Savour Ventures concludes accelerator program of Fall 2018

Kuwait - Savour Ventures would like to announce the conclusion of the Fall 2018 Cohort of startups participating in its accelerator program. Upon completion of the program, founders participated in an intensive “Deep Dive”. The week includes: extensive one on one mentoring, a demo day to reach the broader community, and an investor forum to engage directly with investors. Deep Dive occurred from November 26^th to 28^th at the newly opened Kuwait Economic Society in Bneid Al Gar.

The mentoring took place on the first day of Deep Dive. Startup founders had the ability to meet on a one on one basis with mentors to answer final questions and provide practical guidance. Next was Demo Day, titled “Tasting Tomorrow: Artificial Intelligence & Food”. The event catered to an audience of Kuwaiti startup ecosystem players, food industry leaders and interested foodies. Demo Day began with a short welcome note from our Program manager, Amira AlZayed who introduced Savour Ventures and our startups. The startups then presented their businesses to display their innovations and products, followed by a panel discussion moderated by our Founder, Rashid Sultan. The theme of the panel was the future of artificial intelligence is reshaping the food landscape as we know it, fueled by tools that continue to offer limitless options and painless convenience. The panelists included: Abdullah Al Subaie, Co-founder & CEO of Ngwah App, Samer Tarazi, Co-founder of Eila, Khalil Shahid, Co-founder of ReserveOut, and Mohamad AlTantawi, CTO & Co-founder of Agolo. All four startups are already integrating AI into their platforms, using this technology to share vast quantities of data, optimize inventory and delivery, handle customer interactions, drive recommendations, and more.

The last day of Deep Dive was the Investor Forum, which allows startups to pitch and directly engage with investors for the opportunity to secure funding. Multiple investors participated, providing their exclusive insight to all of Savour’s startups.

The Fall 2018 Cohort included seven startups out of 220 applications received from 25 countries.

• Organic Press offers 100% organic cold-pressed juices, providing customers with a faster and more effective way to absorb micro nutrients. Organic Press is currently available in several retail locations, and boasts an e-commerce platform that offers subscription packages and juice cleansing programs.
• EATreal It’s an AI powered nutritionist platform here to support you wherever you are, whatever you feel like eating.
• Friendture is a tailored location and interest-based travel experience marketplace and a dynamic group traveling tool aiming to help groups plan less and travel more. Whether you are a sole backpacker, business or leisure traveler, Friendture makes planning your next trip easier. By providing the essential tools to organize your information all in one place, the app makes it possible for you to discover experiences and communities tailored to meet your interests.
• mix&muesli is the first and only online muesli store in the UAE. Standing for choice, convenience, healthy food and value, mix&muesli offers tasty, preservative-free, nutritious, and natural mueslis that can be individually customized and delivered directly to homes and offices.
• L’Atelier du Miel works with a network of independent beekeepers to produce over 30 varieties of artisanal, raw, single-origin honey. The company is able to harvest 100% natural honey year-round by moving hives regularly to follow blooming seasons in Lebanon. This allows beekeepers to sustain the size of their colonies without resorting to artificial practices, introducing an unparalleled level of transparency to the honey-making process.
• AklaBaity is an on-demand, homemade food delivery service aiming to bring homemade food from vendors’ kitchens to customers tables. AklaBaity offers an online marketplace for ordering homemade food in Cairo, Egypt in which talented, trained cooks are given the opportunity to share the best of their homemade dishes with customers.
• V-Licious is an Egypt-based startup specializing in healthy food for kids. V-Licious aims to get children to eat more vegetables be embedding “hidden veggies” in popular children’s favorites, including chicken nuggets, burgers, kofta, and more. Their products are nutritious, soy free, sugar-free, and preservative-free, consisting of high quality meats, fresh vegetables, and seasonal fruit. 

The accelerator program began in October where the selected startups participated in a six-week course facilitated by our curriculum partner Creative Startups. Startup founders were educated about core business areas and models for business growth. During the program startups met with course manager Lena Ramfelt from the Creative Startups, as well as, mentors from across Kuwait and the GCC. Since all seven startups were international participants this year, founders were fortunate to reside in the picturesque Nouriah residence located in Bneid Al Gar for the duration of their stay via our accommodation partner House Living.

Overall, the program was a intense journey for the startups, but it was one worth taking. Savour Ventures looks forward to watching its portfolio of startups continue to grow & scale using all the insights taken from the program.

Applications for the Fall 2019 cohort will open in March of next year so stay tuned to our social media channels to learn more or visit our website: www.savour.ventures

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© Press Release 2018