‘Ajar Online’ wins KIPCO Tmkeen Award for Young Entrepreneurs
Prize worth $100,000 in services from the KIPCO Group Sheraton Kuwait, Four Points by Sheraton Kuwait holds blood donation drive ‘Together As One’
Ajar Online, an online platform for the payment and collection of rent co-founded by young Kuwaiti entrepreneurs Shaheen Alkhudhari and Talal Alyaseen, was named the winner of the first-ever KIPCO Tmkeen Award for Young Entrepreneurs. The announcement was made at the opening of the Youth Empowerment Symposium (Tmkeen), held under the patronage of His Highness the Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.
The award is a collaboration between KIPCO - Kuwait Projects Company (Holding) - and Tmkeen. The prize is worth US$ 100,000 in services from the KIPCO Group, including financial, strategic and operational consultation sessions, market studies,
Coinciding with one of Starwood’s initiatives towards community “Together as One” program where all Starwood Hotels and Resorts participate in hundreds of different unique volunteer activities making a positive difference in local communities, Sheraton Kuwait, a Luxury Collection Hotel and Four Points by Sheraton Kuwait recently conducted a blood donation drive in coordination with the Central Blood Bank of Kuwait. The hotels’ took the initiative to donate blood out of the fact that transfusion of blood helps saving millions of lives every year, in addition to supporting complex medical and surgical procedures and helps patients suffering from life threatening conditions to live longer with a higher quality of life. This also contributes to CBBK’s national blood supply to be ready for all who might need it in the beloved state of Kuwait whether citizens or residents. Sheraton Kuwait and Four Points by Sheraton Kuwait believe that they play a vital role in supporting humanitarian programs that take into consideration the circumstances and challenges that are faced by the community that has accompanied the hotels for almost 5 decades.
Al Soor ballroom at Four Points by Sheraton Kuwait was designated to hold this drive, where donation stations and all required insurance coverage and advertising services.
Ajar Online is a cloud service build for the real estate market in Kuwait and the GCC. It offers users a quick and efficient online rent collection service via Sand email. Besides the co-founders, the team includes Mohammad Eid Ebrahim and Ali Ahmad Taqi. Ten young entrepreneurs running media and technology businesses in Kuwait had qualified in first judging round. They then presented to the final judging panel, which included the CoFounder and CEO of Storehouse, Mark Kawano; Co-Founder of Storehouse, Timothy Donnelly; Founding Director of the American United School of Kuwait, Dr Jennifer J. Beckwith; Kuwaiti IT expert, Eng. Manar Al-Hashash; and General Manager equipment were set up for the event. Many employees waited for their turn to roll up their sleeves to donate blood where the General Manager and the directors of different departments joined given the hotels’ important role in encouraging volunteerism.
On this occasion, Fahed Abushaar - General Manager of Sheraton Kuwait expressed his sincere gratitude and pride to all of the employees who donated, as he stated that every minute someone in the world needs blood, and there is nothing better than Sheraton Kuwait and Four Points by Sheraton Kuwait having a role in giving hope and life to each patient. In addition, Abushaar extended his regards and paid tribute to The Central Blood Bank of Kuwait who works continuously to secure blood supply to the beloved State of Kuwait and its valued people. Mounir Amer - General Manager of Four Points by Sheraton Kuwait added that these charitable initiatives are part of the hotels’ moral and ethical values noting that Sheraton Kuwait and Four Points by Sheraton Kuwait have been always supportive and playing remarkable roles in charitable and humanitarian activities that aim to solve different problems, whether health, environmental or social. of Ghaliah Technology, Abdulrazag Al-Mutawa.
Eman Al-Awadhi, KIPCO’s Group Communications Director, said: “KIPCO is a strong believer in the important role that young people can play to make the future of Kuwait a brighter one. Our collaboration with Tmkeen has allowed us to engage in a dialogue with Kuwait’s talented, young business community and to understand how we can support them to make their businesses more sustainable. This has been an exciting journey for us at KIPCO, and we look forward to seeing the businesses that participated with us grow and prosper.”
On his part, Ali Al-Ibrahim, CEO of the Youth Empowerment Organization, said: “Empowerment of young people is the driver at Tmkeen, and this award has given us the opportunity to work more closely with young Kuwaitis who require mentorship and support in order to take their businesses to a higher level. KIPCO’s expertise in diverse sectors has made it possible for us to provide such support. We look forward to seeing the fruits of these efforts as we continue to inspire our young generation to pursue their passion in business.”
KIPCO Group companies - including Burgan Bank, OSN, Gulf Insurance Group, KAMCO Investment Company, United Real Estate, Qurain Petrochemical Industries, AUK, AUS, United Networks and Marina FM - are supporters of the KIPCO Tmkeen Award for Young Entrepreneurs.