In the presence of large numbers of entrepreneurs and owners of startups, the events of the 1st Saudi Startups Forum organized by Umm Al-Qura University represented by Wadi Makkah Company have been launched today (Saturday) at Ritz Carlton Jeddah Hotel and will last for three days. 28 workshops were held to prepare the owners of the startups to showcase their companies before the investors, businessmen and venture capital funds. 

On the issue of the Principles of Intellectual Property Rights, the Director of Inventors Services Office in Badir Program for Technology Incubators Mr. Ibrahim Al-Mofaraj spoke about the workshops provided by Badir to coach youth entrepreneurs and innovators on how to protect their intellectual rights before obtaining the patents. These workshops covered the difficulties facing inventions before turning them into reality and ways to protect them. 

While the co-founder of Elevator platform, Eng. Ayman Kabli spoke on how to increase the value of launching the emerging businesses by assessing companies before the profit-making phase. In this regard, he pointed out to submitted five assessment methods at different levels including; Silicon Valley and the international and locals levels in the field of startups. He added that the difficulties in this regard are attributed to the lack of reliable financial solvency on which they are valued depending on non-financial points by such means of assessing risks, points of strengths, market size, competitors status, and the status of laws and policies in the project's country. "The platform was established to enable owners of ideas to easily assess their projects without referring to consultants by providing application, legal documents, and assessment mechanism automatically", he expounded. 

However, the workshop presented by Mr. Abdul-Rahman Torjoman focused on the role of the financial affairs management of entrepreneurs and how to start the financial issues including; project's financial structure, financial care, assets and liability management, reducing costs, markets, development thoughts improvements and development thinking, selection of partners, types of public finance and new economic activity. 

For his part, the Director of Business Development in the Centennial Fund Mr. Fahad Al-Malki spoke about the coaching importance for small projects. In this domain, he added the Centennial Fund offers a host collection of training, coaching, financing services besides facilitating the procedures of the fund's services. 

In the following workshop, Dr. Alian Al-Harbi delivered a package of solutions, while the Financial Sector Consultant in the Social Development Bank Dr. Nora bint Abdul-Mohsin Al-Abdul Karim said, in her workshop titled "elevators pitch" presented to a number of entrepreneurs and startup owners, the trainee must provide the guidelines for developing the best marketing speech and to use such speech on the personal level within a short time to attract investors attention and review his experiences and efficiencies in the professional communication events of business communities. 

In another workshop, Mr. Fawaz Mohamed Khayyat focused on the financing opportunities for small and medium businesses and supporting small and large businesses besides Kafalah program and services provided for small and medium businesses. 

Further, Mr. Ibrahim Al-Mofaraj from Badir Program spoke in in a workshop titled: "the Invention: from an Idea to a patent". He was followed by the Dean of Scientific Research at the University of Business and Technology Dr. Basma Al-Zain who reviewed starting steps from idea until industry by using research derived from Kingdom Vision 2030, checking them in the university centers, then proving the idea and manufacturing the first model, start marketing it to investors up to product advertising and promotion stage. After that, three ideas for three specialized e-commerce platforms were presented. 

Afterward, Mr. Naif AbuNayyan from Badir Technology Incubators Program reviewed a low cost and high quality 3 D Printing Technology capable of designing all complex models. 

Further, the Legal Consultant Dr. Ibrahim Yousef Al-Baytar presented a workshop on the common legal faults committed by the founders while establishing their companies or during any stage of their age leading to their failure stressing the importance of avoiding post-incorporation errors represented in exceeding management authority, misuse of administrative powers, (acting as a partner and manager at the same time). He then touched upon the contracts and contracts drafting errors, faults of contacts interpretation obligations calling upon the youth to abide by regulations and refer to the consulting centers supporting them. 

Additionally, Eng. Waleed Bogandy from Ibtikar Company provided an explanation on the business model, while Mr. Ghassan Al-Safi from Badir Program addressed the audience on the integrated approach to the service management for the technical and non-technical projects, with a highly qualified approach compatible with the service management in the international companies 

In her workshop titled: "Empathy Map to Develop Businesses, Mrs. Hiba Qadi focused on the impact of these maps in reaching customers' desires stressing that empathy helps in accepting and understanding differences, improvement, diagnosing human factor in any problem besides designing services and innovations which serve humanity and help coexistence and integration in the community in such manner which support peace and human affiliation. 

Within the same vein, the Director General of Business Development and Operations in the Vocational Training Platform "Doroob", Mr. Mohamed Al-Shwoair said the entrepreneurs have joined the platform courses electronically and received e-certificates pointing out that several courses were developed to contribute to providing the entrepreneurs with basic skills in the fields of management, customer service, sale skills and e-marketing strategies. 

In a similar context, Mr. Mansour Khalid Al-Nahdi from the Projects Sector in the Social Development Bank reviewed in his workshop titled: "Generating Startups Ideas", a number of guidelines to be followed by entrepreneurs willing to compete in the labor market including; clear objectives and visions, perseverance, courage ability to develop and manage time. He added entrepreneurs pass through several phases including; pre-startup, ready to start, seizing opportunities, decision making and prepare for access phase. 

For his part, Mr. Abdullah Abdul-Jawad from Badir Program spoke about challenges facing growth of startups, while Mr. Faris from Olou Company tackled the issue of the entrepreneurship as a path of life and Mr. Khalifa Al-Barakati from Olou also spoke about how to convince investors.

He was followed by Mustafa Sheera from Doroob program one of the initiatives of the Human Resources Development Fund, who said that the Art Entrepreneurship is aimed at supporting Saudi artists to achieve their entrepreneurial objectives and develop their practical skills. While Dr. Sara Al-Ghalib from "Bab Rizq Jameel" spoke about the idea of Entrepreneurship in the social circles and the role of "Bab Rizq Jameel" project in providing opportunities for small businesses. 

Moreover, the workshops presented by Wadi Makkah Company within the activities of the 1st Saudi startups' forum covered four issues of interest to entrepreneurs, owners of startups and investors. The first one presented by Mr. Ahmed Ghalab, Moumen Zakaria, Mohamed Noito and Esraa Ahmed focused on the role of the technical partner in the startups and most important phases of startups success, and the impact of enhanced and virtual reality in changing the world and how the startups can benefit from the users' experiences. 

At the conclusion, the head of scientific committee Dr. Abdullah Morad said his committee was very keen that the workshops will be of significant value for the entrepreneurs and non-traditional in their themes and diversity adding that the forum is reckoned an important platform for experience exchange between entrepreneurs and investors.