RIYADH – Twenty startups in Saudi Arabia, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have joined "MiSK 500 MENA Accelerator" Program, which is being organized by the Initiatives Center at MiSK Foundation represented by MiSK Innovation Initiative. The MiSK 500 MENA Accelerator was launched on Sept. 10 in Riyadh and it will continue for three months to contribute to training leading owners of startups, ensure the development of their projects and help them transform their nascent projects to successful companies. The work of the accelerator begins after the owners of startups have passed registration and admission, which was carried out last July. Hundreds of entrepreneurs from MENA have applied and their deliberations concluded last May, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said. The accelerator comprises a program supervised by the mega international companies in supporting entrepreneurship and startups. It includes holding training courses and workshops, advanced training in several specializations, like telecommunications, sales, meeting clients, data analysis, employment, financing and products, and building systems, among others. All of the startup owners who have enrolled will receive SR187,000 (equivalent to $50,000). In the first three months, the program will support creative ideas hence increasing job opportunities, and in introducing the startups to the global business sector. The program is considered an opportunity for discovering promising capabilities among the Saudi youth that can command companies capable of enhancing the future economy. MiSK Innovation Initiative endeavors to raise the standard of professional and skilled training among the youth, to enable them to possess future skills, obtain the highest world criteria for training in the field of technology, innovation and entrepreneurship, by making the optimum use of the best past experience and broadening the scope of communication locally and globally such that it helps them start investment and pioneering projects. Support for startups comes within the "MiSK 500" MENA Accelerator Program, being carried out by MiSK Innovation, one of the initiatives of MiSK Foundation, in cooperation with one of the best business accelerators in Silicon Valley "Startups 500". The aim is to develop nascent projects and convert them to successful companies and support creative ideas that will help in creating job opportunities.
