Webinars

As the world becomes like a global village, many products and ideas aim to reach customers globally rather than just locally, and much more is done online. These changes created a big shift in how to take ideas and products to the market. In recent years several leading “methodologies of choice” are followed by many incubation and acceleration programs helping. The selection of the same methods, combined with the need for a global rather than local outreach already at an early stage, open the way for creating truly virtual acceleration programs. In this talk, you will learn how this works and why it creates opportunities not available through localized acceleration programs.

Relator: Mr. Assaf Mendelson

Mr. Assaf Mendelson is the managing director of the EAI360 EXelerator innovation initiative of The European Alliance for Innovation (EAI). He is a hi-tech professional and serial entrepreneur with many years of experience and demonstrated accomplishments in all facets of a hi-tech company: executive management, business development, marketing, fund raising, product, and technical/R&D. He held a variety of senior positions in both start-ups and large international enterprises such as Intel and Qualcomm. His roles covered several industries including many years in wireless and cellular markets as well as in the new web and mobile applications markets. He was co-founder of over 5 start-ups, including DailyForex.com and Fl3ur. Mr. Mendelson continuously assists and mentors start-ups in Israel and abroad. Mr. Mendelson holds a B.Sc. in Computer Science from the University of Maryland, College Park, and an MBA in Finance and Marketing from the Leon Recanati Graduate School of Business Administration in Tel Aviv University.

The world is looking at innovation and entrepreneurship with great importance to the world economy rectification from decades of stagnation due the fact that the world is becoming a small village with everybody knowing and able to have what everybody else in this world have. “Innovative Entrepreneurship” is in the heart of any economy development or diversification. The educational system must catch up with these facts and must prepare future economy through prepare the future entrepreneurs whom must be innovative as well. Although the wish is clear, yet the challenges are preventing any dreams to come true. The “Innovation Curriculum for Entrepreneurship” is a revolutionary approach that is actually a solution that we believe will have unprecedented impact in this area.

Relator: Mr. Osama Ghanim

Founder and Chief Innovation Director (CID) for the first dedicated MENA region Innovation Management company namely INNOVABIA based and located in Dubai Knowledge Village. A Senior Innovation Strategy Consultant with accumulative experience of 23 years out of which 15 years in Senior Business positions with extensive involvement in Innovation, Strategy Consultation and Strategic Planning. Originally achieved sound achievements in the Information Technology and eBusiness areas. Frequently speaking in regional and international event about Innovation. Participated in many regional entrepreneurship competitions and/or awards both as organizer and as judge. Professional and passionate trainer since 1983 in various technology and management subjects yet selective in subjects that are new and suite the time we live in. Developed the “Innovation Climate Model”, a universal new and brave attempt to gather all spectrum of Innovation of all types for any organization in one model. There is one tailored model for the government sector specifically. Author of the book “Building Innovation and Creativity atmosphere”. B.sc Electronic Engineering from Kuwait University in 1985. MBA from Phoenix University in USA. Preparing for PhD In Innovation Management field.

Register for this webinar to learn about the Patent Cooperation Treaty (known in IP circles as “the PCT”), a system for seeking potential patent protection multinationally which is administrated by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Mr. Quan-Ling SIM will explain the benefits and advantages of the PCT for SMEs with details on how it can be used to postpone costs and maximize limited budgets. Also learn about the initial opinion on patentability provided through the PCT and its value for SMEs in the decision making process.

Relator: Mr. Quan-Ling Sim

Mr. Quan-Ling SIM, a national of Canada, joined the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in 2003. He is currently Head of the PCT Outreach and User Relations Section within the PCT Legal Division where he has responsibility for the management and delivery of PCT training. Prior to joining WIPO, Quan worked at the Canadian Intellectual Property Office, Industry Canada, and Foreign Affairs and International Trade. Quan has a Bachelor of Applied Science (BASc), cum laude, in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Ottawa and is a registered Professional Engineer with the Province of Ontario.

