Al-Saqr for Technology and Innovation Nurtures and Supports Young Minds... From Idea to Business Establishment
- A comprehensive project to incubate promising young innovators to be launched soon
- Entrepreneurship requires strong skills, resilience, and flexibility in the face of challenges
- The center is non-profit, with its true investment lying in nurturing talented young minds to contribute to building a better future for Kuwait
Dr. Saud Al-Anzi, CEO of the Hamad Abdulaziz Al-Saqer Center for Technology and Innovation, affirmed that the center prioritizes investing in youth and promising minds. He noted that the partnership with Loyak Foundation has resulted in training a group of young people in entrepreneurship skills and app development, as part of a broader initiative aimed at empowering Kuwaiti youth and preparing them to embark on technology-driven ventures.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony for trainees of the “Al-Hafra” (The Pit) training program, organized by the center in collaboration with Loyak, Al-Anzi stated that the partnership between the Hamad Abdulaziz Al-Saqer Center for Technology and Innovation and Loyak Foundation stemmed from a memorandum of understanding signed between the two parties. The initial phase of this collaboration yielded a five-week training program attended by 12 trainees, who acquired a range of core skills before presenting their ideas and projects to a panel of judges, receiving feedback and critiques, and refining their projects accordingly.
He explained that the program’s concept simulates the real-world experience of establishing a company, introducing young people to the concerns and challenges faced by small business owners, and teaching them how to address these issues and find appropriate solutions. Additionally, trainees were coached on how to answer judges’ questions, handle feedback, and cope with the possibility of failure. Al-Anzi emphasized that entrepreneurship demands strong skills, resilience, and flexibility from the outset.
Al-Anzi revealed the center’s plans to launch a comprehensive future project for young innovators, involving significant challenges and aimed at incubating and developing promising ideas over a period ranging from six months to a year. He announced that details of the program will be released soon.
He added that trainees will receive training courses within the center, alongside other programs conducted in partnership with affiliated institutions. There is also potential to leverage expertise from universities and training institutions outside Kuwait, including those in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Al-Anzi stressed that the Hamad Abdulaziz Al-Saqer Center for Technology and Innovation is a non-profit institution, and its true investment lies in talented and aware young minds, with the goal of contributing to a better future for Kuwait. This is achieved by supporting innovators from the earliest stages of their ideas, through training and idea development, project establishment, and up to the implementation phase.
Al-Anzi pointed out that the center is not limited to artificial intelligence alone but also places significant emphasis on cybersecurity, considering both as key technological areas of focus. He noted that specialized programs in these fields will be announced shortly.
He clarified that AI programs will range from simplified levels suitable for non-specialist users to advanced courses tailored for specialists and those seeking in-depth expertise. The same applies to cybersecurity programs, which will initially target corporate employees to enhance system protection, before advancing to specialists in networks and cybersecurity, in collaboration with global companies specializing in this field.
He praised the swift steps taken by the center since its launch, noting that the center began working on this project last December and achieved clear accomplishments within eight months. He affirmed the continuation of efforts to expand its technical and youth-oriented programs and initiatives.
For his part, Omar Al-Farsi, director of the “Al-Hafra” training program at the Hamad Abdulaziz Al-Saqer Center for Technology and Innovation, said the program was part of a course organized by the center in partnership with the Loyaq Foundation. The final stage featured a jury evaluation of four youth-led app projects: “Salhly,” “Mawjud,” “Juma,” and “Rently.”
He added that this interaction led to the proposal of developmental projects related to startup establishment and the challenges faced by entrepreneurs. Thus, the idea for the “Al-Hafra” program emerged, bearing an inspiring title that reflects the concept of learning and acquiring skills through facing difficulties and challenges.
He explained that the program offers a competitive experience for young people, requiring teams to make practical decisions and find solutions related to investment and project development, thereby immersing participants in an environment closely resembling the challenges they may encounter in the real world of entrepreneurship.
Al-Qattan stated that “the level of participating students promises a bright future for Kuwait,” noting that “despite the circumstances and challenges faced by Kuwait’s entrepreneurship community since the coronavirus pandemic until today, young people still possess the motivation and enthusiasm to create their own projects.”
He added that “supporting youth through a specialized center like the Hamad Abdulaziz Al-Saqer Center for Technology and Innovation represents an important step, especially since most of the participating ideas and projects serve the technology sector, which has become a primary driver for various industries, while simultaneously addressing existing gaps and needs in the market.”
He emphasized that young people represent Kuwait’s largest investment, commending the role of the Hamad Abdulaziz Al-Saqer Center for Technology and Innovation in discovering these talents and supporting promising entrepreneurs. He expressed his gratitude to the center for providing this experience and affirmed his happiness in participating in supporting youth until their projects see the light of day.
Al-Qattan said, “Today, there are no losers or winners; all participants deserve support and development,” stressing that the true value of such programs lies in the experience and skills young people acquire, which help them in their future careers.
For his part, Khaled Al-Muwasharji, a member of the “Salhly” project team, discussed the project’s concept, which connects users with specialized technicians to repair home malfunctions, while leveraging artificial intelligence technologies to store data on recorded issues. He clarified that the proposed system can utilize previous data to generate a report on the home’s condition, helping to handle future malfunctions, detect them, and determine repair methods by leveraging artificial intelligence.
Al-Muwasharji affirmed that the program experience yielded significant benefits for them on both personal and academic levels, despite their team not winning the competition. He noted that the experience taught them a great deal, particularly in the area of teamwork. He added that the random selection of team members helped participants learn how to work and communicate under pressure, and complete tasks within a single team despite differing viewpoints. He emphasized that this diversity was an important part of the experience and contributed to enhancing their ability to collaborate and work as a team.
