SAP announced a talent search for entrepreneurs across the Middle East North Africa region to support ground breaking ideas with a long term impact for the region and beyond. The company’s Startup Focus Programme already helps more than 3,400 selected startups in the fields of big data, predictive, or real-time analytics across the globe to accelerate the development of their solutions, and assist in bringing their solutions to market.
The programme includes free support from technical SAP HANA experts to help startups productising their ideas and making the best use of the SAP HANA cloud platform. Participating startups have access to a community network of entrepreneurs, partners, investors, thought leaders and industry experts. They also have the opportunity to pitch to the venture community.
Furthermore, the programme offers marketing and sales enablement support to help participating startups capturing SAP’s 320,000+ global customer base and sell their market-ready solutions. After a use case is submitted and shortlisted by SAP, eligible startups can join the programme and put the power of SAP HANA into their startup.
Startups and entrepreneurs are disrupting the Middle East’s digital economy. According to a recent ArabNet report, over $750 million were invested in more than 450 tech startup deals in the MENA region between 2013 and 2015.
The UAE is the Middle East’s most attractive startup market, with $139 million investment in 2015. Furthermore, the region will host at least one unicorn or $1 billion-valued startup by 2020, in addition to $10 billion in publicly-listed internet companies by 2025, according to a recent report by Kauffmann Fellows.
After bringing together the regions’ startup community with two events in Dubai, the SAP Training and Development Institute is rolling out the programme in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, and Egypt with an events road show in November 2016. In cooperation with local partners, the institute aims to support further technology entrepreneurs.
Technology startups, whose product ideas are based on big data, predictive or real-time analytics solution, can register for the events in Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia via Eventbrite.com. Participating in the events is the first step for startups to benefit from the global programme.
“The Middle East has produced highly valued startups across transportation and retail. Now we will use the Gitex Startup Movement as a launch pad for our Middle East road show, to find startups that can transform industry verticals such as healthcare, education, and sports,” said Marita Mitschein, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, SAP Training and Development Institute.
Since launching the MENA SAP Startup Focus Programme in 2015, twelve startups are now building their businesses on SAP’s technology.