In this session Dr. Hamsa Thota conducts case study of a SME, in mature phase of its lifecycle that prepared for its future with a clear strategy and compelling organizational goals. The industry in which the SME competed is characterized by fragmentation, is not known for innovation; and is besieged by cheap foreign imports. Utilization of key concepts in innovation such as the lifecycle, categories of innovation projects, new product development strategy, product innovation charter, resource allocation in a balanced portfolio of innovation projects (portfolio management), and development of new product development teams enabled the SME to realize its future. Learning from the case study is generalized in a systematic approach for innovation such as the Thota framework for innovation. Participants gain knowledge to customize and implement a systematic approach for innovation towards achieving new product/innovation success rates similar to those achieved by the SME in the case study.

Relator: Dr. Hamsa Thota

Dr. Hamsa Thota is the Founder and President of Innovation Business Development Inc., (IBD) a product innovation management performance consulting and training company in the USA. He was the past president and chairman of the Product Development and Management Association (2005-2006). In 2005-2010, Dr. Thota consulted with more than 50 Chinese companies as an international expert on innovation at the invitation of Science & Technology Agencies of local Chinese governments. In 2011, Dr. Thota was a visiting Professor at the Management School of the Zhejiang University in China and co-authored “Key Concepts in Innovation” published by Palgrave Macmillan (London and New York). He is an honorary professor at the Geely Automobile Engineering Institute, China. Dr. Thota was a Senior Fellow at the Kellogg Innovation Network, Northwestern University (2004-2011) and a member of the US National Innovation Initiative Strategy Council of the US Council on Competitiveness (2006-2007). He is an advisor to the Art of Learning, a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded research project to improve STEM education with Arts based curriculum (2012-2016). Dr. Thota is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (1971) and the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, North Carolina. He holds a Ph.D. in Food Science and Dairy Manufacturing from the University of Georgia (1976). During the 80’s, he studied technology management at the MIT, new product introduction at the Wharton Business School, and negotiation at Harvard.

In this intensive information era, technology is become necessity and not an option. It is, and will continue to be a key driver in the knowledge access and exchange. Entrepreneurship in Saudi Arabia evolved in the mid-19th century and maybe earlier than that. However, with the oil boom in the 70s and 80s, entrepreneurship was over taken by white collar jobs in addition to the dependency of young generations on their parents for their daily life challenges. Such created a bubble of low demands on striving for a better life through the skills of survival. Therefore, the desire to take risk and start a business was not the focus of many GCC officials in that era which created 10s of country economical and manpower challenges. In the early 2000 and most importantly 2008, Entrepreneurship became the focus of all GCC initiatives.

Relator: Dr. Sherif Elabdelwahab

Sharif Elabdelwahab is a Ph.D. holder from the Ohio State University in Foreign and Second Language Education with emphasis in Workforce Development since 2002. He earned two master degrees in Public Services Administration and TESOL in 1996. Dr. Sharif has been involved in Human Resources Development and youth enabling programs in the past four years in Saudi Arabia and the USA. With massive country expansion in Saudi untraditional employment and preparation to meet market demands, he worked in Saudi Electric Co as safety instructor then moved to Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC) and worked in several positions i.e. ESL instructor, joint training GM Assistant, National System for Joint Training GM, Curriculum Instruction and Design Dept. GM. Then, Dr. Sherif started to work out of TVTC i.e. British Aero Space, Ministry of Labor, Human Resources Development Fund, Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission, and Currently, as CEO of the National Entrepreneurship Institute (Riyadah) since 2011. From 22 branches and 1400 entrepreneurs to 39 branches, 13 of which are female, and 3500 entrepreneurs from 9500 trainees. He has also presented tens of papers in regional and international conferences in EFL, HRD, and independent learning.

Small businesses are certain to be the most active recipients of the worldwide trend of Crowdfunding. Whether it pre-sales, reward, donation or equity this presentation will cover the basics. What is crowdfunding relative to a small or medium sized business? Crowdfunding describes the collective effort of individuals who network and pool their money for a purpose, product or service via the internet. How does it work for a small or medium sized business? A website is used to facilitate, co-ordinate and keep the raising compliant. Is it just about the money? No. Businesses are using Crowdfunding for the following: a. to validate the market. b. to test a market. c. get extra promotion. d. to capture data. e. money and matching money. Sometimes it is about the money. Why should you embrace it? According to Crowdsourcing.org, crowdfunding platforms are predicted to generate $5.1 billion in revenue this year.

