– Entrepreneurship-themed reality television show, Beban, produced by Hope Ventures, the investment arm of Hope Fund, airs the sixth episode of its ongoing second season on February 8^th at 6 PM on Bahrain TV and the region’s biggest video-on-demand platform, Shahid, as well as 9:30 PM on AlRai TV.

Beban season 2 is the first television show in the MENA region to be 100% powered by renewable energy through Hope Ventures’ partnership with The Oil and Gas Holding Company B.S.C (closed) (“nogaholding”) and the Electricity and Water Authority (EWA). The show was filmed in Al Areen Palace and Spa by Accor and is built around the premises of entrepreneurs pitching their businesses in front of a panel of regional investors for immediate investment and business opportunities.

Episode 6 hosted five businesses from the Kingdom of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates: ‘Hekayati,’ children’s stories that can be customized with children’s names and interests, available in Arabic and English, co-founded by Asif Mugloo and Yazeed Erman, ‘I Hear You,’ a digitally inclusive mobile application that works to improve the lives of 466 million deaf people through translating sign language to text and audio and vice versa, founded by Mohamed Abo Elazm, ‘L7 Chocolate’, a bakery run by Lujain Hussain, a 15-year-old Bahraini pastry chef who bakes and creates products like cakes, ice cream and sweets, ‘Herbal Dose,’ an organic brand for haircare and skincare products made with certified natural organic ingredients, scented with organic essential oils, founded by Ayda Mohamed, and ‘The Nourishers,’ a marketplace that serves fitness and wellbeing experts by providing them with a management system to liaise with their clients, founded by Hamad Alsaad.

These five businesses pitched before a panel of regional investors comprising Mr. Akram Miknas, Chairman and Founder of Promoseven Holdings, Kuwaiti investor Mr. Yousef AlSultan, CEO of Nuzha Ventures, and Ms. Mashael Fairooz, Founding Partner of JEO Capital headquartered in Bahrain. The panel was moderated by His Excellency Aymen bin Tawfiq Almoayed, Chairman of Hope Fund, representing Hope Ventures’ investments.

Khaled Alrayyes, Manager of Projects at Hope Ventures, shared: “Beban TV show provides promising entrepreneurs the opportunity to pursue their passion, strengthen their skill set, and provide access to the tools required to scale their businesses beyond borders. In this episode, the doors of opportunity have opened for youthful entrepreneurs who are ready to embark on the next stage of their journey alongside experienced investors who may guide and support their growth. We look forward to viewers tuning in, learning more, and being inspired.”

On her part, Shereen Bushehri, Vice President of Innovation and Development and Bahrain Managing Director at TRACCS, commented: “We are proud of our partnership with Hope Fund as the official communications partner for Beban, a program focused on shedding the light on promising businesses across the region. We aim to highlight the success of Beban and enhance its reach to a wider viewer base and look forward to working alongside our partners to provide them with the necessary communication tools to succeed in a highly competitive industry based on our extensive experience within the communications sector. This partnership is in line with our ethos to embrace communications as a pillar of success by embracing and providing the necessary strategic advisory to emerging entrepreneurs, which contributes directly to the expansion and continuity of their businesses. This only results in driving the private sector to assume a greater role as a driving engine of the economy in order to achieve the goals of the Economic Vision 2030.”

Beban Season 2 acknowledges its sponsors; The Oil and Gas Holding Company (nogaholding), Tamkeen Bahrain, Al Areen Palace & Spa by Accor, TRACCS, BEYON Money, Zain Bahrain, GMI, Ahli United Bank, Kuwait Finance House (Bahrain), The Benefit Company, Amakin, and Al Salam Bank for their affirmed commitment to empowering Bahraini entrepreneurs and accelerating their growth through investment, knowledge, and access to business opportunities.

Beban thanks episode 6 partners Gulf Institute of Culinary Arts (GICA), Dividend Gate Capital (DGC), Carrefour, TRACCS Bahrain, Souq Albaraha, Seef Mall, and Limefish for providing business opportunities to this episode’s entrepreneurs.

A new episode of Beban will air every Wednesday of this month. You can watch the next episode airing on the 15th of February 2023 on Bahrain TV at 6 PM, AlRai TV at 9:30 PM, or the time that works best for you on Shahid for free.

To stay up to date with all-things-Beban, follow the show’s accounts on social media @bebanme.