Curia Business Group, a Qatari venture and management consultancy founded by Hussain Akbar Al Baker, has announced the launch of its incubator program, Curia Business Innovation.

The Curia Business Innovation Program has been designed to provide aspiring entrepreneurs with a personalized step-by-step guide to take their business idea from concept vision to reality. Curia has years of experience in establishing new businesses and catering to entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Qatar. The program is aimed at ambitious entrepreneurs living in Qatar, whether nationals or residents, who have an innovative idea that contributes to each incubator cycle’s innovation theme.

The first cycle of the Program is focused on technology and will run in collaboration with Microsoft. Applications opened on 25 August 2021 and will run until 30 September 2021. The top candidates will kick off their entrepreneurial journey with the Program starting on 17 October 2021.

Mr. Al Baker, who is an international investor and entrepreneur, said: “We are thrilled to announce the launch of the Curia Business Innovation Program and are looking forward to empowering the next generation of business leaders. The Program is part of Curia’s ongoing efforts to provide entrepreneurs with the foundation necessary to launch their startup and accelerate their business to new heights.”

In line with the Qatar National Vision 2030 to grow and diversify Qatar’s economy, the Program serves as a gateway to boost innovation across numerous industries, including: agriculture and production; art and culture; education; entertainment and events; environmental sustainability; health and wellness; healthcare; sports; technology; and tourism.

The Curia Business Innovation Program will run on a part-time basis for 12 weeks and is structured to help participants build the fundamental elements of their business plan, create a 3 to 5-year financial forecast and, ultimately, develop an investor pitch deck. By the end of the Program, the rising entrepreneurs will have launched their new startup and will be able to begin approaching potential investors and partners.

With support from Microsoft, the Program will engage participants in specialist-led workshops, provide them with one-on-one mentorship and grant them access to useful tech tools. The workshops will cover numerous topics, including, but not limited to: business purpose, industry and market research, organizational and legal structure, sales, marketing, operations, and financial plans. Successful entrepreneurs who launch their startup will also have the opportunity to get fast tracked into the ‘Microsoft for Startups’ program.

Microsoft has established plans to deliver the intelligent and trusted Microsoft Cloud services from a new cloud datacenter region in Qatar with Microsoft Azure, and Office 365, Dynamics 365 and Power Platform. Microsoft’s cloud spans 60+ announced cloud regions across the globe with Azure available in 140 countries and delivers a comprehensive set of enterprise-grade cloud computing services for developers and businesses of all sizes to create new customer experiences, transform their business and operations and accelerate the pace of innovation.

The Curia Business Innovation Program is supported by local and international mentors, comprising subject matter experts, serial entrepreneurs, C-level executives, investors and more. They will coach participants closely throughout the 12 weeks, helping them finetune their ideas, finalize their business plans and, when ready, pitch to investors.

Aspiring entrepreneurs who are interested in applying are advised to visit https://curiabusinessgroup.com/curia-business-incubation/ to find out more about the requirements and how to apply.

Individuals who are interested in joining the Curia Business Innovation Program’s mentor network are advised to visit https://curiabusinessgroup.com/our-mentors/ to understand how they can contribute to the incubator and how to apply.

Source: press release

Cover image: Shutterstock (for representation purpose only)

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