Nest, a Hong Kong-based corporate innovation accelerator, has officiated its launch in the Mena region, in Bahrain with its first innovative panel discussion.

The discussion followed the theme of “Why Startups and Corporates Need Each Other?” with eminent figures in Bahrain’s entrepreneurial scene starting up the conversations. The panel included: Simon Galpin - managing director of EDB; Amal Kooheji - managing director at the Human Capital Development Advisory; Al Harith - COO Skiplino, CEO ONEGCC.

In recognition of Bahrain’s rapidly growing entrepreneurial spirit, Nest created a platform where the conversation of how startups and corporates can collaborate for mutual success was discussed.

Lawrence Morgan, Nest’s CEO said: “Nest has built an innovation ecosystem to connect the fast growing markets of Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. It is important for corporates and startups to work together towards achieving greater collaborative success and Bahrain has proven to be a strategic location of tremendous potential.”

In alignment with Nest’s innovative goals, this panel discussion is one of the first events of Day 1 of the Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) taking place in Bahrain. Nest is one of the proud partners of GEW in the Kingdom.

The partnership between GEN (Global Entrepreneurship Network) and the Kingdom is supported by Tamkeen, a semi-governmental organization that has been working to advance entrepreneurship for more than 10 years. In that time, it has launched more than 200 programs and initiatives focused on areas such as funding and financing, skill and career progression, customized employment schemes, and entrepreneurship exposure, amongst many others.

In addition to this partnership, Nest recently discussed their initiative with American Express Middle East that is running the first Corporate Accelerator programme focused on delivering innovative digital solutions to customers and business partners in the Middle East.  The ACCELERATE ME programme will scale up to 7 local and international startups with innovative solutions to cater to deliver unique customer engagement, automated payments, and alternative physical and digital platforms for merchants.

Mazin Khoury, CEO of American Express Middle East commented: “We are thrilled to be partnering with Nest on the ACCELERATE ME programme, to create a platform for local, regional and international startups and give them the opportunity to pitch their innovative solutions to American Express Middle East. We at American Express Middle East put innovation at the forefront of everything we do. It is the driving force that shapes our success and is the reason we continue to maintain a leading position in the region.”

Nest has been awarded the Tamkeen Labour Fund tender, an initiative by the government to create opportunities for Bahrainis in the labour market and for enterprises to develop and flourish. Together with the government, Nest intends to drive ecosystem growth by running various corporate innovation programmes and sharing ecosystem insights such as the Gateway Gulf Report. – TradeArabia News Service