Zain powers 8 Kuwaiti tech SMEs at MWC17
KUWAIT/BARCELONA: Zain, the leading telecommunications company in Kuwait, powered eight young Kuwaiti entrepreneurs in its dedicated booth at the 4YFN Startup Conference during the 2017 Mobile World Congress (MWC) held last week in Barcelona. MWC is the world’s leading telecom event, gathering innovative tech small and medium sized enterprises (SME) from around the globe.
Zain’s initiative is aimed at supporting and empowering Kuwaiti SMEs that specialize in technology innovation. The company is keen on highlighting the competencies and potential of Kuwaiti entrepreneurs, especially during an event as significant as MWC where tech innovators, manufacturers, developers and operators of the telecom and IT sectors from around the world gather.
Zain selected eight Kuwaiti tech SMEs and traveled with them to MWC 2017, where it facilitated their showcasing of their innovations through participation in the 4YFN Startup Conference, which welcomes the global investment community. This initiative was in partnership with Kuwaiti startup accelerator Brilliant Lab, and in line with Zain’s corporate sustainability strategy towards the youth and entrepreneurs in Kuwait. Zain Group’s Vice Chairman Bader Al-Kharafi, who was present at Zain’s booth during MWC, expressed his admiration and pride in the competencies and potential displayed by the
Kuwaiti entrepreneurs among other participants from around the world.
Bader Al-Kharafi said, “We strongly believe in the competencies of Kuwaiti youth and are keen on empowering them. This significant portion of our community has much to offer through technological innovations, helping turn Kuwait into a leading emerging market for digital developments and startups. We need more than just ideas and visions to achieve sustainable development, and that’s why we are keen on spreading the culture of entrepreneurship and promoting those who are determined to turn their ideas into reality”. Kharafi continued: “The most recent successful stories reveal that early investment in tech startups puts corporations at the heart of the modern world, and further progresses the wheel of development. If we don’t take this early risk, we will face hardships later as the world around us evolves.”
As a leading telecom operator, Zain has sought to utilize technology to overcome challenges and will continue to in the future. Zain Kuwait’s support of the startups at 4YFN is aligned with its strategic direction and long-term focus on technology and innovation. The telco aims to be a driver and active participant in creating local change in the Kuwaiti tech scene. After years of developing many startups via Zain Great Idea and watching them grow from seed to small businesses, Zain aspires to lead again and represent the leading startups on a global platform. The startups had the chance to pitch, develop and seek further capital injection. The eight projects supported by Zain at MWC 2017 were as follows:
Boutiqaat’s
Seeks to become the No. 1 shopping destination for personal care products. It does not only save time and effort, but also offers the chance to select from world brands and names under one roof. A new application at the website was recently launched for iPhone and Android, and the company provides numerous offers and discounts for the marketed products.
Bleems
Traditionally floral, bakery, chocolate and gift shops used to receive and deliver their orders, until Bleems was born. Bleems enables customers to choose amongst the best possible floral and bakeries arrangements in the market.
Ghinwa
Ghinwa is the first and the largest application for Arabic karaoke. The app aims at sharing singing talent across all social platforms. Ghinwa acts as a platform for talented singers to express themselves legally. It supports the young artists and singers.
Bookr
Bookr is the best guide for health-maintenance providers in Kuwait. The carefully selected guide enables subscribers to receive needed health services. Appointments and subscriptions to prepaid services can also be made. Through data analysis and ads tools, the Booker cloud management system helps healthmaintenance service providers monitor work flow and manage relations with clients. Tktti
Tktti is a user-friendly website application available 24/7 dedicated to easing events organizers’ market reach, and providing data analysis based ticket purchases. The platform’s backend allow event organizers to post events with multiple and specialized tools specifically designed for their convenience. As a user, just a few simple steps gain access to the desired event.
Diwaniya Labs
Diwaniya Labs has created handcrafted online multiplayer experiences based on local card games. Apps are available on a range of devices (iOS, Android, macOS). Diwaniya Labs is focused on the industry and development of entertainmentbased digital content. Tap
Tap now supports over 1,000 businesses and major corporations and has had a (digital) hand in securing tens of thousands of transactions easily and efficiently for consumers all around the world.
Ghaseel
Ghaseel is the first marketplace for car wash services ondemand. The easiest and quickest way to get a car washed at the desired location, delivering variety of offers and discounts.