Lenovo Middle East, Egypt and Pakistan (MEEP) has recently held a round table gathering SMBs in the UAE to discuss the market and the challenges young entrepreneurs face and to unveil Lenovo’s new online initiative to support start ups and SMBs in the UAE and KSA markets. Presented at the event was Manoj Nakra, COO of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment for SME Development, Mohamed Parham Al Awadhi, the prominent entrepreneur behind the revolutionary Shawarma place in Dubai, Wild Peeta, Yosor Al Suhaili the innovative mind behind the e-commerce initiative Sepia Vintage and Ali Al Amine, Lenovo MEEP Regional General Manager.
During the event, Lenovo MEEP announced the launch of its new online contest, the “Edgy Business Thinker”, targeting start-up businesses and SMBs in UAE and KSA to discover sharp business minds and encourage them to unleash their creativity and Edgy ideas. The contest comes in alliance with the recent launch of Lenovo’s new ThinkPad Edge series specifically designed to address the needs of SMBs.
“Realizing the challenges start-ups and SMBs face we decided to hold our “Edgy Business Thinker” online contest to represent a platform for young entrepreneurs to present their ideas and business plans.” said Ali Al-Amine, Regional General Manager, Lenovo MEEP. “We see this as an excellent opportunity to extend our support to innovative minds in the region and help them get their business starting. We hope the contest will help generate greater exposure for the submitted business ideas and in turn create support and funding opportunities for the participants.”
Participants in the Lenovo “Edgy Business Thinker” contest can log on to www.thinkpadedge-contest.com/meep and submit their innovative business ideas in 250 words or less or upload their interpretation of an edgy photo or a short video (under three minutes). The best idea will be judged by Lenovo and will be awarded prizes worth US$20,000 to help jump start the edgy business. The contest runs from 3rd of May for 45 days in the UAE and KSA markets.
The event gathered a number of young entrepreneurs who were able to network with experienced business people and consultants with whom they could discuss their initiatives. Al-Amine added: “The SMB is one of the fastest growing segments worldwide and not just in this region. Nowadays we see more initiatives aiming at developing SMBs and as a leader in our market we recognize the unique needs of SMB users. Our latest ThinkPad Edge series is designed to address SMBs most pressing requirements such as space, cost, efficiency and IT support. We aim to provide all the support we can to start-ups and SMBs by providing them with the perfect IT solutions for their businesses and the opportunity to express their ideas and get all the help they need.”
