Bahrain's leading telecom operator Batelco is organising 'Startup Weekend Bahrain 2012' in November to encourage young aspiring entrepreneurs and help them on the road to establishing successful ICT and e-business enterprises.

The event will run from November 8 to 10 at the Batelco Staff Centre in Hamala and form part of Global Entrepreneurship Week with a large number of StartUp Weekends taking place globally to mark the occasion, said a statement from Batelco.  

Startup Weekend is a non-profit operation based in Seattle, Washington, that organizes 54-hour events in cities around the world, all of which help educate, support, and empower people to become entrepreneurs.

Startup Weekends bring together developers, designers, marketers, product managers and startup enthusiasts to share ideas, form teams, build products and launch startups!

These are weekend-long, hands-on experiences where entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs can find out if startup ideas are viable. On average, half of Startup Weekend’s attendees have technical backgrounds, the other half have business, marketing or non-technical backgrounds.

Beginning with brief pitches to outline their idea on Thursday, attendees aim to inspire other participants to join their team. Over Friday and Saturday the teams will focus on customer development, validating their ideas and building a minimal viable product.

Batelco said a number of organisations have already pledged their sponsorship and support including Mumtalakat and Ericsson as Platinum Sponsors and Gulf Weekly, CoEds and  Business In Gulf as Media Sponsors.

Throughout the weekend Mentors who are entrepreneurs themselves or come from leading local and global organisation will be on hand to give advice, support and answer questions to help the teams to develop their ideas into a viable business plan, said the statement.

On Saturday evening the teams will present their prototypes and receive valuable feedback from a panel of experts who will select the winning ideas.

Batelco called upon young aspiring entrepreneurs of all nationalities to visit the Startup Weekend Bahrain web page (bahrain.startupweekend.org) to learn more about how Startup works and register to attend and participate.

The top three teams will walk away with cash prizes and follow up support to help them launch their new ventures, said a statement form Batelco.
 
Additionally, Batelco Innovation Centre will select one team and provide them with the Startup Pack prize which consists of a Smartphone, Tablet, Personal Computer and high speed Broadband connection for one year.

Batelco Group GM Media Relations Ahmed Al Janahi said, "Batelco was delighted to once again bring Startup Weekend to Bahrain to provide a great opportunity for young people to receive valuable feedback from those with experience in a range of industries and also have the opportunity to benefit from practical and financial support from potential investors."

“It has been found in numerous events that have taken place all over the world that about half of Startup Weekend participants attend the events to learn a new skill, learn how to develop a product, or learn how to start a venture—there are many opportunities to share experiences and learn from each other and from the mentors and judges who will be on hand,” he added.-TradeArabia News Service