Mr. Salah Khalifa
Director of Ahlia Centre for Entrepreneurship
Welcome to Ahlia Centre for Entrepreneurship (ACE). Whether you are student, freelancer, investor, entrepreneur or considering to be an entrepreneur, we welcome you to our entrepreneurship center.
Ahlia Centre for Entrepreneurship (ACE) was established in February 2017, as an initiative to support and promote entrepreneurship at Ahlia University (AU) and the Bahraini community at large. ACE is intended to play a strategic role in promoting the spirit of entrepreneurship in Bahrain and create a new breed of youth and entrepreneurs who aspire to have a positive and lasting impact on their society. Accordingly, ACE aims to support the creation of new companies that add substantial job, and bring extra incomes and revenues to the Bahraini economy. To achieve this goal, the Center provides programs and activities which enhance the entrepreneurial learning at Ahlia University and expand the students’ knowledge of business creation and opportunity recognition.
You are always welcome to join us and benefit from our activities and events at the Centre. Please do not hesitate to contact us for more information about our services.
VISION
Ahlia Center for Entrepreneurship (ACE) aspires to become a purposeful center that encourages students to become entrepreneurs and continuous support other entrepreneurs by providing professional skills.
MISSION
Our mission is to equip students and entrepreneurs with entrepreneurial knowledge, critical skills and tools necessary to identify new business opportunities; transform them into start-ups; and to provide relevant and focused support to grow them in their business.
The main goals of Ahlia Center for Entrepreneurship are the following:
- To educate, coach and encourage young entrepreneurs and freelancers to pursue business opportunities and succeed in transforming them into viable start-ups.
- To provide potential entrepreneurs with the necessary tools and experiences to pursue innovative opportunities as a start-up.
- To deliver a series of credit-based workshops which would teach students how to explore the entrepreneurial career path and open up new career opportunities after their graduation.
- To bring multiple agencies including Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Tamkeen, Bahrain Development Bank, Bahrain Chamber of Commerce, and other important entities to address the entrepreneurs and students to build their capacity to be successful in their enterprise or entrepreneurship.
- Contribute to the Vision 2030 of the Kingdom of Bahrain by Ahlia’s achievement to generate new entrepreneurs as well as support MSMEs to grow and contribute to the national economy.
Activities
Ahlia Center for Entrepreneurship (ACE) attempts to conduct activities in order to widen the students’knowledge of entrepreneurship, inspire them to think and act entrepreneurially, educate them through new learning styles, in addition to connecting embryonic entrepreneurs with the successful fellows in this fieldwork.
Workshops
The aim of the workshops held at the center is to spread the culture of entrepreneurship and innovation among participants. Indeed, these workshops provide good opportunities for the trainees to explore their inner entrepreneurs while engaged in entrepreneurial discussions and activities.
Training
Training sessions will be conducted by the center trainers’ applying the knowledge gained from the Entrepreneurship and Leadership CIPE (Center of International Private Enterprises, UAS) Workshop’s using the CIPE-WDI curricula. http://wdi.umich.edu/entrepreneurship-development-center/people/
Best Business Idea Competitions
As part of ACE activities, several competitions of the best business idea have been organized. Groups of students compete along the semester to get the prize of the best business idea. The competition comprises 3 phases:
- 1st round: idea and opportunity recognition: pitching for the business idea.
- 2nd round: the selection of the 3 best ideas
- 3rd round: the selection of the best business plan.
Outside Visits
As part of the center’s activities, groups of students visit incubator centers and accelerators. These visits give the students a good overview about the services offered by the incubators and accelerators to novice entrepreneurs.
Activities proposed for the next two years 2023/2024
- 1. Conduct a series of events involving students at the 499 stage, 599 stage and PhD level to create awareness and encourage them to be entrepreneurs.
- 2. Bring agencies that can support entrepreneurs in the MSMEs in terms of providing them knowledge about successful entrepreneurship as well as facilities available for entrepreneurs like funding agencies, strategists who can support entrepreneurship and other directions that could lead them be successful.
- 3. Showcase successful entrepreneurs, innovations and winning ideas through presentation and exhibitions.
- 4. Organise entrepreneurial competitions to encourage entrepreneurs to innovate.
- 5. Support entrepreneurs with incubators through collaboration with private agencies.
Connect With Us
Ahlia Centre for Entrepreneurship
- +973 1729 8978
- sakhalifa@ahlia.edu.bh
- Sunday to Thursday - 9 AM to 5 PM
Ahlia University
- +973 17 29 8999
- info@ahlia.edu.bh
- Bld 41, Rd 18, Al-Hoora 310 Gosi Complex, Exhibition Road
- Sunday to Thursday - 8 AM to 5 PM
