Manama, Bahrain – 26 September 2021: Hope Ventures, the investment arm of Hope Fund, held a press conference today to announce the progress and sponsors of ‘Biban’, the entrepreneurship themed reality television show announced in August.  

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The conference, held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, was led by H.E. Minister of Youth and Sport Affairs, Chairman of Hope Fund, Mr. Aymen bin Tawfeeq Almoayed, H.E. Mr. Eric Li, Managing Director of Huawei Bahrain, H.E. Mr. Abdulla K. Al-Khalifa, Director of Communications & Investor Relations at Zain Bahrain, Mr. Othman Hijazi, Deputy GCEO of Corporate Banking at Ahli United Bank, and Ms. Fajer Al Pachachi, General Manager of Hope Ventures. 

Hope Ventures announced the main sponsors of the ‘Biban’ program, naming Huawei as a Platinum sponsor, Zain Bahrain as a Gold sponsor, and Ahli United Bank as a Bronze sponsor, acknowledging and appreciating their valuable contribution towards propelling the entrepreneurship scene in the Kingdom further and being catalysts for the national economy.  

Furthermore, Hope Ventures went on to state that the program participant selection has been finalized after a rigorous evaluation process that included over 200 applicants, asserting that 12 of the top entrepreneurs in the Kingdom will be participating in ‘Biban’. The selected participants will have a chance to pitch their business ideas to a panel of investors during the show for potential investment opportunities designed to grow and expand their ventures.  

Hope also touched upon their upcoming programs, emphasizing the importance of entrepreneurship and the dynamic effect it has on the economy as a whole, going on to confirm that it will soon be launching additional programs and initiatives aligned with its mission to support entrepreneurship in the Kingdom.  

During the conference, H.E. Minister of Youth and Sport Affairs, Chairman of Hope Fund, Mr. Aymen bin Tawfeeq Almoayed, said: “We highly appreciate the remarkable efforts of His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, his Majesty the King’s Representative for Humanitarian Works and Youth Affairs, to support Hope Fund and his keenness on providing opportunities to Bahraini youth for the purpose of discovering and highlighting their talents across various sectors and through an open, fair and competitive environment that enables youth entrepreneurship.”  

And he added: “We are pleased to partner with Huawei, Zain Bahrain and Ahli United Bank to fulfill our common vision of promoting a culture of strong entrepreneurial values, unifying our efforts to provide support and create opportunities for high-potential businesses to transcend to the next level. We are excited about this partnership, and we look forward to showcasing the selected participants and their varied businesses on the upcoming show.” 

Fajer Al Pachachi, General Manager of Hope Ventures, added: “The Kingdom possesses a deep pool of talent, and it is our goal to ensure that this talent is recognized and supported with opportunities to help them reach their full potential. ‘Biban’ provides a platform that connects entrepreneurs with investors to open the doors of possibility for their businesses to grow and expand. The application round screened over 200 applicants, selecting the final 12 high-caliber candidates who have displayed the strongest potential to appear on the program and pitch their business ideas for a chance to realize their dreams.” 

H.E. Mr. Eric Li Managing Director of Huawei Bahrain said: “The pandemic has greatly accelerated technology trends that were already underway in Bahrain, and developing talent is crucial for the digital transformation of industries and will directly contribute to the evolution of the digital economy in the kingdom. Being an ICT leader, Huawei is committed to building a healthy ICT talent ecosystem, promoting digital skills, contributing to the prosperity of the ICT industry, and ultimately enabling more people to benefit from the digital world. Therefore, it’s our ultimate responsibility to work alongside governments and local communities to develop the ICT industry in Bahrain by investing in local young talents to create an open, collaborative ecosystem that will play a key role in the future of socio-economic growth in the Kingdom. We are proud to be collaborating with ‘Biban program’ under Hope Ventures as one of the drives that will empower the Kingdom’s youth with innovative and entrepreneurial skills to help them build their businesses and lead their country’s prosperous future.” 

H.E Sheikh Abdulla bin Khalid Al Khalifa, Director, Communications & Investor Relations at Zain Bahrain said, “Bahrain is emerging as one of the most exciting locations for entrepreneurs in the region. We are extremely proud to have invested and supported entrepreneurs in the ecosystem. The tie-up with Hope Ventures is in line with Zain Bahrain’s corporate sustainability and social responsibility strategy which focusing on Innovation, Thought Leadership, and Youth Empowerment. We are grateful to be a part of the Biban – The Entrepreneurship themed reality television show and we aspire to be able to play a prominent role in further assisting the entrepreneurs, we look forward to creating success stories that will further develop the entrepreneurial environment in the Kingdom and inspire the Bahraini Youth to learn from.” 

For more information, please visit the Hope Fund website www.hopefund.bh