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BIG startups get direct access to the Orange Digital Ventures fund of EUR 100 million
Recently wrapping up the second season of Business Innovation Growth (BIG), Orange Jordan announced the official start of season three of its growth-mode startup accelerator program for entrepreneurs around the Kingdom. Season three commenced on October 20 with a launch event and press conference that was attended by Orange Jordan CEO, Jérôme Hénique and a number of VIPs and media representatives.
After a registration period that started on September 9 and ended on October 1, the BIG steering committee chose 360Moms, 3oun, Hivenamix, SitatByoot, Arabot and SKYLARK as the participants of season three. The committee, composed of a number of high-level business professionals at Orange and its partners including Orange CEO Jérôme Hénique, Orange Jordan Chief Officer of the Enterprise Business Unit Sami Smeirat, Marketing Director Antoine Drevon, Roya TV General Manager Fares Sayegh, and Oasis 500 CEO Faisal Hakki, brought in their seasoned business expertise and professional backgrounds to help choose startups that best align with BIG.
Commenting on the occasion, Orange Jordan CEO Jérôme Hénique said: “After completing two seasons now with our BIG startup accelerator program and seeing immensely fruitful results at the end of each, we at Orange Jordan are excited to embark on yet another BIG journey with a promising handful of the most driven startups from across the Kingdom. With the right direction and strong support that we offer, these startups, already up and running businesses, have the potential to make larger waves of positively charged change, growth and success, contributing greatly to altering Jordan’s socioeconomic future for the better.”
Inaugurated as a component part of Orange Jordan’s five-year corporate strategy Essentials 2020, BIG directly reflects the telecommunications company’s resolute commitment to achieving social progress by working within the community to initiate success at a grass-roots level.
This season, Orange Jordan will introduce a few amendments to the program in the aims of amplifying the benefits that participating startups receive and ensuring their ultimate success upon season end and beyond. Distinguishing itself from seasons one and two, BIG Season 3 will be extended by an additional two months, offering a total of six months of focused startup support. Moreover, a customized mentorship program will be activated, allowing Orange Jordan to focus even more in depth on the intrinsic needs and ambitions of the participating companies. Finally, each startup will be provided with customized PR and marketing plans, induction training, consultancy, and a telecom startup kit in addition to a renovated work space.
Part of the global Orange Fab network and located at the Grow Building at the King Hussein Business Park, BIG endeavors to guide Jordanian startups as they expand into new markets, increase their customer base through Orange Jordan and Orange Group, and enables them with proper tools and sponsoring to explore the ecosystem at global conferences and demo days. BIG startups get direct access to the Orange Digital Ventures fund of EUR 100 million. During season two, Orange Jordan helped provide exposure, growth, and business for the participants, which included Arabia Weddings, WaraGami, Masmoo3, Trevx, and Play 3arabi. Focusing on investment needs, product improvement, customer development, and business support, through BIG, Orange Jordan ultimately aims to ensure that aspiring startups become self-sufficient, stable, focused, and driven, in order to achieve the success they target.
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© Press Release 2016
