15 projects enrolled in second edition of Fikra – Gulf Bank gold sponsor of program which transforms ideas into businesses

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KUWAIT CITY, Jan 16: Gulf Bank is pleased to announce the eligibility of 15 projects to enroll in the second edition of Fikra Program and debut the training phase. Gulf Bank is the gold sponsor of Fikra Program which transforms ideas into businesses.  As a first step, over 170 applications from eager participants were filtered and 40 reached the second stage where they went through an interview process.

A judging panel comprised of five members from different sectors gathered to select the appropriate candidates. The jury consisted of: Mariam Al-Rayes from Cubical Services, Mohammed Abdullah from the National Fund for SMEs Development, Dr. Samar Baqer from Kuwait University, Fares Al Enizi from the Program of Restructuring the Workforce and the Executive Organ of the State, and Saad Al Othman from the Industrial Bank. Participants were later filtered again to reach 27 people.

The jury selected various projects and they are:

* Mohammad Abdulredha and Nawaf Ibrahim AlRifai — Scientific & Solar

* Jawad Mohammed Al-Shakhs, Hani Mohammed Al-Shakhs, Mashari Mohammed AlObeid, and Yasser Habib AlHamad — Little Corner Store

* Maha Ghunaim Al-Otaibi and Ahmad Ali AlKandari — Tal’ab

* Alia Majed Al-Tourky and Anfal Khaled Al Samhan — Hiber

* Shaikha Salem Faqihi — Crowned Scenery

* Abdullah Habib Al-Ali and Fahd Issam AlRoumi — Poly Labs

* Abdulaziz Althekair — Masfity

* Hind Sanad Sanad andAisha Sanad Sanad — Fashion on Wheels

* Lamees Osamah Nijem and Layal Osamah Nijem — LSQUARE Studios

* Duaa Mehdi Al-Mousawi — Kabati

* May Al Ahmed — Nadi Fatayat Al Mustaqbal

* Ismail Ahmad Al-Tabtabai — Kendaishen

* Mohammad Khazal Khazal, Mohammed AbdulAziz AlMajadi, AbdelSalam Obeid Hussein, and Nasser Faisal AlQatami – BULK

* Abdullah Ali Al-Bahaweed — Wood Works

* Khaled Ahmed Shames Al-Dain – myfRoots

The first training session for the selected 15 teams began on Sunday, January 15. The trainings, which are closed sessions for the accepted applicants only, will continue every Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday until 2 March 2017 from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm in Al Haa Tower.

The main goal of Fikra Program is to empower a new generation of entrepreneurs to develop successful businesses and advance the local Kuwaiti market. It is an intensive entrepreneurship training that provides aspiring entrepreneurs with the technical skills and business knowledge needed to launch their own businesses such as leadership skills, comprehensive business plan, investment opportunities and others.

Additionally, Fikra is a non-profit program designed by Cubical Services- business incubator. It aims at turning young people’s ideas into business projects and to help the youth achieve their aspirations and to overcome the obstacles of implementation. The program is supported by a range of governmental agencies and companies from the private sector in Kuwait and they are: the Ministry of State for Youth Affairs, the National Fund for SMEs Development, Haa Tower, and Markaz.

Gulf Bank’s sponsorship of Fikra comes as part of its social responsibility plan. The Bank is strongly committed to giving back to Kuwait as it supports numerous events and initiatives focusing on youth, education, health and fitness, helping the underprivileged, women’s empowerment, as well as promoting Kuwait’s heritage and culture.

For more information on Gulf Bank, please visit one of Gulf Bank’s 56 branches, call the Customer Contact Center on 1805805, log on to www.e-gulfbank.com, Gulf Bank’s bilingual website, or visit its social media channels.

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