Alghanim Industries CEO
Omar Kutayba Alghanim

KUWAIT: Alghanim Industries, one of the largest privately owned companies in the region, has recently announced its Platinum Sponsorship of 'ArabNet Conference - Kuwait.' This is the first time the company sponsors ArabNet, which aims to stimulate the growth of the Arab digital knowledge economy and support the creation of new businesses and job opportunities for aspiring youth. The two-day conference took place last Tuesday and Wednesday at the Courtyard Hotel's Arraya Ballroom.

The conference was comprised of multiple panels of industry experts discussing various topics on e-commerce, digital media, e-marketing, and investing in tech related businesses. The conference also included a Startup Demo Competition, which aims to support early-stage startups from across the region through funding, exposure, and strategic partnerships; "Ideathon Pitches", where each selected entrepreneur has two minutes in the spotlight to present their innovative idea and strong business potential; 1-on-1 Interviews with top private sector executives such as CEO of Agility, Tarek Sultan, and General Manager of IT and CIO at Gulf Bank, Peter Roberts, among others.

Alghanim Industries contribution included sponsoring 100 students from different universities in Kuwait to attend the conference, free of charge. The company is a firm believer in the importance of education both inside and outside the classroom.

Digital hub

Speaking about this sponsorship, Chief Executive Officer of Alghanim Industries, Omar Kutayba Alghanim said: "As a company, Alghanim Industries always strives to collaborate with local and regional startup experts, with the aim of turning Kuwait into the next digital entrepreneurial hub of creative ideas and solutions. I have immense faith in our youth, and their ability to continuously raise the bar on innovation. I believe we have a collective responsibility, in both the public and private sector, to support small businesses and entrepreneurship - to create economic opportunities for our population."

Commenting on the event, Chief Executive Officer of ArabNet, Omar Christidis said: "We were thrilled to collaborate with Alghanim Industries to bring more than 100 Kuwaiti youth and entrepreneurs to ArabNet Kuwait, and to help connect them with the investors and business leaders that can help them grow. We look forward to a long-term strategic partnership with Alghanim Industries to help develop the entrepreneurship ecosystem in Kuwait, and look forward to the next edition of ArabNet Kuwait in 2017."

This initiative comes as part of Alghanim Industries' Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program, which is committed to empowering the underprivileged, supporting education and encouraging entrepreneurship. It is worth noting that the company is the Strategic Sponsor for the fifth annual Tmkeen Youth Symposium, an initiative that provides youth with valuable insights about entrepreneurship from industry leaders, academics and experts. The Tmkeen event will be held under the patronage of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, on 25 and 26 October 2016.