MENA 100 Business Plan Competition - Call for Innovative Arab Entrepreneurs

The MENA-OECD Enterprise Financing Network, in cooperation with the Islamic Development Bank and the MENA Centre for Investment, is launching the MENA 100 Business Plan Competition for innovative and energetic entrepreneurs from participating Arab countries.

Send in your business plan and compete to be one of 100 finalists to present their business to investors at the MENA100© marketplace in Manama (Bahrain). The MENA100© will recognize top performers with cash and in-kind services awards donated by sponsors of the competition as well as OECD and MENA business angels (BA) - venture capital funds (VC) for all participants.

MAIN OBJECTIVES :

• Encourage existing young entrepreneurs;
• Inspire creative potential entrepreneurs;
• Connect the 100 best of them in the MENA region with sources of finance (Business Angels, VC funds).

This competition is for new, independent ventures in the seed start-up, or early growth stage. At least one team member must be from one of the 18 Arab countries participating in the MENA OECD Investment Program (Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen).

Applications will be accepted until August 31, 2009. See the MENA 100 website for more details and instructions on applying.

The Enterprise Financing Network’s MENA 100 initiative aims at recognising and rewarding outstanding initiatives that support entrepreneurship at the regional level. The Enterprise Financing Network© (EFN) was launched, in order to assist the region’s efforts in enhancing entrepreneurial culture and improving the conditions for financing entrepreneurship. The network is a unique platform linking together all participants involved in the entrepreneurial process - innovators, entrepreneurs, incubators, business angels, venture capital funds, private equity funds along with international organizations, financial institutions, policy makers and government officials.