Startups key to economic growth, job creation, says Industry Minister

TDT | Manama    

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The Ministry of Industry & Commerce yesterday affirmed the Kingdom’s full support to Bahraini entrepreneurs to turn their ideas into successful commercial project, citing it as key to boosting economy and creating quality jobs.

Bahrain, Minister Abdullah bin Adel Fakhroo said, has become a hub for promising businesses to grow and flourish, thanks to the presence of attractive business infrastructure as well as incentives.

The minister made the remarks as he met the winners of the StartUp Bahrain contests held in collaboration with the Labour Fund (Tamkeen), the Bahrain Economic Development Board, and Bahrain Development Bank.

He said the event, now in its fifth edition, serves as a platform for startups to connect with potential investors and gain recognition for their innovative solutions. 

Fifth edition

Mame Pod was winner of the recently concluded fifth edition of StartUp Bahrain pitch series that had the presence of five emerging local startups.

Fedaa Bouhssine, the founder of the “Mami Pod”, said the company specialises in making and serving Japanese appetisers. “Winning the fifth edition of StartUp Bahrain Pitch is surreal as much as it’s an honor for myself and my team,” expressed Fedaa on their win.

The winning company was selected by a panel of judges including, Mokhtar Ibrahim, Principal of BECO Capital, Mohammed AlMunifi, Venture Capitalist at Faith Capital Holding, and Christina Andreassen, Director of Programs at AstroLabs, and Tariq Sanad, the Chief Financial Officer at Tarabut Gateway.

Other fifth edition contestants were Oreem Delivery, an application that enables customers to order anything from anywhere in Bahrain under one umbrella; Sakani, a real estate application that allows customers to find property and contact agents and banks to receive approval for purchasing property; Kyan Jewelry, which specializes in creating 18k gold jewelry inspired by art and nature; and lastly, Lunchy, a food tech app dedicated to providing personalized healthy lunch subscriptions for school children.

The meeting was in the presence all previous Startup Bahrain contest winners Eman Alsabah, the founder of “Fablemill, a film production house that aims to amplify Arab stories, Othman Al Kooheji Co-founder of Codot that connect clients with creative freelancers, Aida Al-Mudifa, founder of “Early Riser”, a family business specialised in handcrafted granolas and nut butters, and Eman Sharaf, founder of the “Rokn” which specialises in special education tools.

Separately, Ali Hasan, Executive Director of Programmes and Partnership Development at the Labour Fund (Tamkeen) highlighted Tamkeen’s unwavering commitment to nurturing Bahrain’s ecosystem through bespoke support programs and initiatives.

“At Tamkeen, our foremost focus is to help startups overcome the challenges of securing funds, which is among some key challenges facing startups worldwide,” he emphasized.