The event united a vibrant community of entrepreneurs, startup founders, SME leaders, ecosystem enablers, and C-level executives. As Kuwait’s entrepreneurial landscape evolves, the Kuwait 4SMEs initiative is committed to delivering practical solutions to support SMEs and founders, address market challenges, enhance operational efficiency, and capitalize on emerging opportunities.

Aisha Alqabandi, the Business Development and Partnerships Associate at AmCham Kuwait, set the tone by emphasizing the vital role of practical support for SMEs and startups in line with Kuwait’s economic diversification efforts under Vision 2035.

Expert Presentations:

• Othman Al-Jiran, Supervisor of Business Development Initiatives at the National Fund for SME Development, provided an overview of how the National Fund supports SMEs and startups through targeted funding, mentorship, and capacity-building programs, empowering them to thrive.
• Amadou Kebe, Senior Innovation Engagement Specialist at DHL Express, showcased how artificial intelligence and logistics innovation transform supply chains, enhance efficiency, and enable global scalability.

A highlight of the event was the panel discussion titled “Scaling Locally, Expanding Globally,” moderated by Dr. Arezou Harraf, Founder of Learn & Evolve and Vice-Chair of AmCham Kuwait. The panel featured industry experts including:

• Omar Habbadi, Commercial Director at DHL Express
• Abdulwahhab Alzaidan, Consultant at the Youth Public Authority, which is one of the leading entities, alongside Boeing, in developing the Kuwait Digital Startup Campus
• Reem Sahoury, Marketing & Sustainability Specialist
• Aram Tchaparian, CFO of CINET

Panelists shared valuable insights on essential SME growth strategies, including optimizing supply chains, leveraging third-party logistics for cost efficiency, cost-effective branding, strategic financial planning, and robust cash flow management. They also previewed forthcoming initiatives at the Kuwait Digital Startup Campus. Enriched by real-world case studies and best practices, the discussion provided attendees with a clear roadmap to sustainable business success.

Continuing throughout 2025, the Kuwait 4SMEs series will offer SMEs and startups essential resources, expert-led sessions, and strategic networking opportunities. Future sessions will explore topics such as global expansion strategies, digital transformation, financial literacy, and sustainable business practices.

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Gulf Bank’s SME clients will have access to a wide range of quality services offered by Omnifintec, including a complimentary initial assessment to identify key areas for business improvement and development. Omnifintec will charge a fee not exceeding 10% of the profit growth resulting from the consulting and services provided to clients.

Additionally, the company will offer clients customized business intelligence dashboards, which are digital tools that display data in a simple format. These dashboards enable small and medium business owners to analyze their performance and make informed decisions based on this data. Training sessions on creating customized business intelligence dashboards will also be provided.

Omnifintec’s services for Gulf Bank’s SME clients include financial data analysis and assessment, as well as an exclusive 10% discount on market research and feasibility studies.

Faisal Al-Adsani, General Manager of Corporate Banking at Gulf Bank, stated: “This agreement aligns with Gulf Bank’s strategy, which considers the SME sector a fundamental pillar. It aims to enhance the growth rates of corporate services and assist SMEs in expanding their product portfolios and banking services.”

He added: “Alongside our exceptional banking services, Gulf Bank is dedicated to improving non-banking services for SMEs, enabling them to grow their businesses successfully. This, in turn, contributes to sustainable growth in the SME sector and the national economy as a whole.”

Hashim Al-Aqeel, Founder of Omnifintec, commented: “We are delighted to partner with Gulf Bank and provide our exceptional services to its SME clients. We are dedicated to helping them excel and achieve growth through our expertise and capabilities.”

He further stated: “We take pride in being reliable partners, assisting leading companies in achieving outstanding results and sustainable success. Customer satisfaction is our top priority.”

