem
Communication Solutions & Insights (CSI)
Mobile: +973 39966177
Email: csalem@csimena.com

© Press Release 2012