RIYADH – Endeavor will launch a new affiliate office in Saudi Arabia, expanding its efforts to select and service high-impact entrepreneurs in the Middle East, the company said in a statement Wednesday. This will be Endeavor's fifth Middle East regional affiliate, following successful launches over the past six years in Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon. Endeavor has already selected 90 entrepreneurs representing 59 companies in the MENA region and provides a range of services including mentoring, providing access to key networks and introductions to sources of smart capital. All Endeavor affiliates are spearheaded by a local board of leading businesspeople each of who share the organization's vision for screening and selecting entrepreneurs and then providing them guidance to scale their businesses. The Endeavor Saudi Arabia founding board will be chaired by Rami K. Alturki, President of Khalid Ali Alturki & Sons. He will be joined on the board by Princess Banderi A.R. Al Faisal, Director General, King Khalid Foundation; Mohammed A. Hafiz, CEO, Al-Sawani; Musaab S. Al Muhaidib, CEO, Al Muhaidib Technical Supplies; Abdulaziz A. Al Omran, VP, Khalid & Abdulaziz Al Omran Co.; Hossam Radwan, CEO of Abraaj Saudi Arabia; Faisal Tamer, Managing Partner at The Tamer Group; and Abdulla Al Zamil, CEO of Zamil Industrial. The board has appointed Rakan Al Eidi to serve as the first managing director, overseeing day-to-day operations for Endeavor KSA. His initial responsibilities include recruiting the first Endeavor Entrepreneur candidates in the Kingdom and building a staff to support them. “We're very excited to bring Endeavor's proven model to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” said board Chairman Rami Alturki. “Entrepreneurship is one of the keys to addressing the need for tens of thousands of new and innovative jobs in the Kingdom.” “Through our work with high-impact entrepreneurs in the MENA region, we hope to inspire a culture of entrepreneurship, leading to innovation as well as job and wealth generation.” said Endeavor co-founder & CEO Linda Rottenberg. “We're very excited by the enormous opportunities to build entrepreneurship in Saudi Arabia.” The launch of Endeavor in Saudi Arabia would not have been possible without the strategic guidance of its regional board members and key partners. Endeavor Global would like to thank Abraaj Capital for their commitment and ongoing support to accelerate Endeavor's expansion and impact within the Middle East and North Africa. – SG