Relator: Mr. Paul Niederer

Paul Niederer is one of Australia's leading authorities on peer to peer investing and equity based investment for early stage growth companies. Paul joined the ASSOB team in late 2008. As CEO Paul leads a team that shepherds businesses through an ordinarily complex and frustrating Capital Raising Process with efficiency and effectiveness. Paul is no stranger to managing growth businesses, having spent the past few years as CEO of both ASX and NSX publicly listed businesses. Before that he managed and developed businesses in Singapore, the Middle East and Sweden.

Shifts in population demographics, technological change, fluctuating market conditions and other dynamic forces have transformed societies around the world as never before, bringing new challenges and opportunities to the forefront. To compete and grow in today’s global landscape, the UAE has arrived at a critical juncture of its economic development when future performance of indigenous industry and entrepreneurship will be of central importance to its continued economic and social advancement. The UAE must now become the architects of their own economic future, which means that they must focus their energies and resources on growing a cohort of Emirati entrepreneurs and companies with the ambition, leadership and innovation necessary to achieve success at global scale. In this webinar, I will discuss the book, “Entrepreneurship: An Emirati Perspective”, the UAE’s first book to provide a comprehensive outlook on the role played by Emiratis involved in entrepreneurial activity across the UAE. The discussion on the book presents an opportunity to advance our understanding of the Emirati entrepreneur, the key challenges they may face and the key recommendations to accelerate increased entrepreneurial activity as an impetus towards achieving robust global competitiveness in the years ahead.

Relator: Dr. Halah El-Sokari

Dr. Halah El-Sokari is currently the Advisor to the CEO for the Chairman’s Office at Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development. She has nearly three decades of extensive experience in the field of International Consultancy and Advisory assuming senior strategic roles in a multitude of diverse industries. In 2005, during her senior role at Dubai SME, she initiated the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, an internationally recognized study to benchmark entrepreneurial activity in the UAE amongst 52 countries, as a basis for further policy development in the field of entrepreneurship. Prior to coming to the UAE, she worked as a Senior Wealth Management Specialist for Merrill Lynch and UBS-PaineWebber. She also worked as a Senior Consultant and Advisor to the United Nations Development Program and she was also responsible for setting up a National Association to support youth capacity building and Entrepreneurship Development as well as supporting the inception of the National SME Agency for Export Development. She serves on several boards and is an advisor to several key organizations. She has contributed to numerous publications including co-authoring “ Entrepreneurship: An Emirati Perspective” and “Human Assets”. She holds a PhD, MBA, and BSc in Business Administration specializing in Economics and International Finance with honors from Notre Dame University and Syracuse University in the USA, a CFM and multiple US Exchange licenses: Series 7, Series 63, and Series 65.

The main message of the presentation is that innovation and entrepreneurship is the only way to sustainable stay competitive in a fast changing world. The presentation illustrates and explains new patterns of innovation and competition and its implication on innovation development. Hence, the presentation discusses the innovation challenges you have to manage to be successful and improve competitiveness even though you are facing an unknown future that you cannot predict.

Relator: Mr. Kjell-Håkan Närfelt

Kjell-Håkan Närfelt has been working with technology driven business development and R&D for more than 20 years in different management positions. He has also served as a board member and advisor to several R&D based start-ups during his time as an investment director in a corporate venture and as partner in a private seed investment company. Besides his work at Vinnova, he is also member of the programme board of the commercialization programme for academic research FORNY2020 in Norway, member of the international advisory committee for TISTR – a national science, technology and innovation institute in Thailand, and member and vice-chair of EU’s expert advisory group on Innovation in SMEs. He has a research background in computer science which resulted in an academic spin-off that encouraged him to leave academia and to exploit the research results in a commercial context.

After an introduction on the initiatives offered by the EUROMED Invest Project coordinated by ANIMA Investment Network, Mr. Dario Mazzella, Project Manager at META Group will share an overview of lessons learned on entrepreneurship and internationalization with a focus on the user with regard to innovation management. During the second part of the webinar BSR – Business for Social Responsibility will present its recently published report, “Women’s Empowerment in Global Value Chains: A Framework for Business Action.” which aims to unlock business opportunities that advance health, rights, and well-being of women in global value chains. It highlights the benefits of investing in women along the value chain and provides a framework for action and practical guidance for companies to identify and strengthen value-chain investment opportunities that deliver positive returns to business, women, and society. An additional chapter of this session will be dedicated to necessary skills to be proficient in managing growth and change. This webinar is the last session of an in-depth follow up on the Training on innovation and entrepreneurship for start-ups, young entrepreneurs/women and diaspora organized within the frame of the EUROMED Invest Project.

