Wisaal as an Incubator: Working with Today’s Star Start-Ups

"In a matter of two days we walked out with a partner, and a stronger vision than ever. I feel ready to conquer my dreams and make them a reality." - Abdulrahman Saeed

"Most impressive was the help and insight we received from the Wisaal team and the respected Dr. Ghazi Binzagr in shaping our vision and mission. It goes without saying that I would recommend this workshop to anyone seeking to build their business." - Mohammed Al Sawaf.

As one of Wisaal’s strategic imperatives to incubate young Saudi talent, we are always looking to connect with promising local entrepreneurs and innovators. The road to success in the brisk-paced modern Saudi Arabia can be difficult to navigate, and for brilliant young Saudis starting a new business, weaving the threads of success together out of the many variables and obstacles can be difficult. We guide these young creative forces towards their goals, helping them steer their brilliant concepts through the currents of the business world and into the hands of consumers.

A recent collaboration took place between Wisaal and a duo comprised of Abdulrahman Saeed and Mohammed Al Sawaf - half of an ambitious team currently working on building a luxury food goods company. Their vision is developed as much on the principle of social responsibility as anything business related. The four friends hope to bring premium indigenous food goods to the market through hands on hard work, with an emphasis on prosperity throughout the supply chain. When we asked what drives them, what recurred in their answers was a frank dissatisfaction with the treatment of the primary sector in their industry; how they’re often exploited by middlemen, and lack the resources to fully understand how best to optimise their operations. A desire to address these issues, as well as the difficult circumstances of the region more generally, underpin their ambitions to highlight the natural beauty of Arabia by sourcing their products in a manner that enhances the lives of the communities they work with.

Over the course of our two-day Arbor* workshop, tailored specifically to address the needs of new businesses and start ups, we worked with Abdulrahman and Mohammed to better understand the intricacies of their goals, their challenges, where they are, and where they want to be. We succeeded in helping them channel their vision into clearer short term and long-term goals, while also providing insights into the necessary steps needed to accomplish them. The sessions were highly productive, and their passion to build a better world through such an ambitious initiative was inspiring; an ideal first project to kick-start the Arbor Programme.

*Arbor: an axle or spindle on which something revolves; a garden structure on which plants and vines can grow.