Kuwait’s Gulf Bank has selected 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, said a statement.

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 comprising 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 first training session for the selected 15 teams began on January 15. The trainings, which are closed sessions for the accepted applicants only, will continue every Sunday.

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, Hamra Tower, and Markaz.

Gulf Bank’s sponsorship of Fikra comes as part of its social responsibility plan.  – TradeArabia News Service