Meet Rasha Khunji who runs a start-up incubator
Manama : “The Kingdom needs more entrepreneurs” is an often-aired sentiment during discussions about Bahrain’s future. The act must follow the talk and we should be encouraging more entrepreneurs. State-funded organisations are playing their part, but it is rare to find individual initiatives in this regard.
Hence it is refreshing to see a Bahraini woman making an effort to change the scene. Instead of continuing in her cushy jobs, Rasha Khunji first became an entrepreneur in the event-management space and later on started a business incubator to nurture and guide aspiring entrepreneurs to success.
Her efforts have met with good success and there are 18 entrepreneurs under her guidance now, a good achievement in a span of two years since her start.
Khunji is the owner of Showcase 101, located at Riyadat Mall, promoted by the Bahrain Development Bank, Supreme Council for Women and Bahrain Business Incubator Centre as a breeding ground for women entrepreneurs. So, it may not be wrong to say that Showcase 101 is an incubator inside an incubator.
Social media has been a big boon for entrepreneurs like her who leveraged its potential to drive sales. The reach of Internet also helped them cut down on huge infrastructure and stock requirements and to directly interact with target customers. Showcase 101 leverages its Instagram account @showcase101bh to the hilt, to promote its entrepreneurs’ products and services.
Khunji also contributes to social causes and charities and considers philanthropy as a part and parcel of her life.
She says the Kingdom should believe in its local brands and should try to nurture them as far as possible. Her efforts have been recently encouraged by Riyadat Mall and have granted her incubator anchor-tenant status, allowing Showcase 101 to continue beyond the usual three years from inception at the mall.
Khunji shares with DT News the process she follows in her incubator and her journey as an entrepreneur.
What are the criteria for accepting a new entrepreneur to your incubator? Who are your target audience?
The idea of incubators is very new to Bahrain. We have a focus team to screen applicants and the team includes many of our participant entrepreneurs. We look at their background like education and their ideas and will try to gauge the value addition they will bring to Showcase. We try to understand their vision, what unique products or ideas they have or are they just looking at importing and displaying products in a shop. We encourage people who can bring difference to existing product offers available in the market.
We also try to build an in-house talent pool, by attracting professionals to the group who can bring in valuable skills to enrich the group.
Are only women allowed to join?
No. We welcome everyone who has an idea and want to make a mark on their own as an entrepreneur. Bahrainis as well as expats with good ideas are welcome. At present, we have many non-Bahraini entrepreneurs in our fold, including from non-GCC countries.
How do you support them?
We organise events that showcase their products through our event management firm Blossom. Also, continuous feedback and mentoring is provided.
We organise programmes that act as a trial run for our entrepreneurs to understand running a business. In the mall, we arrange pop-up shops for one week. All the logistics, management and sales are undertaken by the entrepreneurs without much help from any employees.
This teaches them many lessons in management and helps them realise the skills necessary to be successful. We do not give direct financial funding. However, as a service to entrepreneurs, we help them get funds from financial institutions.
I am looking for tie-ups with seed funds or government organisations to develop this incubator into a bigger role in the country. The feeling of making a positive change in others’ lives is a great blessing and supports from all like-minded people are always welcome.
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