ZGI entrepreneurs continue int’l accelerator program in London
Ambassador to UK welcomes Zain’s entrepreneurs
KUWAIT: Zain, the leading telecommunications company in Kuwait, announced the arrival of the Zain Great Idea (ZGI) entrepreneurs to London, the United Kingdom. The entrepreneurs are set to continue the second phase of the program - the international accelerator program - which commenced in San Francisco, the United States, for two weeks.
Upon their arrival, the entrepreneurs visited the Embassy of Kuwait in the UK, where the Ambassador of Kuwait to the UK Khalid Al-Duwaisan welcomed them in the embassy’s headquarters in London. The ambassador expressed his pleasure in welcoming such talented Kuwaiti entrepreneurs who own bright startups and are excited about expanding to the European markets. The ambassador also listened to a quick summary about each entrepreneur’s startup, and expressed his admiration of Zain’s efforts in supporting and encouraging them and making this journey possible.
The ten entrepreneurs took part in an exciting and rich experience at San Francisco, specifically Silicon Valley - the international capital of technology and startup businesses - throughout two weeks, and are now continuing their training program in London, where they are mentored by Mind The Bridge and Brilliant Lab. A number of mentors, experts, and specialists will guide them through an extensive program about expansion of startups and SMEs into the European markets, the London market specifically, which is considered the third biggest global market that invests in emerging tech startups around the world.
The London program witnessed a number of field visits that enriched the entrepreneurs’ knowledge base, including a visit to London and Partners, the Mayor of London’s official promotional agency. The visit covered multiple crucial topics, including legal consultation services about startup foundation, taxes in Europe, accounting services, and more. The entrepreneurs also visited the second biggest tech startup accelerator in the world, Techstars, where they will take part in one of Techstars’ accelerator programs.
ZGI is a Zain initiative launched in partnership with Brilliant Lab, a startup accelerator service from Kuwait, and Mind The Bridge, a Silicon Valley-based organization specializing in entrepreneurship education for startups, enterprises and investors. The previous three successful programs has seen the empowerment, training, and investment in hundreds of creative and driven young Kuwaitis, of which many now own thriving Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).
The first phase of the program, the ZGI boot camp, lasted for over two weeks at the company’s main headquarters, where the participants learned about the tech startup culture and workings from leading mentors from Stanford University, IE Business school, entrepreneurs and regional and international venture capital firms.
Encouraging and providing the proper resources for the local entrepreneurial community is a top priority for Zain. Through the company’s active Corporate Sustainability program, Zain is keen to contribute to Kuwait’s economic and national development, much of which will be driven by the country’s youth.