(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Peninsula
DOHA: Qatar Business Incubation Centre (QBIC)- owned by Qatar Development Bank (QDB)-launched their 10th wave of the LeanStartup Programme yesterday. QBIC celebrated this milestone by hosting Charles Adler, co-founder of Kickstarter, for their latest Speaker Series session.
The LeanStartup programme focuses on empowering entrepreneurs and providing them with the tools, hands-on experience and knowledge on how to successfully bring their business ideas to life.
This year, for the second wave in a row, QBIC broke a new record, receiving over 800 applications, witnessing an 84 percent year on year increase. More than 60 startups were chosen to take part in this 10-week journey.
Abdulaziz bin Nasser Al Khalifa, Qatar Development Bank CEO and QBIC Chairman said: 'We are so proud of how far QBIC has come; we have had an incredible four years, helping over 120 startups come to life and today we launch the 10th wave of our flagship LeanStartup Program, from which over 330 aspiring entrepreneurs have graduated.
'zWe are genuinely looking forward to what exciting ideas this new wave will bring, and we hope to empower hundreds of additional startups & local entrepreneurs over the next 4 years, and beyond.
QBIC continues to empower promising local entrepreneurs with innovative ideas, from all sectors - as well as provide them with coaching, financing and the office space they need in order to establish successful startups.
In celebration of QBIC's launch of their 10th wave of the LeanStartup programme, as well as 4 years since its establishment, the Speaker Series event was held at Msheireb Museums, which is located in one of Doha's most historical districts.
Charles Adler, who is recognized as one of the digital era's most exciting innovators, was once named as one of the 12 most disruptive people in business, and he shared his amazing story on how Kickstarter was founded & eventually became the world's largest funding platform for creative projects.
He also shared his insights on the importance of adopting an innovative & disruptive mindset for your startup to differentiate your offering & stay ahead of the competition.
Aysha Al Mudahka, QBIC CEO said: 'Charles co-founded Kickstarter in 2009 and turned it into the world's largest funding platform. Kickstarter has funded over 138,000 successful projects, and raised over $3bn. We are honoured to have him here with us today for this special event, and I'm confident that our aspiring entrepreneurs will leave with something valuable that they can inject into their businesses.
She continued, 'We have incubated over 120 companies to date and it's been a privilege to watch them grow over the past 4 years and develop into successful businesses. I can safely say that we are well on our way towards developing Qatar's next QR100m companies.
The entrepreneurs will learn through this 10-week hands-on program how to transform their ideas into viable startups.
At the end of the programme, they will get a chance to earn incubation by pitching their refined business ideas to a judging panel and potential investors, marking the beginning of their journey during Demo Day, which will take place in mid-May.
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