• Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development (KFED) has partnered with Bahrain-based Hope Ventures to expand its reality television show “Beban” in the UAE market during its third season.
• Selected UAE-based startups will be able to showcase their products in front of a panel of regional investors, and benefit from Beban’s training bootcamp where they can develop their businesses in various aspects like expansion planning, and financial modeling.
• Across its past two seasons, Beban featured 62 businesses of all stages and sizes with a total amount of over $6 million raised during the show.

Press release

As part of its continuous efforts to boost the entrepreneurship ecosystem, Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development (KFED) announces its partnership with Bahrain-based Hope Ventures to expand Hope’s entrepreneurship-themed reality television show ‘Beban’ to the United Arab Emirates in its highly anticipated third season.

This follows the show’s established expansion to the UAE for season two and its success in facilitating investment and strategic opportunities for UAE-based businesses. Having aired for two seasons, Beban featured a total of 62 businesses of various sizes and resulted in successful co-investments by the private and public sectors exceeding USD 6 million in GCC-based startups.

Beban is centered around entrepreneurs and business owners as they pitch their businesses before a panel of regional investors for equity investment and business opportunities. The show's expansion aligns with KFED’s mission of creating opportunities to boost the UAE’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and supporting SMEs by offering financing and service options, as Beban will contribute to the ease of access of UAE-based businesses to a diversified pool of investors and strategic partners who will fast-track their business’ growth into regional and international markets.

Furthermore, Beban entrepreneurs will also benefit from the intensive training bootcamp they will undergo as part of the Beban journey to develop their businesses in various aspects like expansion planning, financial modeling, and pitching in front of a panel of regional investors on a televised show.

Commenting on the partnership, Her Excellency Alia Al Mazrouei, CEO of Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development, shared: “Through our partnership with Bahrain's Hope Ventures, Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development is excited to bring the entrepreneurial spirit of Beban to the UAE in its highly anticipated third season. By expanding Beban, we are creating valuable opportunities for UAE-based businesses to access a diverse pool of investors and strategic partners, accelerating their growth in regional and international markets. With intensive training bootcamps and exposure on a televised platform, Beban will empower entrepreneurs, foster cross-border knowledge exchange, and fuel the UAE's entrepreneurial ecosystem. We look forward to seeing all of the applicants for Beban season 3 and seeing them seize the benefits of this remarkable journey towards success."

On his part, His Excellency Aymen bin Tawfiq Almoayed, Chairman of Hope Fund, said: “Beban was established as a regional investment platform that connects regional entrepreneurs and investors of diverse sectors and facilitates equity investment and strategic business development opportunities that would have been rather challenging for these entrepreneurs to access.”

He further added: "This partnership with the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development will provide UAE-based entrepreneurs with the tools and resources they require to develop their businesses while giving them added regional exposure through the show, all while promoting cross-border knowledge exchange between entrepreneurs of the region. We encourage and invite entrepreneurs based in UAE to apply for Beban season 3 and reap the show’s benefits.”

It is noteworthy to mention that entrepreneurs will be selected through an evaluation process comprising five stages, starting with screening businesses for viability based on certain criteria, followed by an evaluation stage led by experts and specialists in the business sector. Candidates will then be nominated to participate in an intensive training bootcamp stage. The final stage will announce the eligible finalists, who will then go on to film the production’s episodes. 

Beban invites UAE-based entrepreneurs to apply for season 3 online through the hopefund.bh/beban by July 6th.