Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP) and the European Innovation Academy launched the second edition of Arab Innovation Academy (AIA) last week, bringing together over 160 aspiring “techpreneurs” from Qatar and the Mena region, as well as representatives from India and Russia.

In addition to having over 80 students from Qatar representing 26 different countries, AIA delegates and participants hail from numerous other countries, including Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Sudan, Palestine, Lebanon, Turkey, Oman, and Yemen.

AIA, the first and largest entrepreneurship program of its kind in the region, is a strategic and exclusive partnership powered by QSTP and the European Innovation Academy (EIA), the world's largest extreme entrepreneurship program. This unique program is aimed at equipping entrepreneurs in the Arab region and global community with the skillset to build their start-up in just 10 days. During the AIA, participants are introduced to an accelerated mode of experiential learning, including how to develop and launch new tech ventures in a real marketplace, with genuine customer feedback.

The opening of the AIA was attended by Yosouf Abdulrahman Saleh, executive director, QSTP, and Alar Kolk, president, EIA.

Speaking at the event, Saleh said: "The initiatives we have taken and the projects we are engaged in revolve around our commitment to the process of research, development, and innovation. With leading programs like AIA, we encourage our talented youth to take the next step and propel their ideas to the stage of practical implementation."

"We aim to develop an innovative mindset among our talented youth to nurture an unprecedented and competitive environment in the Mena region. More importantly, we believe that investment in our region's talent pool is the key to achieving long-term economic sustainability and prosperity."

As part of this hands-on and groundbreaking initiative, participants will be introduced to cutting-edge methods and tools related to the entrepreneurship journey, from team formation and ideation to pitching venture capitalists and angel investors, tactics that are accredited by leading global universities, and endorsed by QSTP, Google, and Amadeus.

AIA also offers participants access to an extensive global network of prominent experts, mentors, and speakers from premiere organisations in the fields of tech entrepreneurship and innovation.

The first edition of AIA accepted more than 100 participants from 11 countries to come together and develop their techpreneurial ideas. This year, AIA selected more than 160 participants from a pool of over 900 applicants, to have an enriching experience of learning from 25 speakers and 37 mentors and investors, all representing 30 different nationalities, for its second edition in Doha. - TradeArabia News Service