02 October, 2019
On September 26 on the University's campus, 28 startups pitched their ideas to a panel of judges and investors to compete for over 2 million SAR in prize money at the finals of the TAQADAM Startup Accelerator Program.
The program—which is now in its third year—was developed in partnership with KAUST and the Saudi British Bank (SABB) to equip new entrepreneurs with the skills and know-how to launch a technology startup. Since beginning in 2016, the TAQADAM Accelerator has successfully graduated 78 startups and awarded over 9 million SAR in funding.
In line with Saudi Arabia's objectives of supporting new ventures, the TAQADAM Accelerator Program focuses on preparing new entrepreneurs for the challenges ahead, offering over six months of business training and mentorship in various industries, including e-commerce, healthcare and technology, in addition to FinTech, gaming and engineering and science.
Two BESE startup teams were amongst the TAQADAM Accelerator Program winners and each received 375,000 SAR ($100,000):
* Peregrine Genomics: Providing accurate premarital genetic diagnoses in half the time and cost.
* GlucoJet: Non-invasive and pain free glucose testing for diabetes patients.