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True to its legacy of celebrating creativity, inspiration, and the incredible talent of women in photography and cinematography, Alpha Femme hosted celebrated female content creators, including Zainab Alkhayat and Meera Fathima to name a few. Zainab, a Saudi specialist in capturing the essence of weddings and creating breathtaking wedding films, conducted a workshop on mastering beauty shots for wedding cinematography. Renowned food stylist and photographer based in Dubai, Meera, conducted a workshop on the basics of food styling providing a comprehensive overview of layering, arranging and styling to build a delicious culinary presentation. Other topics of discussion also included filmmaking and how to translate one’s ideas into tangible and artistic vision.

Jobin Joejoe, Managing Director at Sony Middle East & Africa, said, “The Alpha Femme series in Kuwait was a platform that brought together leading female content creators to share their knowledge and expertise with aspiring creators. This initiative highlights Sony’s ongoing commitment to empowering female content creators and providing opportunities for them to grow. We recognized the growing need for female-centric workshops in the region, and the overwhelming response we received demonstrates how much support there is for women pursuing creative careers. Alpha Femme is just the beginning, and we plan to host more initiatives like this to help women hone their craft, connect with industry leaders, and pursue their creative passions.”

Following the success of the workshops, Sony plans to conduct at least one workshop each month to support women on their creative journeys fueling creativity, inspiration and talent.

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“This collaboration with Tether is one of the most important deals in the crypto industry right now,” said Seth Sadeq, Kem’s CEO. “This will help bridge the access to decentralized financial services that will improve the lives of millions. Also, people from countries facing dire economic situations can mitigate the effect of hyperinflation and currency fluctuations back home.”

Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether, said, “This investment reinforces Tether’s commitment to promoting financial inclusion and stability. We believe that everyone should have the means to protect their families and businesses against inflation while enjoying unrestricted access to financial services. Our investment in Kem App is a testament to this belief, as the platform provides tools that simplify access to the financial system, perfectly aligning with our mission to advance financial freedom for all.”

Tether’s investment is a strategic move to expand access to the Middle Eastern market via an emerging payment service in Kuwait. For Kuwait, the investment is a positive sign that the country is making strides towards opening up to foreign investments and catching up to the FDI performance of its GCC neighbors, such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

“Tether is building a decentralized ecosystem of everyday consumer services,” says George Chichua, CFO of Kem. “We see their ecosystem leading the way to a more equally distributed world, and Kem is excited to be a part of this future.” This investment is the latest step in Kem’s effort to transition the Gulf into a digital cash economy.

The collaboration comes at a monumental time for Tether, whose 24-hour trading volume surpassed that of Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and USDC. In the first half of 2024 alone, Tether announced a $5.2 billion in net profit. Tether’s exposure to Treasuries also surpasses that of many large nations, such as Germany, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia.

“With Tether’s support to introduce USD₮ on the Kem App, we can support millions of underserved businesses and individuals throughout the region,” says Zane Sadeq, COO of Kem.

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To help businesses overcome this barrier and tap into the potential of AI, KPMG published its gen AI playbook, AI & generative AI in functional transformation. The publication strives to serve as a guide for businesses planning to leverage gen AI to drive functional transformation and identifies potential disruption opportunities within operational functions.

Majid Makki, Partner — Head of Management Consulting and Technology Advisory, KPMG in Kuwait, said, “We understand that core organizational functions are the biggest catalysts of gen AI implementation, given the crucial roles they play. That’s why, through this guide, we wanted to call attention to the areas where gen AI could serve as a transformative force as well as highlight the challenges that could affect the foundation of trust.”

According to the KPMG 2023 global tech report, 57% of the respondents believe that gen AI will help them fulfill short-term business goals over the next three-year horizon. This is considering that embedding gen AI capabilities can significantly enhance process efficiency and speed by automating redundant tasks and those that may require human intervention. While the finding suggests a willingness to explore implementation possibilities, led by businesses’ needs to increase profitability, improve compliance and enhance consumer experience, the guidebook stresses that the effectiveness of gen AI relies on the quality of the underlying data and well-engineered prompts.

