Under the Patronage of the Governorate of Madinah Region in collaboration with Community Jameel Saudi
● Competition’s application submissions open on September 15, 2021, until December 6, 2021.
● The biggest Startup Competition in the Arab Region is brought to you by MIT Enterprise Forum Pan Arab and MIT Enterprise Forum Saudi Arabia.
● The “Start Smart” Conference will take place physically in March 2022 to announce this year’s winners in Al-Madinah, Saudi Arabia.
Beirut, Lebanon: MIT Enterprise Forum (MITEF) Pan Arab and MITEF Saudi Arabia are proud to announce the launch of the MITEF Startup Competition 2021-2022. This year’s competition will provide the opportunity for the participants from Arab Startup Competition and Saudi Startup Competition to compete under a single giant competition; organized & supported by Bab Rizq Jameel & Community Jameel Saudi and under the Patronage of the Governorate of Madinah Region.
The MITEF Startup Competition 2021-2022 pits entrepreneurs in three different tracks: Ideas, Startups, and Social Entrepreneurship. The competition aims to enable entrepreneurs and promote an ecosystem of innovation and entrepreneurship in the Arab world and Saudi Arabia, with a special focus this year focusing on Al-Madinah, Saudi Arabia. This year’s edition launches with the slogan “Empowering Today. Transforming Tomorrow” through a 7-month thrilling journey, filled with exciting activities like top-tier training, mentorship, media exposure, and excellent networking opportunities, not to mention the winning teams benefit from equity free-fund cash prizes.
The MITEF Startup Competition 2021-2022 will conclude with a final conference and awards ceremony that will take place during the Start Smart Conference, during the month of March 2022 in Al-Madinah, Saudi Arabia, during which this year’s Startup Investment Forum (SIF) will also take place.
Applications are open for submissions starting September 15, 2021, until December 6, 2021. Entrepreneurs and innovators from the Arab World and Saudi Arabia of all ages and industries can apply to one of the competition’s three tracks: Ideas, Startups, Social Entrepreneurship through the competition’s website: www.mitarabcompetition.com. The competition’s organizers will be conducting several roadshows and informative sessions throughout several Arab countries and Saudi Arabia, introducing the competition’s criteria and application process and helping candidates perfect their applications.
On this occasion, Muhammad Al-Yousef, CEO of the Economic Development Center in the Governorate of Al-Madinah Region, commented: “Out of the developmental role of the Governorate of Al-Madinah region and its efforts to advance the local economy and support local services, in which the entrepreneurship eco-system presents a pivotal role in line with the objectives of Vision 2030, and within the existing efforts of the Economic Development Center in the Governorate of Al-Madinah region to increase investment opportunities and ease processes of doing business, it contributes to the implementation of the region’s strategic objectives in supporting and stimulating the entrepreneurship sector as it is one of the most important factors to grow the private sector in the region. In this regard, Community Jameel Saudi succeeds in executing the MITEF Startup Competition, with great steps; this contributes to the enhancement of the entrepreneurial eco-system, the success of the region’s startups, and the support given to ideas and investment projects. This is the role that serves the expansion and support of innovation and entrepreneurship.”
He added: “We are pleased to host the forum in Al-Madinah Region as a global destination for launching businesses and attracting qualitative investments to achieve sustainable development, in God’s willing, and under the directives of His Highness the Emir of the region and his deputy, may God grant them success, and under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and his trusted Crown Prince, may God protect them, in achieving prosperous economy and contributing to the economic development of the region and this dear country.”
Commenting on the launch of MITEF Saudi Arabia and Pan Arab’s Startup Competition 2022, Hala Fadel, Founder and Chair of MITEF Pan Arab said: “We are delighted to partner with MITEF Saudi Arabia this year to officially launch the Startup Competition 2022 that will be held in Al-Madinah. After running the Arab Startup Competition (ASC) for 15 successful editions in different Arab cities, we realize the importance of empowering our entrepreneurs by providing them with the proper training and mentorship and the effect that they have on transforming the entrepreneurship ecosystem. According to the 2020 Arab Entrepreneurship Maturity Index: Insights and Forecasts report that we published, ASC startups’ customer base grew by 43% over the previous two years and 45% of startups expanded into new geographic markets, notably the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe, Africa and East Asia. Our work for the past years comes from the deep-rooted belief that investing in this region’s human capital is elemental to its long-term economic and social mobility. We look forward to this upcoming edition and the transformations that will impact the societies around the region.”
Hassan Jameel, Vice Chairman of Community Jameel, said: “We are proud to be a partner and to take part in this exceptional edition of the 2021-2022 MITEF Startup Competition welcoming entrepreneurs across the Arab world. The MITEF Pan Arab and the MITEF Saudi Arabia startup competitions have succeeded in establishing more than 550 startups and providing more than 15,600 job opportunities, highlighting the outstanding entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Al-Madinah region of Saudi Arabia.”
For more information on the MITEF Startup Competition 2021-2022 application submissions process, eligibility, and judging criteria, please visit: www.mitarabcompetition.com
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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.
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.