It was announced in Riyadh yesterday evening, the launch of a strategic partnership with (Google for Startups) to support and empower more than 100 emerging technology companies around the world annually, in cooperation with (The Garage Disrupt), which is the leading technology destination in the Kingdom since this partnership will ensure that The Garage and its startups join a network of the best startup accelerators programs in Latin America, Africa, Europe and Asia. The partnership with (Google for Startups), which was announced during the fourth edition of Al Garage event that was held in Riyadh Wednesday, with the attendance of more than 300 people interested in the entrepreneurship sector, aims to implement 4 business accelerators annually to enable 100 digital and technology startups and attract them to open their headquarters in the Kingdom. This comes in accordance with the goals of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 to develop the digital economy, and this partnership also comes to enhance the role of "The Garage", which it started in developing and empowering entrepreneurs and emerging companies in the technical and digital sectors since its launch at the (LEAP2022) conference last February. On the occasion, the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Eng. Abdullah bin Amer Al-Sawaha stressed that this partnership with Google for Startups is an additional confirmation of the Kingdom's position as a regional hub for technology and innovation, as it is the largest technology market in the region with a volume exceeding $40 billion, and a pivotal center for attracting talent and digital innovation. The partnership between The Garage and (Google for Startups) is part of the Kingdom's efforts to empower male and female entrepreneurs to continue regional leadership through innovative digital solutions and applications. The "Garage" project is the fruit of cooperation between the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, and the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones. The Garage project works as a business model that combines business incubators and accelerators with everything that technology companies need for success and growth, as it includes three main elements: (The Garage Disrupt), which is a monthly event that brings emerging technology companies together with investors and in the presence of government and private sectors, and (Garage Plus), which is considered a global business accelerator, and the "Garage" headquarters, which provides male and female entrepreneurs with all the tools necessary for the success of their projects. The partnership between "Garage" and (Google for Startups) focuses on the Garage's business accelerator program known as (Garage Plus) as the Garage team aspires, through this partnership to build an accelerator program that competes with global accelerators, which is provided by (Google for Startups) by providing the Garage team with a huge base of science, knowledge and best practices that it has reached through its previous programs and cooperation with the best business accelerators programs around the world. For his part, the President of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Dr. Mounir El-Desouki, expressed his happiness with this partnership, and said: "Since we announced the Garage project, we have been striving to provide the best for the community of entrepreneurs, and our partnership with (Google for Startups) represents the best step to achieve this, as it guarantees our startups the access to world-leading trainers and mentors in their fields, in addition to enhancing their development through Google's support services, and we look forward to the outcome of this partnership and the graduation of the first batch of this partnership." For his part, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones, Faisal Al-Khamisi, said that this partnership is an extension of the vision we set when establishing the Garage, and the role it plays in supporting entrepreneurs in the digital and technical sectors to achieve the Kingdom's Vision of making Riyadh the regional technical hub for the Middle East. The regional officer for developer relations in the Middle East and North Africa at Google, Salim Obeid expressed his happiness to cooperate with the Garage to contribute to supporting local startups in the Kingdom and enabling them to develop at the local and regional levels, adding that we aspire through the Google for Startups program to encourage startup communities around the world to benefit from each other's expertise and share knowledge and resources for growth.