KPMG’s practical guide also points out five enabler categories that could be integrated into six key functions, i.e., Marketing, sales, service and commerce, Procurement, Supply chain management, Finance, HR, and IT management. The enablers are: (i) content and insight generators; (ii) information extractors; (iii) smart chatbots; (iv) language translators; and (v) code generators.

What kind of functional transformation can businesses drive with AI?
Illustrating the power of AI, the publication clarifies that organizations could leverage it to automate, optimize and transform procurement functions. This could, in turn, elevate sourcing efficiency and bring about dynamic contract lifecycle management, resulting in streamlined procurement decisions and enhanced contract management. As for supply chain management functions, businesses could ensure advanced predictive planning and automated quality assurance through AI-powered integrated planning and scenario modelling and AI-enhanced quality management.

KPMG’s guide further underscores that finance should be at the center of gen AI adoption across organizations, harnessing AI to make for cross-functional commentary and contract generation and review. This would not only drive improved understanding of financial performance but also reduce the levels of financial risk across an organization.

Furthermore, IT management functions could employ AI to maximize availability to users and reduce security incidents, HR functions to streamline onboarding processes and matching learning to employee requirements, and Marketing, sales, service and commerce functions to improve personalized and targeted marketing reach as well as engagement levels.

Overall, this practical guide explores 30 emerging use case opportunities that gen AI offers an organization’s front, middle and back office to enhance the human experience — either as customers, suppliers, or as employees.

“AI isn’t independent of systems. It goes hand in hand with existing business models, technology platforms, governance frameworks and service delivery models, impacts people’s roles and helps bring about positive change across critical business processes,“ adds Majid. He explains that for gen AI to provide maximum value to an organization — be it global or Kuwaiti, it should be implemented and integrated in the way that’s right and within crucial operational functions.

The guidebook underlines that while AI is moving quickly, the user interface and new content creation capabilities of gen AI make it relevant to a wide range of organizations and business functions. To keep pace with it, business leaders must consider how they can think and act faster with respect to how they can leverage the technology better.

To download the guide and to learn how KPMG Advisory can help you implement AI in your businesses, visit: kpmg.com/kw.

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The Sheikh Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah Informatics Award in Kuwait is a significant honour for technology innovators and pioneers. The award ceremony, held at Bayan Palace and attended by His Highness Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Crown Prince of Kuwait, honoured a group of winners who contributed to enhancing technological development and entrepreneurship.

Receiving the Sheikh Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah Informatics Award in Kuwait is a great honour and a deep appreciation of my efforts in entrepreneurship and technology. I pray that I have been a good ambassador for the Palestinian people. This prestigious award reflects Kuwait’s leading vision in supporting innovation and entrepreneurship,” says Kilany.

The award aims to encourage and honour innovation in entrepreneurship and technology, promote technological advancement, and play a vital role in fostering an innovative culture in society. Kilany’s recognition reflects this vision, as he tirelessly works to harness technology and innovation to achieve positive change in the world.

“I see this award not only as a recognition of myself but also as an appreciation of the role of technology in improving lives and driving economic development,” adds Kilany.

This award enhances Kilany’s position as a business leader in the region and a role model for future generations, reflecting appreciation for his efforts in developing society and serving humanity.

“Receiving this award is a source of pride and gratitude for the professional and human path I have taken, and I look forward to continuing to work towards positive change and enhancing a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in society,” concludes Kilany.

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The partnership comes as a response to the success OptimizeApp continues to drive, positioning itself as the preferred platform for making advertising simpler and more effective for SMEs in the region. Serving over 8,000 e-commerce stores, restaurants and cafes alongside service providers in MENA, OptimizeApp will use its technology platform to help advertisers find success on Snapchat whether they are running their first campaign or as a returning advertiser.

