 Flat6Labs Bahrain has launched its latest office, providing a high-rise space for tomorrow’s business leaders to kick-start their enterprises, with the support of Tamkeen, the governmental organisation supporting the kingdom’s private sector.
The new premises, located on the 15th floor of the National Bank of Bahrain (NBB) Towers, will serve as both a workspace to entrepreneurs, as well as a hub for Bahrain’s start-up ecosystem where gatherings and presentations can be held. “The opening of our Bahrain office serves as a key destination for bringing together partners from across all fields to interact, support and assist in the evolution of start-ups. “Our state-of-the-art office space has been designed to encourage and facilitate interaction and productivity, giving start-ups the opportunity to work dynamically side-by-side with others,” said Ramez El Serafy, CEO of Flat6Labs. A grand opening ceremony was staged last week with many senior officials present including Tamkeen, the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB), VIPs, industry leaders and members of the media, with Ryaan Sharif, Flat6Labs Bahrain’s managing director, further outlining the action plan. Flat6Labs is a regional start-up accelerator programme and seed investment company that fosters and invests in ‘bright and passionate entrepreneurs with cutting-edge ideas’. It provides seed-funding, strategic mentorship, a creative workspace, a multitude of perks and entrepreneurship focused business training. In addition, it directly supports start-ups through an expansive network of partners, mentors and investors. Flat6Labs believe they have created an environment where entrepreneurs can advance their company in a short period of time. It currently has accelerator programmes in Cairo, Jeddah, Abu Dhabi, Beirut, Tunis and now, Bahrain. Following its official launch and first call for applications earlier this year, Flat6Labs Bahrain accepted the first eight after receiving around 150 applications from more than 30 countries. The start-ups will each receive $30,000 in cash seed funding, along with a host of perks, and will embark on a 16-week mentorship-driven accelerator programme to transform their ideas into investment-ready companies. Representatives of the awesome eight gave short presentations to the gathering, highlighting their progress to date and ambitions as they go through the final registration process with Flat6Labs Bahrain. The businesses are: Farahii (Dina Shabib, CEO, Maya Smadi, head of marketing), an ecommerce wedding site Nural (Hamad Fouad, CEO, Hussain Ali, UI/UX designer, Fadhel Abbas, software engineer) a mobile-based productivity software service Hommycook (Ahmed Tohamy, CEO, Hatem Al Hakeem CTO, Reem Mahmoud, customer relationship manager, Marwa Maher, partner relationship manager), a food ordering platform Inagrab, (Hussain Haji, CEO, Mustafa Marhama, CTO) an online shopping platform The Stories Studio (Saba Salem, CEO, Sajad Hameed, marketing) offering games with a social impact Temr (Reda Al Fardan, CEO, Dr Sadiq Abdulla, co-founder and medical practitioner, Elham Ali, public health advisor) a data driven healthcare company Wnna, (Ali Mohsen, CEO, Maryam Al Saleem, CTO) an online travel & entertainment assistant And, Experience Accelerator, (Sarah Schwab, CEO) an online training, coaching & education platform. Tamkeen’s chief executive Dr Ebrahim Mohammed Janahi stressed the importance of offering support. “Accelerators are currently playing an active role in supporting start-ups and creating clearer perception of potential growth and opportunities available to businesses,” he said. “We believe with the establishment of these accelerators in Bahrain, we are bridging a gap that will transform Bahrain’s economy. “We have witnessed the successful experience of Flat6Lab in many countries and we look forward to bringing the best practices to Bahrain and to offer Bahraini entrepreneurs the maximum support possible.” Khalid Al Rumaihi, the EDB’s chief executive, added: “The launch will generate a host of opportunities for entrepreneurs to initiate and expand their operations in the region, and will position Bahrain as an ideal start-up platform – a crucial development, since start-ups, today, are the driving force of our economy.” Flat6Labs Bahrain is poised to support and invest in more than 40 local and international start-ups and entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs looking for funding can apply through www.flat6labsbahrain.com
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