List of Arab entrepreneurship initiatives

Arab entrepreneurship initiatives: this is an alphabetical list of major, ACTIVE, multi-year initiatives taken to promote entrepreneurship in Arab-majority countries. It includes private-sector, government, NGO and INGO initiatives.

  • Agence Nationale de Développement de l’Investissement (ANDI, the National Investment Development Agency)
  • ANVREDET — Research Development Agency
  • CDTA — Centre for Advanced Technologies
  • CERIST — National Research Centre
  • DZ-Invest — The Foreign Direct Investment Agency
  • EPA-ANSA Technology Park, City of Medicine and Cyber Park
  • EU Delegation in Algeria[
  • FINALEP
  • SIPAREX
  • Startup-week end
  • entrepreneurship4Youth

{These need review and redacting.}

  • Bahrain Business Incubator Centre
  • Bahrain Development Bank

  • American University in Cairo (AUC) School of Business
  • Endeavor-Egypt
  • Yomken.com
  • Yadaweya.com
  • Elmashrou3.tv
  • Flat6labs
  • RiseUp Summit

  • Alwatani (National Microfinance Bank of Jordan, NGO)
  • Al Urdonia Lil Ebda
  • Atlas Investment
  • Al-Quds College
  • Bidaya Ventures
  • Creative Jordan
  • Endeavor-Jordan
  • EFE-Jordan
  • Entreprise Productivity Centre
  • www.Exxab.com
  • INJAZ
  • Jordan Career Education Foundation
  • MENA100
  • Queen Rania Center for Entrepreneurship
  • Najah
  • Jordan Forum for Business and Professional Women
  • National Fund for Enterprise Support
  • Jordan Venture Projects
  • "Incubators":
    • Al-Quds College Business Incubator
    • HCST-ICT Incubator
    • JFBPW Incubator
    • RSS - EE&IE Incubator
    • AECE Incubator system at Al Yarmouk
    • U of Jordan Agro-Industry Incubator
    • JTG Incubator
    • NACTIB - National Network of Incubators
    • Cyber City
    • Meydan
    • Oasis500
  • Young Entrepreneurs Association
  • AZprofile.com
  • KAFD-International Travel Support
  • Crown Prince Foundation
  • Arab Innovation Network
  • Jordan Education Initiative
  • Reach 2025
  • 1000 Entrepreneurs
  • J-CORE

  • INJAZ
  • Fikra www.fikraprogram.com

  • Amideast, Cisco Entrepreneurship Institute
  • Association for the Development of Rural Capacities
  • Association Entraide Professionnelle
  • Al Majmoua (microfinance)
  • Al-Iktissad Wal-Aamal (magazine)
  • Ameen (microfinance)
  • Cedars Consultants and Traders' Group
  • Center For Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the AUB American University of Beirut
  • Bader Lebanon
  • Berytech
  • BIAT Center (Business Incubation Association of Tripoli)
  • Center For Entrepreneurship @ Beirut Arab University
  • Dragons Den: Al Aareen, on Beirut's Future Television
  • Euro-Lebanese Centre For Industrial Modernsation
  • Georges N. Frem Foundation
  • Ijma3
  • Imdad logistics a Middle East 4PL services provider (Logistics Management)
  • Kafalat: a 75% publicly owned financial company that assists SMEs to access commercial bank funding.
  • Partnership for Lebanon (Ghafari, Cisco, Intel, Microsoft, Occidental Petroleum)
  • Lira
  • MACLE
  • Makhzoumi Foundation
  • MOET (Ministry of Economy and Trade)
  • MIT Enterprise Forum of the Pan Arab Region (known for its annual MIT Arab Business Plan Competition)
  • Philips Innovation Program (housed at Berytech)
  • Qualeb Programme
  • René Moawad Foundation
  • RootSpace
  • SME Unit (of the Ministry of Economy and Trade)
  • South BIC (Business Incubation Center, Saida)
  • WAY SAL - Cedars consultants and Traders'Group
  • Young Arab Women Entrepreneurs (YAWE)
  • YallaStartup

  • Al Akhawayan University
  • Amideast, Cisco Entrepreneurship Institute
  • AFEM, Moroccan Businesswomen's Association
  • ANPME - The National SME Association
  • ANPME - National SME Agency
  • Jamalullail Corporation Berhads
  • Biotech Maroc
  • CAC - Network of Business Advisory Bureaus
  • Casablanca Technopark
  • CMPP - Moroccan Centre for Clean Manufacturing
  • CREFACE - Network of Business Start-up Centres
  • Education for Employment Foundation (EFE-Maroc)
  • Government Ministries {revise: only leave in if sub-links relate directly to entrepreneurship}
    • MCI - Ministry of Industry and Commerce
    • The Ministry for Privatisation
    • OMPIC - National Intellectual Property Bureau
  • Network Maroc Entrepreneurs
  • OFPPT - National Manpower and Professional Training Bureau
  • PTR - A National Technology Services Network
  • RMIE — Moroccan Incubator and Start-up network
  • R+D Maroc — The Moroccan RTD Association
  • Moroccan Center for Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship www.mcise.org
  • Enactus-Morocco
  • University incubators:
    • National University System
    • L’Université Mohammed Premier Oujda
    • CUDI — Incubator at Doukala University
    • CIE — Centre Incubator d’Entreprises
    • CIT — Centre d’Incubation Technologique at EMI Rabat
    • Incubator de l’ENIM
    • IT Incubateur at INPT-ENSIAS Rabat
    • Incubator ‘MA-IN’ at the Faculté des Sciences Semlalia Marrakech
    • Incubator at the Faculté des Sciences et Techniques Beni Mallal
    • Incubator at the Faculté des Sciences El Jadida

