Filmathon
The Filmathon initiative was created to foster the growth of the filmmaking industry and stimulate the production and development of innovative technologies. It attracted local and international technological talent, empowering them to develop MVPs/MVCs that address various challenges encountered in the filmmaking industry, under two main challenges; Digitizing the Industry & Creating 3D Film Sets in the Metaverse. The initiative offered an intensive 66-hour training program for 126 participants, which included a virtual training Bootcamp and a physical Hackathon. The program was led by an elite selection of 20 Saudi, regional, and international experts, featuring Redha Alhaidar, Hamzah Jamjoom, Nico Lumma, and Paul Dawalibi. The training program resulted in the development of 20 MVPs/MVCs and concluded with a physical final ceremony as part of the Saudi Film Confex events, where 6 teams were awarded a total of 650K SAR.
Digital Innovation Award – 2nd Edition
The Digital Innovation Award was created to enrich the culture of digital innovation and R&D by motivating digital researchers and digital patent holders to develop new innovations and entrepreneurship capabilities, as well as commercialize and launch promising ideas into the market and provide them with needed technical and business support. The award offered an intensive +2,000-hour training and mentorship program for 144 participants, which included a virtual training Bootcamp and a physical Demo Day. The program was led by an elite selection of 58 Saudi, regional, and international experts, and resulted in the development of 20 digital research & patent MVPs. The top 20 teams received digital enabling incentives with a total value of 500K SAR
Al Soudah Season
Al Soudah Season was a festive event held in Saudi Arabia’s enchanting Asir region, showcasing the beauty and vast touristic potential that Saudi’s highest peak had to offer. The juniper-covered Soudah Mountain provided the backdrop for the season’s outdoor activities, such as hiking and paragliding, along with cultural events showcasing the local traditions, embodied by the Flowerman Festival and the historic village of Rijal Almaa. The season was managed by Beyond, attracting +400K visitors from around the world and creating seasonal job opportunities for more than 500 Saudi youths.
ThinkTech Talk Forum
In partnership with the Saudi Esports Federation and Zain, the ThinkTech Talk forum was launched as part of the “Gamers Without Borders” tournament. The forum targeted enthusiasts and experts in game development, investors, and business entrepreneurs in the sector, to spread awareness about the world of e-games development and manufacturing through hosting world renowned e-gaming experts who spoke about their experiences in creating e-games. The event was attended by the Deputy Minister for Future Jobs and Digital Entrepreneurship; H.E Dr. Ahmed Al-Thunayan and the CEO of the Saudi Federation for Electronic and Intellectual Sports; Turki Al-Fawzan and featured an elite selection of international experts such as Trip Hawkins; founder & first CEO of Electronic Arts (EA), Marcus Dimpfel; partner at EY-Parthenon Strategy, and Chester King; British Esport CEO.
Angel Investing Forum
The Angel Investing Forum 2020 was the first ever Angel Investing Forum in Saudi Arabia. The goal of the event was to increase deal flow amongst Saudi entrepreneurs and investors, and to provide mentoring to the startup and investment community locally and regionally. The virtual forum gathered an elite selection of 28 local, regional, and international experts, investors, and entrepreneurs to network and receive worldwide insights about the latest trends in early-stage investments. With +4000 attendees from +40 countries. The forum featured the Governor of Monsha’at; Eng. Saleh Alrasheed, H.E. Dr. Nabeel Koshak; SVC CEO, H.E. Mohammad El-kuwaiz; Chairman of Saudi CMA, Amal Dokhan; GP at 500 Global and Saudi GEN CEO at the time, as well as top industry angel investors; David Rose, Brad Feld, and Faris Alrashed; Founder of Oqal.
StartSmart Competition
The StartSmart Competition is an annual event designed to empower entrepreneurs and foster the Saudi innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem, in partnership with MIT. The competition pits entrepreneurs in 4 tracks: Ideas, Startups, Social Entrepreneurship, and Environment. The competition offered an intensive 202-hour training and mentorship program for 191 participants, which included a virtual training Bootcamp, demo day, and a physical forum. The competition was led by an elite selection of 60 Saudi and regional trainers, speakers, judges, and investors. The journey concluded with a physical forum hosted under the generous patronage of HH Prince Saud bin Jalawi; Governor of Jeddah, at the breathtaking Jeddah Corniche Formula 1 Circuit, symbolizing the spirit of innovation, precision, and excellence associated with Formula 1. The forum welcomed +1,000 visitors and featured public workshops, panel discussions, +70 entrepreneur exhibitors and +100 investor-lab sessions. The forum concluded with +90 team pitches, where 12 winning teams were awarded a total of 470K SAR.
