Zain and INJAZ: 20 years of investing in future leaders

KUWAIT: Zain has honored the students who won the Best Innovative Product award in the high school and university categories, as well as the Sustainability Heroes award in collaboration with Nestlé, during the closing ceremony of the 2025 edition of the INJAZ Company Program Competition. Zain supports this competition annually in collaboration with INJAZ Kuwait to empower the next generation of Kuwaiti entrepreneurs.

The ceremony was held at the Cultural Center of the American University of the Middle East (AUM), joined by Hamad Al-Musaibeeh, Corporate Relations Department Manager at Zain Kuwait; Jaber Ashkanani, Business Development and Strategic Relations Manager at INJAZ Kuwait; and representatives of sponsors, supporters and partners.

Faisal Al-Duwaihees, Community Partnerships and Youth Empowerment Specialist at Zain Kuwait, joined the panel of judges, which included a group of entrepreneurs and executives from private sector institutions. The panel listened to the students’ final project presentations, after which the evaluation process was carried out and the winning teams in each category were selected based on a set of criteria.

Zain honored the two teams who won the Best Innovative Product award: the KeraChick team, winners of the university category, and the BlindSpot team, winners of the high school category, in recognition of their outstanding innovation within their startup companies in achieving the program’s objectives.

Al-Musaibeeh and Ashkanani honor the BlindSpot team, the winning team in the high school category.

KeraChick, who were also named Sustainability Heroes, receive their award.

Zain also honored the KeraChick team for additionally winning the Sustainability Heroes award in collaboration with Nestlé. This came as part of the two companies’ recent cooperation with INJAZ Kuwait to empower Kuwaiti youth to excel in entrepreneurship, with a focus on tackling social and environmental challenges to create a sustainable future.

Zain’s participation falls under its long-standing strategic partnership with INJAZ Kuwait, a relationship that has spanned 20 years since the organization’s founding in 2005. Throughout this partnership, Zain has consistently supported and sponsored various academic and training programs organized by INJAZ to invest in the potential and creativity of Kuwaiti youth, helping them pursue their ambitions, realize their dreams in the world of entrepreneurship, and refine their skills to succeed in the job market.

The annual Company Program Competition aims to empower university and high school students to practice establishing and managing their own startups. This year, 200 students participated, forming 29 teams from various universities and schools. Throughout the competition, volunteers with expertise and competence from different private sector institutions in Kuwait trained the participating students on essential business skills.

The skills taught include developing and translating project ideas into reality, conducting feasibility studies, selling shares, managing teams and human resources, creating business plans, producing and selling services and products, among other key competencies. Through its strategic partnership with INJAZ, Zain seeks to educate and support youth who are passionate about developing their ideas and projects according to international standards. This is achieved through a series of training programs organized throughout the year, including the Company Program Competition, as Zain continuously strives to provide a stimulating environment for the talents and creativity of young people in Kuwait.

INJAZ Kuwait is a non-governmental, non-profit organization aimed at developing the capabilities of young people in Kuwait to succeed within the global economy. It delivers training courses focused on business management, specifically in the areas of entrepreneurship, work readiness, and financial literacy. INJAZ Kuwait is a member of Junior Achievement Worldwide and has trained over 150,000 students from more than 200 public and private sector schools and universities, with the support of over 7,000 volunteers.