“We’re excited to partner with Snapchat in our mission to empower thousands of SMEs across the MENA region. OptimizeApp’s platform offers a comprehensive and fully localized solution from an interface, payment and account management perspective – addressing the needs  of SMEs looking to launch and manage effective digital ad campaigns. Through our partnership with Snapchat, we’re committed to providing tailored solutions and support for SMEs looking to take their businesses to the next stage,” said Founder and CEO of OptimizeApp, Bader Alkazemi.

Hussein Freijeh, Vice President of Snap Inc. in the Middle East and North Africa, added, “It gives us great pleasure to join forces with our partners at OptimizeApp to support and empower SMEs across the region. Snapchatters in the GCC open the platform over 45 times a day making it the most frequently used app throughout the day, and through partnerships like these, we believe we will significantly help SMEs reach a wider audience on the platform as well as drive real results.”

Snapchat will extend operational and technical support to OptimizeApp to ensure seamless integration and optimization of the platform’s advertising solutions for SME clients across the region. Snapchat will also collaborate with OptimizeApp on marketing programs and events to meet the needs of this cohort of customers.

OptimizeApp will empower SME advertisers by providing comprehensive education and guidance throughout their digital advertising journey. Through Snapchat’s suite of solutions, OptimizeApp will offer expertise in creative development, campaign management, and reporting, enabling SMEs to maximize the value of their digital media budgets.

This strategic partnership underscores Snapchat and OptimizeApp’s shared vision of democratizing digital advertising and empowering SMEs with the tools and knowledge needed to thrive in today’s dynamic digital landscape.

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Since launching in 2022, Raha has quickly grown to become a multi-sector technology and automation provider offering a wide range of specialized solutions. The company’s first successful project in the Kuwaiti market was ShopRaha; the fully automated e-grocery platform that was the region’s first pure-play service. Setting a new benchmark in the grocery retail sector, ShopRaha features Kuwait’s first fully automated robotics-fulfillment center, as well as the first chilled automated warehouse globally.

Following this successful proof of concept, Raha has utilized its recent funding to broaden its industry presence, particularly in the KSA and UAE markets

Saleh Al-Tunaib, Co-Founder and CEO of Raha, articulated the company’s mission and strategy moving forward, saying: “Raha was envisioned as a company that uses technology and robotics to disrupt traditional models and redefine e-commerce. We’ve integrated advanced technology with our logistics expertise to elevate the e-commerce experience, from first to last mile. Today, our model is demonstrating its scalability and longevity, as we continue to expand our focus beyond our own e-commerce retail ventures to cement our role within the scope of the wider industry. This is proving especially effective in our recent expansions into both Saudi Arabia and the UAE.”

Al-Tunaib further emphasized the importance of an integrated approach for e-commerce success. “Investing in digital infrastructure is a crucial component for operational excellence in this day and age. As we expand, our focus remains on ensuring a smooth, efficient transition of both the customer experience and operational capabilities to the online domain.”

On his part, Jerry Li, Founder and Managing Partner of eWTP Arabia Capital said: “One of our core goals has always been to accelerate the growth of digital eco-systems in MENA. As the companies we invest in develop their business in Saudi Arabia, they acquire the know-how necessary to replicate their business model throughout the entire MENA region and expand methodically into other markets. Raha’s solution can perfectly help aspiring companies make a soft landing, navigating the challenges that face them in their growth and expansion journeys. Based on the management’s rich local experience, we are very optimistic that more Chinese companies will contribute to the development of the MENA markets through solution partners like Raha.”

Additionally, Mohammed Razzouqi, Partner at Soor Capital, noted that: “With Raha’s tangible success and a new round of investment, they will be well positioned to play a larger role in shaping the region’s automation and robotics industries as both a consultant and service provider.”

A true homegrown success story, Raha has made a name for itself in the region as a start-up to watch. Starting off with a small core team of four people, Raha now houses a dynamic team of more than 166 people across its various verticals, ShopRaha, btr.tech and Smooth Logistics.

