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The King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), represented by Badir Program for Technology Incubators and Accelerators was on a roll last Friday at the the 7th Annual Wharton MENA Conference. Held at Downtown Manhattan, New York, the event saw the Saudi delegation drawing the global community’s attention to all the positive changes that have transpired in the Kingdom’s entrepreneurial ecosystem over the past few years.

The delegation also demonstrated the various steps the government and private sector have undertaken to turn Saudi into a hotbed for entrepreneurial success.

The Wharton MENA Conference is one of the most significant events that see business leaders, investors, entrepreneurs and government agencies from across the Middle East and North Africa get together to network and discuss the various opportunities and challenges that await the region’s business. The 2018 edition of the conference was held under the theme “Inflection Point: Finance and Technology in a Re-emerging MENA.”

Just like in the past, the conference this year consisted of several different sessions with different subject matter including:

  • The Emergence of VC as a Tool for Innovation and Sustainable Growth.
  • Chasing an Arabian Unicorn: Is the MENA Region the Next Place to Look for $1B Companies?
  • Setting the Stage for a New Way to Do Business? A Discussion on the Economic & Legal Reforms Needed to Drive the Future of Entrepreneurship, Tech, and Finance in the Region.

While speaking at the Technology and Entrepreneurship session, CEO of Badir Program Nawaf Al-Sahhaf, highlighted the newly rolled out government legislations and initiatives that have so far played an instrumental role in creating an entrepreneurship-friendly environment in Saudi Arabia.