Orange launches the Social Venture Prize

Orange Jordan recently launched a call for candidates to apply for the 2016 Orange Social Venture Prize. Originally developed by Orange Group, the Prize aims at encouraging start-ups that use innovation to fuel development on the African continent, and has now been extended to the Middle East and specifically Jordan. Spanning from May 18 to September 21, the Orange Social Venture Prize showcases regional entrepreneurs offering innovative products and services meeting the health, agricultural, educational, energy, commercial or industrial needs of local communities.Orange Jordan invites any entrepreneur of 21 years and older and any legal entity in existence for less than three years to participate in the Prize at no cost, regardless of nationality. The projects presented must concern a service to be deployed in Jordan or in specific surrounding countries. Applications should be submitted through http://entrepreneurclub.orange.com/en/social-venture-2016/register.html Orange’s new portal for entrepreneurs in both Africa and the Middle East, and net users are invited to participate in the selection process by voting for their favourite project on the same website. During an awards ceremony at the end of the contest, the projects of four start-ups will be chosen to receive cash prizes of EUR 25,000, 15,000, 10,000, with 5,000 going to the winner of a new addition to the Prize, the Special Cultural Content Award. The top 10 finalists and the “Entrepreneur Club’s Choice” awardee will also receive business consultancy support from the Grow Movement NGO for six months. The Prize comes directly in line with Orange Jordan’s strategy Essentials 2020 and its updated corporate social responsibility plan which aim to capitalize on the talents of members of the community, specifically supporting entrepreneurs by offering them training programs, financial support, and expertise in the field to grow their ideas into reality.