BDB takes part in MENA Angel Investors Summit

The MENA Angel Investors Summit 2018, held as part of the Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW), played a key role in providing investors across the MENA region a platform to empower and connect local and regional start-ups. Bahrain Development Bank (BDB) was the event partner of the summit which had its theme focusing on educating investors on how to invest in start-ups, connecting start-ups with Family offices, banks and law facilitators, learning and interacting with the start-up ecosystem.

BDB hosted a specialised workshop for entrepreneurs and SMEs focused on marketing, business model development, and perfecting the way to pitch to investors. Speaking at the summit BDB Group Chief Executive Officer Sanjeev Paul, who was a key speaker and a panellist at the event, briefed the audience on BDB’s role in supporting young entrepreneurs and the financial and non-financial services offered by the bank.

Explaining about the programmes BDB runs to fund startups, he said the bank runs a development service programme called “Rowad” to support entrepreneurs in improving their business skills. BDB also runs a pioneering accelerator programme called the “Seed Fuel” wherein the bank invests up to BD25,000 of seed capital in a start-up enterprise among others.

“We have financed seven start-ups in the last 18 months and I am very pleased that three of our start-up investments have received further funding – two from Flat6Labs and one from a Saudi Arabian investor,” he added. Commenting on the summit organised by Tenmou, BDB Senior Vice President and Head of Development Services Areije Al Shakar said: “The MENA Angel Investors Summit is another example of continued collaboration in our eco-system.”