Venture Capital Fund organizes 'Venture Capital Forum'

The event, which was held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, was attended by members of the Entrepreneurs Organization - Bahrain Charter.

Dr. Ahmed Al Jawhary, Member of the Venture Capital Fund Bahrain's Board of Directors, made a presentation detailing the Fund's philosophy, objectives and processes. Explaining the Fund's philosophy and objectives, Dr. Al Jawhary said "A review of world's developed economies illustrates clearly the vital role that continues to be played by small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in sustaining and growing these economies.

This segment of economy has, for far too long, been ignored by financial institutions in our region. Venture Capital Bank identified this gap and as part of its mandate and in partnership with Bahrain Development Bank and other key investors established the Fund to support the SMEs in their development phase.

The Fund in working with SMEs does also play an important role in helping the growth of Bahrain's economy in areas such as export and employment." He added

"The Venture Capital Fund Bahrain aims to identify Bahrain based SMEs that would benefit from equity injection in achieving their potential for growth. It targets companies with scalable and sustainable business models that have been in operation for at least one financial year. By investing in these businesses, the Fund is in reality investing in the entrepreneurs and their capabilities."

The presentation was followed by an informative question and answers session, during which the members of the Entrepreneurs Organization - Bahrain Charter enquired about a host of different issues relating to the Fund's operations.