NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Thursday, July 19, 2012

New York, July 18, 2012 – Endeavor announced today that it will launch a new affiliate office in Saudi Arabia, expanding its efforts to select and service high-impact entrepreneurs in the Middle East.

This will be Endeavor’s fifth Middle East regional affiliate, following successful launches over the past six years in Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon. Endeavor has already selected 90 entrepreneurs representing 59 companies in the MENA region and provides a range of services including mentoring, providing access to key networks and introductions to sources of smart capital.

All Endeavor affiliates are spearheaded by a local board of leading businesspeople each of who share the organization’s vision for screening and selecting entrepreneurs and then providing them guidance to scale their businesses.

The Endeavor Saudi Arabia founding board will be chaired by Rami K. Alturki, President of Khalid Ali Alturki & Sons. He will be joined on the board by HRH Princess Banderi A.R. Al Faisal, Director General, King Khalid Foundation, Mohammed A. Hafiz, CEO, Al-Sawani, Musaab S. Al Muhaidib, CEO, Al Muhaidib Technical Supplies, Abdulaziz A. Al Omran, VP, Khalid & Abdulaziz Al Omran Co., Hossam Radwan, CEO of Abraaj Saudi Arabia, Faisal Tamer, Managing Partner at The Tamer Group, and Abdulla Al Zamil, CEO of Zamil Industrial and.

The board has recruited Rakan Al Eidi to serve as the first Managing Director, overseeing day-to-day operations for Endeavor KSA. His initial responsibilities include recruiting the first Endeavor Entrepreneur candidates in the Kingdom and building a staff to support them.