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The fintech startup, operating under the name Kem Technologies, announced that the funding round was backed by a group of international investors led by Maqamees Holdings to further its mission to simplify and democratise financial transactions in the region.

Kem’s instant payment platform is designed to meet the users where they are, providing a comfortable and accessible service that empowers underserved segments of society to manage their money more efficiently. It uses QR-code technology to power in-app transactions, which are secured on existing banking infrastructure.

“We want to redefine the Gulf’s relationship with money,” says Seth Sadeq, CEO of Kem and co-founder, alongside his brother Zane and George Chichua. “So we built Kem to remove the pain from peer-to-peer payments by making them simple, instant, and accessible. We have already seen the impact Kem has made on people in Kuwait post-launch and we want more people to know about what we do.”

Guided by the mentorship of visionary financial entrepreneur Timothy Li in California, the Sadeq brothers returned to Kuwait to launch Kem Technologies and bring financial inclusion to their country.

Kem’s vision to improve financial access in the Gulf market is being powered by its adoption of the latest AI and machine learning technologies. It blends this new tech with existing banking systems to guarantee secure and instant transactions, regardless of the user’s banking affiliation.

State-of-the-art AI algorithms work alongside 256-bit encryption and FaceID verification to protect the platform against fraudulent activities, aligning with Kem’s core focus to develop security for instant payments

“We have a close relationship with the Central Bank of Kuwait to ensure that we are fully compliant with all the necessary rules and regulations,” says Sadeq. “Our banking partnerships ensure that your money is backed and supported by the same banks you know and trust. We connect the dots so customers benefit from simple and instant transactions, as well as established security systems.”

Kem’s unique mix of security and disruptive technology has helped them secure the seven-figure investment that will kick start its next development phase. This will see the platform in the hands of thousands of new users, including future users planned for its Saudi Arabia market launch.

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In episode 8 of Beban season 2, Nadeera, a social enterprise that provides innovative digitally enabled solutions for solid waste management, founded by Rabih El Chaar, raised $200,000 from Bahrain-based Hope Ventures and Kuwait-based Rasameel Investments, represented by its CEO, Dakhil Al-Dakhil.

Hope Ventures’ General Manager, Fajer Alpachachi, said “I am excited about our investment in Nadeera as they innovatively solve real-life problems and is driven by founders who are ambitious and eager to achieve desired growth. Rabih is passionate about sustainability and is on a path of developing Nadeera’s cutting-edge technology to scale regionally and globally, ad this forward-thinking approach is what we are looking for. More importantly, a key decision for Hopes investments is the co-investors that we invest alongside, and Rasameel Investments is a key example of a strategic investor who brings a wealth of experience with expertise and know-how to drive business growth.”

Dakhil Al-Dakhil, CEO of Rasameel, commented that “Being part of the investor panel on Beban TV show was an exciting experience that provided us with access to unique business opportunities from all over the region. Nadeera is one of those opportunities that spoke to us at Rasameel, as it is part of our vision to invest in businesses aligned with the needs of the future, which we found in the startup. We look forward to adding value to the startup’s journey and helping them penetrate the GCC market along with our co-investors.”

Commenting on his investment, Rabih El Chaar, Founder and CEO of Nadeera, shared “Providing an innovative solution to an existing, ongoing environmental cause drove us to start Nadeera, which is why I am thrilled to have received this investment through Beban. Through the mentorship and expertise of our co-investors, Rasameel and Hope, we hope to strategically accelerate our market entry into the GCC to help wider segments better manage their waste with the use of our technology.”

Beban season 2, which is 100% powered by renewable energy through Hope Ventures’ partnership with The Oil and Gas Holding Company B.S.C (closed) (“nogaholding”) and the Electricity and Water Authority (EWA), was filmed in Al Areen Palace and Spa by Accor, whereby entrepreneurs pitch their businesses in front of a panel of regional investors for immediate investment and business opportunities.

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