Entrepreneurs take a step closer to achieving their dreams

The team celebrated the success of the program with a congratulatory dinner at the Four Seasons, where they were awarded certificates.

Also attending the dinner was Arthur A. Boni, Ph.D., director of the Donald H. Jones Center for Entrepreneurship; and Charles E. Thorpe, Ph.D., dean of Carnegie Mellon Qatar.

The Executive Entrepreneurship Certificate Program (EECP) aims to transform Qatar's deep investment in research and education into business success stories.

The nine-month, part-time program helps aspiring managers and executives build technology-based business, either within their existing companies or by starting a new enterprise.

"Our university has deep experience in the theory and practice of creating new enterprises, particularly in the technology sphere," says Mohamed Dobashi, director of the EECP. "When our Dean, Chuck Thorpe, was a student at Carnegie Mellon, the man who went on to start Lycos was in the class below him. It's this kind of real-world, 'been there' experience that we're looking forward to sharing with Qatar, and to start building the industry leaders of tomorrow right here".

The Executive Entrepreneurship Certificate Program is run by Carnegie Mellon's Tepper School of Business and its Donald H. Jones Center for Entrepreneurship, in collaboration with QSTP.

The center, recognized as one of the best in the world, has taught thousands of people to create new businesses.

Its students include the founder of iGate Corporation, a global IT company with nearly $400m market capitalization. This is the first time the program is available to executives in the Middle East.

The program benefits companies seeking to create new revenue streams and entrepreneurs aiming to start their own business.

Teaching skills and methods for creating technology-based ventures through practical, real-world projects, the course provides students with the knowledge to turn their business ideas into reality.

"This course has provided me with important knowledge that I would not have gained through experience alone," says Mohamed Takriti, iHorizons CEO and graduate of the EECP. "The teaching staff is a great match for the course because, in addition to their academic background, they have extensive hands-on experience in establishing and growing successful high-tech companies".