As a multinational strategy consulting firm serving more than three dozen countries worldwide, Roland Berger hardly needs an introduction to the average reader familiar with the global entrepreneurial scene. So when an organization of that size and stature comes in support of your country’s startup ecosystem, you can rest assured knowing that it is bound to make a positive change on the ground.
And that’s precisely what emerging entrepreneurs and startups in Saudi Arabia are anticipating as the German firm expressed its desire to help groom up-and-coming businesses in the country. In a big stride in that direction, Roland Berger supported the first German-Saudi Startup Competition earlier in March 2018. Organized by The German-Saudi Arabian Liaison Office for Economic Affairs (GESALO).
The Competition held in Riyadh, saw ten startups from all over the Kingdom pitch their startup ideas with the hopes of winning the trip to Berlin to pitch at the MENA Business Forum. The startups had two minutes to present their business ideas to the German-Saudi business community and a jury of experts, followed by two minutes of questions.
The start-up competition was organized by the German-Saudi Arabian Liaison Office for Economic Affairs and attended by Princess Joharah bint Talal bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud as guest of honor.
The two winners to have received a four-day startup tour to Germany are social entrepreneurship startup “Labayh” from Madinah. “Labayh” helps individuals suffering from family and psychological problems by providing useful free content and consultation sessions through a mobile app, which works as a point of contact between consultants and users.
The second winner is “Lucidya” a tech innovation startup from Jeddah. The startup aims to empower businesses to make smarter decisions by using artificial intelligence and big data technologies, to monitor and analyze all forms of digital media to understand and predict consumers’ thoughts.
“At Roland Berger, entrepreneurship is part of our DNA, and we are delighted to be supporting the first German Saudi Startup Competition in Riyadh, given our strong connection with both geographies. We look forward to hosting the winners at Spielfeld Digital Hub in Berlin, our German corporate innovation hub, next month,” said Kushal Shah, Managing Partner for the Middle East at Roland Berger.
“We are indeed proud to help Saudi entrepreneurs kick-start their careers through our vast network and expertise. These entrepreneurs are eyeing global opportunities, allowing them to deep dive into Berlin’s vibrant startup ecosystem will be highly beneficial for their future”.
