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Badir hardly needs any introduction in the startup community. Ever since its launch by King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology in 2007, Badir has helped numerous emerging businesses and entrepreneurs to get on their feet. As a token of appreciation for its 10-years of service, the startup incubator has been awarded the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Award for Young Business Leaders (YBL).

Nawaf Al Sahhaf, CEO of Badir Program, had the honor of receiving the award from H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council.

The award ceremony was held on Monday at Dubai World Trade Center. The jury’s decision to choose Badir was inspired by the program’s achievements in all eligibility criteria, including creativity, growth performance indicators, social responsibility, innovation, active contributions to the growth of SMEs and tech startups, and organizational excellence.

Highlighting the significance of Badir’s relentless efforts to provide an ideal platform for startups, Al Sahhaf said: “Since its inception, Badir Program was able to provide its specialized services to more than 200 technology startups. In 2017, the number of technology startups incubated by the program increased to 157, as we plan to support the establishment of 600 new companies that will contribute to the provision of 3,600 jobs for Saudi young men and women, as part of the National Transformation Program 2020.”

Badir’s CEO further stated that the program’s most crucial achievements last year included the launch and operation of three new technology incubators in three different cities in Saudi Arabia. This was an important leap forward for Badir as it tries to cover as many as nine areas by the end of 2020.

[Source]