Open Data Datathon & Saudi Data Forum
The Open Data Datathon was created to enable the open data ecosystem in the Kingdom & develop capabilities and creativity in the fields of data and artificial intelligence. The aim was to find innovative solutions to real-life challenges by empowering the Kingdom’s young talents to develop and showcase their ideas in an intensive 27-hour training, during a 3-day physical hackathon that admitted +200 participants under the guidance of +12 trainers and judges, which soon after concluded with a Demo Day. The journey resumed with the launch of the physical Saudi Data Forum, that featured the launch of 3 major SDAIA initiatives; the National Data Index, the Open Data Portal, and the National Data Governance Platform. The forum welcomed +400 visitors and featured rich panel discussions with +25 top-tier dignitaries, senior data officials from government entities, and major local and international speakers, with the presence of his HH Prince Dr. Bandar bin Abdullah bin Mishari; Assistant Minister of Interior for Technology Affairs, H.E Dr. Abdullah bin Sharaf Alghamdi; President of SDAIA and H.E Dr. Esam Alwagait; National Information Center Director. The forum also celebrated the Datathon winning teams, who received monetary incentives with a total value of +400K SAR and scholarships to prestigious international schools; the American Draper University, and the London Business School.
ML and LLM Bootcamps
The Machine Learning (ML) and Large Language Models (LLM) Bootcamps were designed to equip and graduate +1,600 trainees with knowledge and skills related to machine learning, data analysis, deep learning, and large language models and qualify them for Certified Artificial Intelligence Practitioner (CAIP), and Certified Data Science Practitioner (CDSP) accredited by international institutions. The training program of 64 virtual bootcamps offered 2 tracks: ML and LLM, with +5,000-hours of intensive training and mentorship. The bootcamps were led by an elite selection of +250 Saudi, regional, and international trainers, and the journey concluded with a final exam that aimed to qualify the participants for prestigious professional certificates in the field.
iLab – Innovation Lab
To promote innovation within the organization and enhance its performance, SIDF launched the Innovation Lab (iLab) as an internal innovation initiative aimed at fostering a culture of innovation among its employees and encourage them to provide innovative solutions for the growth and development of the local industry and enhance performance. Before establishing the iLab, an innovation assessment of the fund was conducted to determine the organization’s current innovation state to create an innovation strategy and operating model. Consequently, the iLab was established and operated by Beyond team for 3 months as a soft launch, in which an innovation manager was assigned to operate the innovation lab at SIDF. During this phase, quick-win initiatives such as bootcamps and innovation talks were launched, while the SIDF Innovation Champions & Taskforce were assigned, and proposed initiatives were defined to ensure the success and continuity of the fund’s innovation efforts.
Baha Hackathon for Artificial Intelligence
As part of SDAIA’s initiatives to encourage and develop those interested in the AI field among university students in the Kingdom, the Baha Hackathon for Artificial Intelligence took place at Baha University, attracting students from colleges in the region. During the hackathon journey, a dedicated mentoring program was organized and implemented to support and develop ideas, under the supervision of a selection of local and international experts and mentors in the field. Additionally, 5 workshops were held in the fields of AI and entrepreneurship to provide participants with a comprehensive model of the technical and entrepreneurial requirements for their projects. With the participation of over 200 beneficiaries from various technical, engineering, administrative, and health majors, the hackathon included challenges in four tracks which aimed at improving the quality of life in the Kingdom’s cities using AI technologies. The first phase of judging involved nominating 15 teams out of 50 to give them the opportunity to present their proposals to a panel of expert judges, who then selected the top three winning teams to be honored during the closing ceremony of the hackathon.
CODE Center Network
CODE is a network of fab labs established around the Kingdom, that aims to promote digital entrepreneurship through embracing and encouraging entrepreneurial efforts, developing new and exciting digital business models, and establishing leading companies. This was done by connecting clients with expert-level engineers and technicians and providing them with the needed spaces and tools to develop the next digital breakthrough. CODE launched +7 branches and created +10 partnerships with top-tier tech companies and innovation labs across the Kingdom; including ORACLE, KPMG Insights Center, KAUST Entrepreneurship Center, and STC Inspire U Center. The Beyond team established a PMO unit and developed the operational plan of the network and conducted a comprehensive +500-page market study on the status of digital innovation labs globally with a focus on the KSA market and offered recommendations of the necessary infrastructure required to establish the CODE network.
