Competition to select best ideas JEDDAH – The Jeddah Young Business Women's Committee at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry announced that there has been a large turnout in the registration for the Young Jeddah Entrepreneurs competition. Thirty female candidates who own small businesses or have bright ideas for future projects will be selected. They will be trained and their performance will be monitored in 10 sessions. They will then be prepared to meet potential investors who may offer promising opportunities for the winners. The projects will be evaluated during the Jeddah Entrepreneurs Meet. The top ten projects will receive monetary prizes as well. The event is being organized by the Jeddah Young Business Women's Committee and TRACCS, a leading regional PR agency, with Al-Aghar Group as the program's strategic advisor. The competition's website, www.jem-yje.com, is currently overflowing with requests from young females with creative business ideas who are potential entrepreneurs aiming to be chosen by the competition so that they can launch their dream projects. Rania Salama, Head of the Jeddah Young Business Women's Committee, said: “The website continues to accept applications and we are very pleased with the large number of bright project ideas that we have received so far, which are expected to increase significantly by the end of the registration period.” “There is a balance between quantity and quality, as we have seen a large number of promising ideas and projects that reflect the aspirations of young Saudi women to break into various sectors and make a successful mark in them with a vision of transforming their ideas into reality. “This led us to study the possibility of cooperating with numerous parties that support government and private sectors, making use of all services provided by these entities, and overcoming obstacles to find a suitable environment for the launch and growth of these projects into fruition on home ground,” she said. “Our objective is integrating with all those who share our goals to support small business and invest in it,” Salama said. This will lead to the desired development of the local economy, she added. Salama says several of the innovative applications can be successfully implemented. “I can see that we will have strong competition among the contenders,” she added. The competition represents a serious attempt by the committee to support young female entrepreneurs with what they need to establish their business projects, including providing the seed capital and the training to bring their ideas to reality. Sarah Al-Ayed, Director of Strategy at TRACCS, a leading regional public relations agency, said: “We at the Jeddah Young Business Women's Committee will do everything we can to stimulate and support the prize-winning projects in order for them to become commercially successful initiatives that enrich the Saudi economy.” “We are also targeting students who may graduate soon to highlight the self-employment opportunities available in the Saudi market,” she said. “We wish to support their ideas and aspirations so they can contribute in providing employment opportunities instead of looking for a job.” The competition involves the participation of 30 female candidates who own small businesses or have bright ideas for future projects. They will be provided with a selection of training programs, followed by monitoring the performance of their project for a period of 10 training sessions in preparation for them to meet potential investors who could offer promising opportunities for the talented young women. The projects will be evaluated during the Jeddah Entrepreneurs Meet by a committee of judges who will choose the top ten projects, which will receive monetary prizes to serve as non recoverable paid
