Innovation Forum by MIT Enterprise Forum Pan Arab to Kick Off on September 27

Global experts, entrepreneurs, and academics will convene at the Four Seasons Hotel in Bahrain on the 27^th and 28^th of September for the Innovation Forum, an event that will highlight the latest trends in state of the art and disruptive technologies, such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, financial technology, autonomous driving, and cloud computing.

     (Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/561902/Innovation_Forum.jpg )

The event, which is organized by the MIT Enterprise Forum Pan Arab, in partnership with Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) and Investcorp, a leading provider and manager of alternative investment products, will bring together over 500 entrepreneurs, investors, and researchers, along with CEOs, CTOs and CIOs from the world's leading tech companies as well as policy makers and the media. 

Keynote talks on artificial intelligence by Denis Batalov, Senior Solutions Architect at Amazon Web Services, and Wendell Wallach, consultant, ethicist, and scholar at Yale University, will demonstrate the latest advances in the field and shed light on the challenges that this new technology poses respectively.

Cybersecurity experts Ghareeb Saad, Kaspersky, and Najwa Aaraj, DarkMatter, will expose the latest online threats and counter measures, while panels on autonomous cars and fintech will explore the future of transportation and the future evolution of asset management respectively. Other notable speakers include John Defterios, CNN's Emerging Markets Editor, Amira Rashad, Co-Founder & CEO at BulkWhiz, and Paul Papadimitriou, CEO and Founder at Intelligencr.

Hala Fadel, Chairperson of the MIT Enterprise Forum Pan Arab highlighted the vision of this forum, which is to shed light on technologies that carry the biggest potential for disruption, saying, "The forum will focus on state of the art technologies and will bring together global experts as well as stakeholders from local startup communities. We want to foster the exchange of knowledge and expertise to help propel the regional entrepreneurs to a new level of innovation and creativity and maximizing their impact."  

Also, commenting on this partnership and the Innovation Forum, H.E. Khalid Al Rumaihi, Chief Executive of the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) said, "Innovation is a special tool that has the ability to empower people. In Bahrain, both the government and private sector have worked hard to create an ecosystem that will allow innovation to thrive. With its open and forward-thinking approach, the Kingdom has proven to be an ideal testing ground for the introduction of new technologies to the region."

"We are pleased to be part of the Innovation Forum, as it's an ideal platform to exchange ideas, share expertise and attract entrepreneurs looking to expand in the region to consider Bahrain as their perfect operation base."

Investcorp's Co-CEO Mohammed Al-Shroogi said: "Investcorp holds a strong belief in the power of innovation and creativity in driving economic and social development. Our partnership with the MIT Enterprise Forum Pan Arab and Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) is just another testament to our ongoing commitment to fostering a culture of innovative collaboration in Bahrain and the wider Arab region. We are pleased to sit alongside some of the world's innovation and entrepreneurship leaders to discuss the latest on disruptive technology, and understand the impact of emerging trends like FinTech and cyber security on the regional business landscape."

To register for the Innovation Forum, taking place in Bahrain, potential participants must register online on the following link.

About MITEF Pan Arab:

Founded in 2005, the MIT Enterprise Forum of the Pan Arab Region (http://www.mitefarab.org) is one of the 28 worldwide chapters of the MIT Enterprise Forum Global, an avid promoter of entrepreneurship and innovation worldwide. The MIT Enterprise Forum- Pan Arab has a proven record in promoting MIT-style entrepreneurship by organizing each year the MIT Enterprise Forum Arab Startup Competition targeting 21 countries of the Arab region and attracting over 12,000 entrepreneurs a year.

About the Bahrain Economic Development Board  

The Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) is an investment promotion agency with overall responsibility for attracting investment into the Kingdom and supporting initiatives that enhance the investment climate.  

The EDB works with the government and both current and prospective investors, in order to ensure that Bahrain's investment climate is attractive, to communicate the key strengths, and to identify where opportunities exist for further economic growth through investment.

The EDB focuses on several economic sectors that capitalise on Bahrain's competitive advantages and provide significant investment opportunities. These sectors include financial services, manufacturing, ICT, tourism, logistics and transport. The financial services sector is particularly strong in Bahrain and the EDB works to support the continued growth of the banking industry and key sub-sectors, including Islamic finance.

For more information on the Bahrain EDB visit http://www.bahrainedb.com; for information about Bahrain visit www.bahrain.com .     

About Investcorp:  

A leading provider and manager of alternative investment products and is publicly traded on the Bahrain Bourse (INVCORP). Investcorp focuses on generating investor and shareholder value through a disciplined investment approach in four lines of business: corporate investment, real estate, alternative investment solutions (formerly known as hedge funds), together with the recently added credit management business. Investcorp employs approximately 390n people across its offices in New York, London, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, Doha and Singapore.

Contact details: Maggie El Eid 01-973030 ext.3124