  • Zubair Small Enterprises Centre (Zubair SEC) www.zubairsec.org (by The Zubair Corporation)
  • Amideast, Cisco Entrepreneurship Institute
  • Fund for the Development of Youth Projects:
    • Sharakah
  • Shell Oil's Intilaaqah (social investment programme)
  • Ministry of Commerce and Industry:
    • Knowledge Oasis Muscat
  • Omani Centre for Investment and Export Development
  • Ruwad: magazine launched in 2009, in conjunction with Intilaaqah, Sharakah, and Alam Aliktisaad Wala’mal, by United Press & Publishing.
  • SANAD
  • The 2006 World Summit on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (WSIE) was held in Muscat

  • Amideast, Cisco Entrepreneurship Institute
  • EFE West Bank/Gaza
  • Palestine Investment Promotion Agency
  • Palestine Information and Communication Technology Incubator (PICTI)
    • eZone startup incubation space
    • FastForward Accelerator
    • Entrepreneurs' Cafe
  • Tomorrow's Youth Organization

  • Arab Youth Venture
  • Bedaya Center
  • Enterprise Qatar
  • INJAZ Qatar
  • Qatar University Innovation and Entrepreneurship Contest (QUIEC)- College of Engineering and College of Business and Economics
  • Qatar Mobility Innovations Center (QMIC)
  • Qatar Business Incubation Center (QBIC)
  • Qatar Foundation
    • Qatar Science & Technology Park
    • Stars of Science
    • Social Development Center
  • Silatech

Stars of Science

  • Centennial Fund National Entrepreneurship Center
  • Center for development of S&M Facilities
  • Global Competitiveness Forum
  • INJAZ-Saudi Arabia, to inspire and prepare Saudi youth to succeed in a global, knowledge based economy.
  • King Abdullah University of Science and Technology

(KAUST runs startup accelerators including the Hikma IP-based Startup Accelerator and New Ventures Accelerator)

  • King Saud University
  • Saudi Entrepreneurship Development Institute
  • Saudi Fast Growth 100
  • Uhuru
  • Women's Incubator and Training Center

  • HIAST — Higher Institute for Advanced S&T
  • Junior Chamber International — Syria
  • MAWRED Incubator for women entrepreneurs
  • SEBC — Syrian-Enterprise & Business Centre
  • SEBC - BI SEBC Business Incubator
  • SKILLS
  • Syrian Management Consultants Association
  • Business Angels Gate
  • Syrian Computer Society's ICT (see also MBRF Arab Incubator Network)
  • Syria Trust for Development
    • Massar
    • Shabab
    • FIRDOS - Fund for Integrated Rural Development of Syria
  • BIDAYA (founded by Asma al-Assad in conjunction with Youth Business International, FIRDOS, MAWRED, and SYEA)
  • SYEA - Syrian Young Entrepreneurs Association

  • Agence de Promotion Industrielle (API)
    • Centre de Soutien à la Création d'Entreprise
  • Amideast, Cisco Entrepreneurship Institute
  • Organisation Arab Pour l'Education, la Culture et les Sciences (headquarters, ALECSO)
  • Centre des Jeunes Dirigeants d’Entreprise
  • Institute Arabe des Chefs d'Entreprise (IACE, iaceonline.com)
    • Centre des Jeunes Entrepreneurs (CJE)
  • Jeune Chambre de Commerce de Tunisie

  • Al Tamimi Investments' The Big Start
  • Al Tomooh Finance Scheme for Small National Business (in conjunction with EmiratesNBD Bank and Sheikh Mohammed)
  • Arab Business Angels Network
  • Arab Youth Venture Foundation
  • Baraka private consultancy
  • Forsa business plan competition
  • Kanara Entrepreneurs Ltd.
  • Khalifa Fund
  • Mohamed Bin Rashid Establishment For Young Business Leaders, "SME"
  • Mohamed Bin Rashid Fund (MBRF; see also Regional and global initiatives, below)
    • Sawaed
    • Arab Human Capital Challenge
    • Arab Incubator Network
  • SMEinfo
  • Tecom {MOU w/ MBRF}
  • The Indus Entrepreneurs
  • TURN8
  • Young Arab Leaders (YAL)
  • Wamda

