Zain awards winners of KON Entrepreneurship Program

Closing ceremony held at AUK Awards aim to support excellence and innovation in media

KUWAIT CITY, Aug 14: Zain, the leading digital service provider in Kuwait, participated in awarding the top three winners of the KON Social Entrepreneurship Program during the closing ceremony held at the American University in Kuwait (AUK). The program, brought to Kuwait in collaboration with Babson College in Boston, came as part of Zain’s Strategic Partnership with LoYAC, a non-profit organization that aims at developing youth’s talents and skills.

Zain’s support to KON for the second year running came as part of its Strategic Partnership with LoYAC, which continues this year for over 15 consecutive years. The partnership comes in line with the company’s Corporate Sustainability and Social Responsibility Strategy, which centers around the development of the Education and Youth sectors, especially in regard to nurturing and developing entrepreneurial skills within the youth.

The KON Social Entrepreneurship Program witnessed the participation of 64 bright students aged 12-16 years, who formed 14 different teams each with an innovative idea for a socially responsible and profitable business that tackles an issue in the local community. Zain took part in awarding the winning teams during the closing ceremony held at AUK; first place: Edully, a business that provided innovative online services for the youth in Kuwait to fight bullying. Second place: ECOMESH, a business that designed an affordable, lightweight, and portable recycling bin to eliminate pollution and preserve the environment. Third place: Top Team Talent, a business that created a platform that links talented youth with sponsors and events to help them develop their talents and skills. The winning teams will take part in an exciting educational trip to the Sultanate of Oman that aims at enhancing their team building, leadership, and self-discovery skills.

tLast July, Zain hosted KON’s students at the Zain Innovation Center (ZINC) in the company’s main headquarters in Shuwaikh. The students took part in a workshop facilitated by Khalid Al Amiri, founder of Li3ib project and an entrepreneur of the fourth Zain Great Idea accelerator program. The workshop covered tech startup acceleration and the secrets of pitching new tech startups, as well as many other experiences that benefited the students in their entrepreneurship journey.

KON, one of LoYAC’s latest youth development programs, trained youth (12-16 years) in the area of Social Entrepreneurship throughout 6 weeks at the American University in Kuwait. The program was brought to Kuwait in collaboration with Babson College in Boston, considered the most prestigious entrepreneurship college in the United States and the number one institution in the world for entrepreneurship education.

This year, Zain’s support to LoYAC extends to various educational

Zain and LOYAC teams with the winning students.