Jada30
Jada30 is a network of co-working spaces that serves as a launching pad for many entrepreneurial ventures around the kingdom. The network holds locations in several Saudi cities, empowering entrepreneurs to transform their ideas into successful projects. The Beyond team established a PMO unit and conducted a comprehensive market study on the status of co-working spaces globally with a focus on the KSA market and offered recommendations for the necessary infrastructure required to establish Jada30. Additionally, Beyond developed the project branding, marketing strategy and website, as well as the operational plan and the governance, financial and administrative policies.
MDL Beast Soundstorm
MDL Beast’s Soundstorm 2019 was an extraordinary 3-day music festival in Riyadh, featuring +150 international DJs such as Tiesto, Steve Aoki, Davide Guetta, and Salvatore Ganacci, with +450K visitors from around the world, serving as a symbolic event in this new era and becoming one of the largest gatherings of like-minded individuals. It provided an opportunity for connection, celebration, and self-expression. Soundstorm surpassed being merely an entertainment hub in Saudi Arabia; it acted as a cultural catalyst that sparked a revolution among Saudi youth while making a profound impact on the music industry. The Beyond team established a PMO Unit and managed a consortium of +100 Saudi, regional and international partners, in addition to executive-level stakeholder management, which led to a seamless festival experience.
Cruise Saudi Seasons
Cruise Saudi is a Public Investment Fund owned business that aims to develop the infrastructure and services required to scale a full-suite cruise market in Saudi, as it welcomes cruise lines from around the globe to include Saudi as a port of call on their itineraries and add exciting new destinations across Saudi that boast rich cultural heritage, history, and natural wonders. The 2021 Summer and the 2021-2022 Winter Seasons welcomed +42K passengers on 2 major international cruise lines: MSC and Scenic. The Beyond team, in alignment with the client, established and supported in the operation of the PMO Unit, which included supporting business units in planning and operating the Summer and Winter Seasons, by developing a comprehensive PMO system to help track and monitor company portfolios as well as sales dashboards to enable top management to monitor company performance.
Business Transformation at the Construction Agency
The Business Transformation Project at the Riyadh Municipality is structured around two key tracks: the service enhancement and the project oversight. The service enhancement involved a meticulous examination and analysis of the Agency’s services. This included the identification of weaknesses and enhancement plans by conducting studies on best practices regionally and internationally. Additionally, discussions with stakeholders were held to bridge gaps between the current situation and the desired future state of services. The team also undertook digitization efforts to modernize and streamline services and improve efficiency and accessibility. On the other hand, the project oversight ensured efficient management of existing and new projects, with a focus on addressing challenges. The Beyond team played a pivotal role in establishing and operating the Project Management Office (PMO). This included the development of operational plans and regional and global studies, the streamline of the head of RRM’s responsibilities, the establishment of procurement processes. Consequently, recommendations were made to enhance existing services and introduce new ones to elevate the overall standard of services, in alignment with the strategic objectives of the Riyadh Region Municipality.
PMO Establishment
STORY Company is a key subsidiary of the MBC Group, that specializes in managing and executing major events within the Group. STORY company aims to position itself as a leading global entity with a distinct local vision, covering all facets of the events industry. The company strives to craft international success stories, by leveraging top-notch local and international expertise. The Beyond team was responsible for establishing and operating the Project Management Office (PMO), this included overseeing all operational procedures across departments, conducting governance protocols, and providing template, essential support and guiding future initiatives to enhance departmental operations. Additionally, the team implemented a project management system and performance monitoring dashboards for each department, to showcase key metrics and milestones.
PMO Establishment & Operations
As part of the MCIT’s initiative to establish a robust digital infrastructure, the Future Jobs and Digital Entrepreneurship Agency aims to build a competitive digital ecosystem that achieves economic sustainability and seeks leadership regionally and globally. The Beyond team has been instrumental in providing Project Management Office (PMO) services and overseeing various portfolios for the Agency’s departments, particularly in the realm of future skills and digital literacy. This included the processing and activation of various mechanisms and templates, monitoring and updating RFPs status and key performance indicators (KPIs & OKRs) and the preparation of executive reports. Additionally, a project manager has been appointed for each department to handle executive tasks, coordinate with relevant departments and teams, and offer necessary support to ensure the highest quality of outputs.
