• The competition's road shows launched across Saudi Arabia and Arab countries
  • The competition entry deadline is December 6, 2021
  • The Start Smart Conference will be organized to announce this year's winners in Madinah on March 5, 2022

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia : The MIT Enterprise Forum Pan Arab & Saudi Arabia announced the support from the General Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises (Monshaat) as the government partner of the 2021-2022 edition of the MITEF Startup Competition, organized by Community Jameel Saudi Arabia and Bab Rizq Jameel, under the patronage and supervision of the Governorate of Madinah Region.

Monshaat's participation and support to the MITEF Arab Startup & Saudi Arabia Competition comes in line with the Authority’s mission to support the growth and competitiveness of small and medium enterprises by incubating a supportive environment and an entrepreneurial community. Through its cooperation with strategic local and international partners in the public, private and non-profit sectors, Monshaat seeks to enable such enterprises to be a fundamental pillar for the development of the economy in Saudi Arabia and an enabler to achieve Saudi vision 2030 and beyond.

On this occasion, HE Deputy Governor for Entrepreneurship at Monshaat Esam Saleh Althukair, said: “Previous collaborations between Monshaat and Community Jameel  Saudi covered several areas, including supporting and developing the financing programmes provided by Bab Rizq Jameel Microfinance, cooperating in the field of entrepreneurship with the MIT Enterprise Forum Saudi Arabia, supporting employment programmes for the small and medium enterprises in partnership with Bab Rizq Jameel Recruitment, and cooperating with Bab Rizq Jameel Services in providing digital solutions for entrepreneurs. In continuation of this constructive cooperation, we provide support to the MITEF Arab Startup & Saudi Arabia Competition, the largest event for entrepreneurs in the Arab world, to empower entrepreneurs and strengthen innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem in Saudi Arabia and the Arab region.”

Hassan Jameel, Vice Chairman of Community Jameel, said: “At Community Jameel Saudi, we believe small and medium enterprises are a vital part of the national economy. We recognise Monshaat’s significant contribution to this sector and its role in the success of several Community Jameel-led initiatives in the Kingdom. We are also proud to have the Province of Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah as a co-organizer and sponsor of this year's edition and hope to work closely with all our partners in enhancing the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Kingdom and the Arab region moving forward.”

A series of roadshows for the MITEF Arab Startup & Saudi Arabia Competition are currently being held until November in most regions of the KSA and Arab countries. In the KSA, the roadshows are launched in cooperation with Monshaat and cover Saudi universities in various regions of the Kingdom, with the aim of introducing entrepreneurs to the criteria and mechanisms for applying to the competition, helping them with their applications, and enhancing their chances of winning the competition. To find out the schedule of the roadshows in Saudi Arabia, please visit the competition website.

The MITEF Arab Startup & Saudi Arabia Competition, organized this year under the theme 'Empowering today. Transforming tomorrow', is a seven-month journey filled with excitement, coaching, networking opportunities, mentorship, funding, and media exposure.  In addition to hosting the Startup Investment Forum (SIF), the final events of the 2021/2022 Edition will be held at the Start Smart Conference in Madinah during March 2022, and concluded with the announcement of the winners for this year.

Entry for the competition is already open since September 15 until December 6, 2021. Entrepreneurs of all ages and economic sectors can apply to participate through the competition website within one of the three contest tracks: ideas track, startups track, and the social enterprises track, according to the terms of the competition.

-Ends-

About MITEF Saudi Arabia: 

MIT Enterprise Forum (MITEF) Saudi Arabia is part of a global network of chapters dedicated to the promotion of entrepreneurship and innovation worldwide. MITEF informs, connects, and coaches Saudi entrepreneurs—enabling them to rapidly transform ideas into world-changing companies.

Founded in 2015 with the goal of promoting and enriching the entrepreneurship ecosystem in Saudi Arabia, MITEF aims to celebrate and support all potential startups and entrepreneurs in the Kingdom through Startups and Ideas Competition.

The MITEF Saudi startup competition has three tracks: Startups Track, Social Track and Ideas Track. The competition offers over SAR 325,000 cash prize, in addition to workshops and training and guidance sessions supervised by specialists and experts in all economic and social sectors. The finalists will have the opportunity to participate in StartSmart, one of the MIT Global Forum’s programs which is organized before the announcement of the winners and attended by specialists from MIT University, USA. The aim of the program is to encourage, motivate and guide entrepreneurs to achieve success at the level of the three tracks: ideas, social enterprises and business enterprises through workshops and enrichment programs directly related to technology and creativity.  

About MIT Enterprise Forum Pan Arab:

MIT Enterprise Forum (MITEF) Pan Arab is part of a global network of chapters dedicated to the promotion of entrepreneurship and innovation worldwide. We inform, connect, and coach early-stage technology entrepreneurs—enabling them to rapidly transform ideas into world-changing companies. Founded in 2005 with the goal of promoting and enriching the entrepreneurship ecosystem in the Arab World, we aim to celebrate and support all potential startups and entrepreneurs in the Pan Arab Region through our programs.

For more information, please contact:
Abir Ben Bechir
Email: abir@communityjameelsaudi.org  

Send us your press releases to pressrelease.zawya@refinitiv.com

© Press Release 2021

Disclaimer: The contents of this press release was provided from an external third party provider. This website is not responsible for, and does not control, such external content. This content is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis and has not been edited in any way. Neither this website nor our affiliates guarantee the accuracy of or endorse the views or opinions expressed in this press release.

The press release is provided for informational purposes only. The content does not provide tax, legal or investment advice or opinion regarding the suitability, value or profitability of any particular security, portfolio or investment strategy. Neither this website nor our affiliates shall be liable for any errors or inaccuracies in the content, or for any actions taken by you in reliance thereon. You expressly agree that your use of the information within this article is at your sole risk.

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, this website, its parent company, its subsidiaries, its affiliates and the respective shareholders, directors, officers, employees, agents, advertisers, content providers and licensors will not be liable (jointly or severally) to you for any direct, indirect, consequential, special, incidental, punitive or exemplary damages, including without limitation, lost profits, lost savings and lost revenues, whether in negligence, tort, contract or any other theory of liability, even if the parties have been advised of the possibility or could have foreseen any such damages.