Supporting and celebrating innovation
The University hosted the Arabian Venture Forum 2016 from November 19 to 21, 2016. The event was designed to support the venture capital (VC) landscape in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region.
“The Arabian Venture Forum is just one of the ways we support and celebrate innovation and entrepreneurship and encourage investors to consider investments in new early stage technology companies. Investment in innovation and new technology is vital for supporting knowledge-based economic growth in Saudi Arabia. We were excited to work with the visitors in changing our economy to a knowledge-based economy,” he continued.
Another way KAUST Innovation supports entrepreneurship is through its Innovation Fund. The KAUST Innovation Fund makes seed and early stage investments in high-tech startups, also providing strategic guidance and operational support.
Nicola Bettio, who heads the KAUST Innovation Fund, noted, “We believe in fruitful cooperation with the other players in the ecosystem in Saudi Arabia and internationally. Our goal with the Arabian Venture Forum event was to introduce the best Saudi and regional startups to international investors to encourage high-profile international early stage companies to establish a presence in the Kingdom and cooperate with KAUST. We also wanted to attract the interest of the local and international financial community in technology-based early stage startups.”
Future opportunities
The Arabian Venture Forum provided a unique cross-border platform to create essential connections between local and international investors on one side and local and international entrepreneurs on the other side.
"The forum was an excellent meeting place between the local innovation ecosystem and relevant (clean) tech ventures. Add to this the facilities and faculty of KAUST and the famed Arabian hospitality, and one ended up with two wonderful days," noted Fred van Beuningen, managing partner of Chrysalix Venture Capital and the director of Clean Tech Delta.
To learn more about how you could attend, participate or sponsor next year’s event, please contact innovation@kaust.edu.sa.
Capitalizing on the inaugural event launched in 2015, from November 19 to 21, 2016, KAUST hosted the Arabian Venture Forum 2016, an initiative designed to support the venture capital (VC) landscape in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region. The event focused on VC investment opportunities in energy, cleantech and ICT (information and communications technologies), and was hosted in partnership with Cleantech Scandinavia, a leading promoter of startup and VC ecosystems in the renewables and clean technologies sectors.
KAUST welcomed over 200 guests on campus to attend the event, with one-fifth from early and growth-stage startup companies. Venture capitalists from around the world also attended to discuss investment opportunities, technology trends, industry outlooks and regulatory challenges through a series of keynote speeches, panel sessions and informal exchanges.
KAUST welcomed over 200 guests on campus to attend the event, with one-fifth from early and growth-stage startup companies. Venture capitalists from around the world also attended to discuss investment opportunities, technology trends, industry outlooks and regulatory challenges through a series of keynote speeches, panel sessions and informal exchanges.
A knowledge-based economy
“An essential component of economic development is to encourage positive risk taking and creativity coupled with smart and sustainable sources of funding,” said Tristan Walker, acting vice president for KAUST Innovation.“The Arabian Venture Forum is just one of the ways we support and celebrate innovation and entrepreneurship and encourage investors to consider investments in new early stage technology companies. Investment in innovation and new technology is vital for supporting knowledge-based economic growth in Saudi Arabia. We were excited to work with the visitors in changing our economy to a knowledge-based economy,” he continued.
‘Fruitful cooperation’
Edward Canepa, a KAUST Ph.D. graduate in electrical engineering, presents the startup Sadeem he founded as a student with fellow KAUST Ph.D. students and former KAUST professor Christian Claudel at the Arabian Venture Forum 2016.
Another way KAUST Innovation supports entrepreneurship is through its Innovation Fund. The KAUST Innovation Fund makes seed and early stage investments in high-tech startups, also providing strategic guidance and operational support.
Nicola Bettio, who heads the KAUST Innovation Fund, noted, “We believe in fruitful cooperation with the other players in the ecosystem in Saudi Arabia and internationally. Our goal with the Arabian Venture Forum event was to introduce the best Saudi and regional startups to international investors to encourage high-profile international early stage companies to establish a presence in the Kingdom and cooperate with KAUST. We also wanted to attract the interest of the local and international financial community in technology-based early stage startups.”
Future opportunities
The University hosted the Arabian Venture Forum 2016 from November 19 to 21, 2016. The event was designed to support the venture capital (VC) landscape in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region.
"The forum was an excellent meeting place between the local innovation ecosystem and relevant (clean) tech ventures. Add to this the facilities and faculty of KAUST and the famed Arabian hospitality, and one ended up with two wonderful days," noted Fred van Beuningen, managing partner of Chrysalix Venture Capital and the director of Clean Tech Delta.
To learn more about how you could attend, participate or sponsor next year’s event, please contact innovation@kaust.edu.sa.
- By Lauratu Osu and Caitlin Clark, KAUST News