Amman, November 2011 – Oasis500, the MENA region’s premier early stage and seed investment company announced today the launch of the 8th wave of its Start-Up Boot Camp which will run until 27th November, 2011. Out of the 400 applications received, 84 entrepreneurs were selected to take part in the 8th Wave Boot Camp. Ten of those are from outside Jordan. The start-up business ideas cover a wide variety of fields including e-commerce, online services, mobile applications and other digital content. The 8th Boot Camp, which is organized in partnership with the British Embassy in Amman and is part of Oassis500’s investment cycle, provides entrepreneurs and established start-ups with top level training in a variety of fields including marketing and investment techniques, pitching techniques, business model creation and marketing through creative campaigns, market segmentation, attracting investments and how to approach investors. Headed by Dr. Usama Fayyad, Chairman of Oasis500 and former Executive VP and Chief Data Officer of Yahoo! Inc., the Boot Camp’s workshops will be delivered by a team of specialized Oasis500 experts and staff. The Boot Camp will also host prominent guest speakers from Jordan and the region, who will share their experiences and expertise with the participants, and offer advice, guidance and insight on entering and succeeding in the business scene. Guest speakers include: Mr. Raed Bilbessi, CEO of Pinnacle; Mr. Ahmed Al Khatib, Founder and CEO of MarkaVIP; Mr. Saad Mouasher, Deputy CEO of Jordan Ahli Bank and Managing Partner of Al-Nabil Investment Company; Mr. Fadi Ghandour, Founder and CEO of Aramex; and Dr. Abdul Malik Jaber, former CEO of Zain Levant, amongst others. “We are delighted that the 8th Boot Camp has attracted a significant number of creative and promising entrepreneurial ideas which we are committed to supporting and accelerating,” said Dr. Fayyad. “Oasis500’s Boot Camps are a vital element in transforming these projects into viable and highly profitable businesses that can positively impact the national economy.” Dr. Fayyad also thanked the British Embassy for sponsoring the 8th wave of the Company’s Start-Up Boot Camp, and explained that without the support of like-minded local public and private companies, Oasis500 would not have been able to accomplish all that it has in the past six months. British Ambassador Peter Millett said: “I have been impressed by Oasis500’s efforts to support startups and help new ideas grow into new jobs for Jordanians. Private sector growth is the key to economic prosperity, and therefore we are delighted to be supporting these training waves as part of the UK’s Arab Partnership Programme.” The Arab Partnership Programme Fund is the UK’s initiative to strengthen support to those in the countries of the Middle East and North Africa seeking more open and plural societies. Partnership is the key principle of this approach. One of the AP Programme main objectives is to support local partners in innovative and high-impact projects that widen opportunities for youth employability. Oasis500 is the first development and investment company of its kind in the MENA region. It aims to support entrepreneurs by providing them with funding and training in an effort to accelerate the transformation of business ideas into start-up companies in Information and Communications Technology (ICT), the mobile sector and in digital media. Oasis500 aims at accelerating the launch of 500 start-up companies within the next five years, which will create an incentive for aspiring entrepreneurs and generate job opportunities within the world’s fastest growing sectors.