Abdullah Al-Othman

KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) organized an interactive workshop focused on creating pitch decks for trainees of the "KON" Social Entrepreneurship Program, which comes as part of NBK's platinum sponsorship of the program, and in line with the bank's strategic partnership with the LOYAC Volunteer Foundation.

The workshop was presented by Abdullah Al-Othman, Senior Analyst, Investment Banking at NBK Capital. It discussed the fundamental elements of creating a compelling and effective business presentation for entrepreneurs. The workshop focused on ways that participants could implement storytelling techniques to effectively explain their business plans and capture the attention of an audience.

The workshop, which witnessed proactive participation from participants, further highlighted best practices for presenting business strategy and financial data in a compelling manner that can support the business idea. The workshop included an interactive feedback session, where each group had the opportunity to present their pitch decks to Othman and ask specific questions to improve their presentations.

On this occasion, Othman stated: "The workshop aimed to introduce the concept of a 'Pitch Deck' to the young participants, and its importance in explaining their business plans to external parties to encourage potential investment, acquire customers and attract partnerships that are critical for the growth of an enterprise."

Othman added that visual and interactive presentations are more likely to capture the attention of an audience, emphasizing the importance of presenting accurate information that can support your business arguments while also having a thorough understanding of your audience to align the presentation accordingly.

It is worth noting that the "KON" Social Entrepreneurship Program welcomes a large and diverse participation of students between 12 and 16 years (males and females), and includes training sessions, discussions, online lectures and virtual workshops, aimed to establish and strengthen the ability of youth to create pioneering social businesses in the future. The program hosts speakers from NBK executives, as well as experts from participating companies and institutions to further enrich the participants' experience.

In the program, students also benefit from training courses delivered by professional supervisors and trainers with expertise in social entrepreneurship. They also engage in a number of discussion sessions and interactive activities, designed to broaden their exposure to fundamental business concepts and social and environmental issues, that aim to unlock their creativity and heighten their future ambitions. The program will be concluded with a competition to evaluate the business ideas of participants, by a panel of judges that will look to select the best three projects in terms of quality, excellence and innovation.