TechWadi

TechWadi (Wadi Arabic: وادي‎ wādī; is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley.) is a non-profit organization connecting Silicon Valley and the Arab world to promote economic development by facilitating access to mentorship, capital, and acceleration for high-impact entrepreneurs.[1][2][3]

TechWadi
FoundersGhazi Benothmane, Akram Benmbarek, Mohammed Alzubi, Rami Habal, Ray Milhem.
Headquarters
Silicon Valley
Area served
MENA region
Websitetechwadi.org

Main Activities

Business Acceleration

TechWadi also organized the #TechSpring Forum at Plug and Play Tech Center in Silicon Valley in 2012.[13] The forum brought together top MENA and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, investors, and technologists, focused on harnessing the power of technology and innovation to create sustainable economic growth in the MENA region post Arab Spring.[4]

Mentorship

TechWadi has also worked to connect mentors with high-impact entrepreneurs. The TechWadi Global Entrepreneurship Forum, held at the American University of Beirut in Beirut, Lebanon in 2010, marked the launch of the TechWadi 100 Network of mentors. The conference addressed topics including the role of mentors and incubators in building the support infrastructure for start-ups, the application of best practices in venture capital, and cross-border collaboration between the U.S. and MENA.[5] Notable TechWadi 100 members include: Fadi Ghandour (Aramex International), Magid Abraham (comScore), Ossama Hassanein (Rising Tide), Samih Toukan (Maktoob), and Usama Fayyad (Oasis500) among others.[6]

Advancing Entrepreneurship in MENA Region

TechWadi has aimed to further entrepreneurship education in the Arab World. Past examples include TechWadi's partnership with the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship [7] and The Global Innovation through Science and Technology Initiative for exploring new initiatives to accelerate the growth of the Arab Digital Economy.[8] In collaboration with the MITEF Pan Arab Region Startup Competition and Enterprise Qatar, TechWadi organized the QHackathon for competition finalists in 2013.[9]

References
  1. "Arab Tech Entrepreneurs Forge Links Between the Middle East and Silicon Valley". Arabic Knowledge@Wharton. Retrieved September 13, 2011.
  2. "Can Entrepreneurship Bring Change Where the Arab Spring Has Not". Arabic Knowledge@Wharton. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
  3. "TechWadi Global Entrepreneurship Forum held for the first time in Beirut, hosted by the Olayan School of Business at AUB". Al Bawaba News. Retrieved June 24, 2010.
  4. "Unlocking the Potential of the Arab Spring: TechWadi Kicks Off January 16th". Wamda.
  5. "TechWadi Global Entrepreneurship Forum Held for the First Time in Beirut". ALIGN. Retrieved June 28, 2010.
  6. "Mentors". PlugandPlayEgypt.
  7. "Closing Remarks at the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship". U.S. Department of State. Archived from the original on 2010-04-29.
  8. "GIST Initiative and TechWadi Host Entrepreneurship Networking Event at Nest GSV" (PDF). Global Innovation through Science and Technology.
  9. "QHackathon 2013".
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