Just in case you missed the big news as it unfolded back in June, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and the Saudi British Bank (SAAB) teamed up once again to launch the fourth cohort of the TAQADAM accelerator cohort.
Overall 59 startups were handpicked from more than 1,750 applicants. The selected startups included 168 founders/entrepreneurs from across Bahrain, Egypt, Algeria, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia.
Collectively, they represented 23 different industries including AgTech, EdTech, FinTech, logistics, and HealthTech, just to name a few.
With the menacing COVID-19 pandemic in the backdrop, the boot camp, which was the first milestone of the TAQAM program, was streamed live online. It was the first time the program went virtual and judging by the look of it, the maiden attempt went just fine with the participating founders undergoing two weeks of extensive training.
There were also a series of workshops, mentoring sessions, and keynotes from eminent guest speakers.
“It is exciting to announce the fourth cohort of TAQADAM startup accelerator,” said Hattan Ahmed, head of the KAUST Entrepreneurship Center.
“This has been a big milestone for KAUST and SABB as we have continued to graduate high-quality startups over the past four years. We are so excited to meet and work with this year’s startups during our virtual boot camp.”
This was the first time when the TAQADAM accelerator program opened its doors from international startups. Each accepted team was granted $39,000 in zero-equity funding, among a slew of other perks.
