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His Excellency, the President of King Khalid University, Prof. Faleh bin Rajaallah Al-Sulami, witnessed the launch of the "Business Horizons" program. The program was organized by the University's Entrepreneurship Center, and is part of KKU's participation in Global Entrepreneurship Week 2025 and aims to support entrepreneurs, enable innovation, and enhance the entrepreneurial environment in the Aseer region, held at the Business Center in Al-Fara'a University City.
In his speech, Dr. Abdulatif Al-Hadithi, Vice President for Business and Community Partnership, affirmed that reports related to entrepreneurship and the establishment of small enterprises point to prosperous economic growth in the Kingdom. He highlighted that the number of commercial registrations rose by 67% during the second quarter of the current year, reaching 1.6 million commercial records, with the Aseer region actively participating in the accelerating national movement for establishing startups and developing the business environment. He noted the university's crucial role in this scene by building an integrated system that transforms ideas into models and projects and empowers startups to be competitive locally and regionally.
Dr. Majid Al-Azeman, Director of the Entrepreneurship Center, presented the key achievements of the entrepreneurship system for the year 2024–2025, clarifying that the support provided to students exceeded 5 million SAR in collaboration with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. He mentioned the execution of 437 programs that benefited over 5,000 individuals and the incubation of 393 entrepreneurial projects through the business incubator. He confirmed that the university has seen the emergence of 42 student-owned startups that have entered the job market this year.
Dr. Haifa Al-Daalan, Supervisor of the "Ruwad Al-Qimam" Incubator, explained that the incubator serves as a stimulating starting point for owners of promising projects, having received 110 projects and carefully selected 35. She stated that the incubator focuses on reshaping the entrepreneur through a journey from the idea's core to its testing, model building, identity development, and finally, execution and growth, targeting the graduation of 60% of its projects within 6 months. Ms. Ghada Al-Amri from the Small and Medium Enterprises General Authority (Monsha'at) highlighted the partnership with KKU in implementing the University Business Accelerator as an exceptional model of integration. She noted that KKU demonstrated an outstanding presence in the accelerator's outcomes by empowering 20 startups, some of which participated in international events, connected with 16 investors, and achieved growth exceeding 30%.
The event also featured the signing of several significant agreements between King Khalid University and the Saudi Coffee Company, the Cooperative Association for Coffee in Rijal Alma’a, and Riyad Bank, aiming to support entrepreneurial projects, enhance value chains, and provide funding pathways for startups. The ceremony concluded with the honoring of supporting bodies and partners and a tour of the accompanying exhibition, which showcased student projects, startups, and innovative products, reflecting the university's readiness to create a supportive entrepreneurial environment.
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