  • ROWAD Entrepreneurs Foundation
  • Al-Amal Microfinance Bank
  • Education for Employment - Yemen
  • French Embassy Youth Enterprise Project
  • Federation of Yemen Chambers of Commerce and Industry
  • GTZ Yemen
  • Small and Micro Enterprise Promotion Service
  • Small Enterprise Development Fund
  • Social Fund for Development
  • SOUL
  • Yemen Business Club
  • Youth Leadership Development Forum

Regional initiatives in the Arab League

  • Abdul Latif Jameel Community Initiatives
  • Abraaj Capital
    • Abraaj Capital Arts Prize
    • Celebration of Entrepreneurship
    • Riyada Enterprise Development (RED)
    • Wamda.com
  • Acumen Fund
  • American University in Cairo (AUC) School of Business
    • Entrepreneurs Society
    • Women's Entrepreneurship and Leadership Program
    • Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program
    • El-Khazindar Business Research and Case Center (KCC)
  • Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO, headquartered in Tunis)
  • Arab Technology Business Plan Competition (begun in 2006, by the Arab Science and Technology Foundation and Intel Corporation)
  • Ashoka
  • Business Bridge Initiative
  • Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE)
  • CISCO
    • The Cisco Entrepreneur Institute
    • Cisco Networking Academy
  • Deloitte
    • Deloitte Middle East
    • Deloitte Turkey - Deloitte Educational foundation
  • Dun & Bradstreet SME Advisory Services
  • Education for Employment Foundation
  • Dragons Den: Al Aareen, on Beirut's Future Television
  • Education for Employment Foundation
    • (See also their branches in Egypt, Morocco, Yemen, Jordan, and Palestine.)
  • Endeavor
    • Endeavor Core Focus
    • LIFT-OFF
  • Envestors
  • European Training Foundation (ETF)
  • Global Entrepreneurship Week
  • Grameen-Jameel Pan-Arab Microfinance Ltd.
  • INJAZ
    • (See also Injaz's country chapters in a dozen countries: Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Palestine, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Oman; and forthcoming in Algeria, Libya, Syria, and Yemen.)
    • (See also Junior Achievement)
  • Intel Corporation
    • The Intel Education Initiative
    • Intel Capital Middle East and Turkey Fund
    • The Intel Higher Education Program
    • Technology Entrepreneurship - Theory to Practice
    • The Arab Technology Business Plan Competition
    • Intel Learn Technology and Entrepreneurship
    • TechnoWomen Program
  • International Finance Corporation
    • Private Enterprise Partnership for MENA
    • Gender Entrepreneurship Markets for MENA
  • International Labour Organization initiatives:
    • Know About Business (KAB)
    • Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB)
    • Small Enterprise Development (SEED)
    • Youth Entrenet (with Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation)
  • Junior Achievement
  • Kauffman Foundation
    • Entrepreneurship.org
    • Global Entrepreneurship Week
  • Larta Institute
  • Legatum Institute
  • Legatum Ventures
  • Mohammed bin Rashid Fund (MBRF)
    • Arab Incubator Network
    • Sawaed
    • Arab Human Capital Challenge
    • Philips Innovation Program
  • Manpower
    • Entrepreneurship Training (Regional—Middle East and Africa)
    • joint-venture with Junior Achievement (Global)
    • YouthConnect (Global)
    • NBS Entrepreneurial Screening (Global)
    • Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the American University of Beirut
    • {Add other major regional MBRF regional initiatives here}
  • Microsoft
    • DreamSpark
    • Microsoft BizSpark
    • The Imagine Cup
    • Microsoft Innovation Centers (MIC)
  • MIT-Legatum Center for Development & Entrepreneurship
  • MENA-OECD Investment Programme
  • Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI)
  • Middle East Youth Initiative, MEYI
  • Network For Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE)
  • Silatech
  • StartUp Arabia (www.StartupArabia.com)
  • Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE)
  • Synergos
    • Arab World Social Innovators Program
  • The Prince of Wales' Youth Business International (YBI)
    • (See above: Saudi Arabia's Centennial Fund, Syria's Bidaya, Yemen, etc.)
  • The European Training Foundation (ETF, etf.europa.eu)
  • UNIDO
  • Wamda
  • World Bank
    • Doing Business (with IFC)
    • {List here other WB initiatives focused on MENA entrepreneurship}
  • World Economic Forum (Global)
    • Global Education Initiative : Entrepreneurship Education in MENA
  • Yomken.com
  • Young Arab Leaders (YAL)
  • Young Presidents Organization-MENA (YPO-MENA)
  • Youth Enterprise Generator

See also

Entrepreneurship Policies in the Arab world
  • Entrepreneurship Policies in Egypt
  • Entrepreneurship Policies in Saudi Arabia
  • Entrepreneurship Policies in Syria
  • Entrepreneurship Policies in United Arab Emirates