The Tourism Development Fund, the national enabler of the tourism sector, organized a demo day and an accompanying exhibition for the graduates of the first cohort of the “TDF Grow Accelerator” program in KAFD Conference Center in Riyadh.
The ceremony included a review of the program’s accomplishments across its journey that extended for several months, where the emerging startups participated in more than 20 training and guidance sessions. A total of 15 projects took part, including 11 local startups and four regional and international projects. This empowerment program contributed to creating an added value to the Kingdom’s tourism sector. These startups also succeeded in attracting investments worth more than SR18 million ($4.8 million) to date.
The event was attended by a crowd of investment pioneers, entrepreneurs, media representatives, as well as key stakeholders interested in tourism investments.
During the ceremony, TDF’s CEO Qusai Al-Fakhri stressed the importance of the TDF programs in promoting innovation and sustainable development in the Saudi tourism sector. This was in a speech delivered by Prince Saud bin Mohammed, executive director of TDF Grow, on behalf of the CEO. He also expressed his pride in the achievements of the participants, saying: “We are proud of what these distinguished startups have accomplished during their journey within the TDF Grow Accelerator program. This success reflects our ongoing commitment to supporting entrepreneurial ideas and promising initiatives that contribute to efficiently implementing the national tourism strategy and reinforcing the Kingdom’s standing as a global tourism destination.”
The ceremony concluded with a presentation showcasing the tourism projects participating in the program.
The TDF Grow Accelerator program is an initiative by TDF Grow to empower entrepreneurs in the tourism sector by providing them with the necessary support to create innovative technical solutions, facilitate communication with investors and sector leaders, and encourage the best tourism startups to contribute to achieving the national tourism objectives.