Relator: Ms. Inmaculada Ruiz, Mr. Dario Mazzella, Ms. Magali Barraja and Ms. Elissa Goldenberg

Inmaculada Ruiz has been working as Communication Officer for ANIMA Investment Network since April 2015 and she is in charge of the EUROMED Invest project communication and visibility since June 2016. She has cooperated to the communication and web management of different Euro-Mediterranean projects (LACTIMED, MedGeneration, EUROMED Invest, EDILE, Diamed, SAHWA), besides the communication and web activities of the ANIMA Investment Network association. In 2012, she successfully obtained a degree in Journalism at the University of Malaga, in Spain, as well as a master degree in Digital Communication and Web Management in 2015 at the Ecole de Journalisme et de Communication d’Aix-Marseille (EJCAM), in France.

Dario Mazzella is currently working for META Group, an international group supporting the creation of knowledge intensive companies, developing new entrepreneurial programs for the European Commission, mentoring start-ups and young entrepreneurs looking for early-stage capital, and managing the company’s participation inside international networks. He also managed the overall organization of the Global Entrepreneurship Congress 2015, held in Milan last March 2015 and gathering professionals from 159 countries. He is currently doing a PhD in Geopolitics at the University of Pisa, focusing on the economic development of the Mediterranean Sea Basin. He holds a Master Degree in Innovation Management from the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies.

Magali oversees a three-year project funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, focusing on catalyzing private-sector action for women’s empowerment. Prior to joining BSR, Magali was part of the sustainability team at Kering. She has also worked for several European supply chain initiatives, including the Ethical Trading Initiative and the Business Social Compliance Initiative, advising companies on design and implementation of ethical trade strategies that deliver impact for supply chain workers. Magali holds an advanced Certificate in Corporate Social Responsibility from the University of Geneva and a Master’s in International Affairs from the Institute for International and Development Studies in Geneva. She also holds a B.A. with Honors in Political Science from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques (Sciences Po) of Aix-en-Provence.

Elissa manages buyer engagement and communications for BSR’s HERproject—a program empowering women working in global supply chains through workplace programs on health, financial inclusion, and positive gender relations. She also contributes to BSR’s growing women’s empowerment practice. Prior to HERproject, Elissa worked with companies across sectors on human rights. She was also on BSR’s Communications team for four years, where she provided strategic marketing support and produced and gave direction for member publications. Before joining BSR, Elissa was the communications intern for GlobalGiving, a Washington, D.C.-based international development nonprofit. Elissa holds a B.A. in Political Economies of Industrial Societies from the University of California, Berkeley

This talk will introduce the concept of communities for harnessing and sharing knowledge. Communities is one of the most applied tools in Knowledge Management. Common types of communities and their purposes will be explained. Furthermore, the issues and challenges faced by communities at different stages of its maturity will be highlighted. Attendees will also learn about how organisations have used communities for various purposes including a helping centre, development of good practices, co-creation of ideas and learning.

Relator: Prof. Eric Tsui

Eric Tsui joined Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) in 1989 after years of academic research in automated knowledge acquisition, natural language processing, case-based reasoning and knowledge engineering tools. His research was supported by grants and scholarships from Arthur Young, Rank Xerox, CSC, Graphic Directions, and the Australian Research Council. He was also a gratis visitor to Microsoft Research in February, 2000. Between August 2000 and January 2005, he assumed the roles of Chief Research Officer, Asia Pacific for CSC as well as Innovation Manager at Australian Mutual Provident (AMP) and Maybank, two strategic outsourcing accounts at CSC in Asia Pacific region. Eric was responsible for strategic research, knowledge brokering (between CSC and the clients), innovation management and university-industry collaborations. During his tenure at CSC, he made significant contributions to CSC’s expert systems products, applied research and innovation programmes. His research areas are on knowledge management technologies, portal engineering, cloud knowledge services, and blended learning.