Professor Les Charm facilitates the LeanScaleup Programme designed to provide proven strategies and processes to selected young companies to accelerate their growth and profitability.

The Qatar Business Incubation Centre (QBIC), founded by Qatar Development Bank (QDB) and Social Development Centre (SDC), has recently kicked-off its first LeanScaleup Programme.
Fourteen small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) participated in the four-day entrepreneurial programme that will help QBIC achieve its mission of developing “the next QR100mn companies in Qatar.”
The LeanScaleup Programme was designed to provide proven strategies and processes to selected young companies to accelerate their growth and profitability.
QBIC plays a central role in developing existing small business in Qatar by offering key support and services such as accessing the marketplace, human capital, funding and finance, and mentoring and coaching.
QDB chief executive officer Abdulaziz bin Nasser al-Khalifa, who is also QBIC chairman, said: “The LeanScaleup Programme gave entrepreneurs of existing businesses the chance to get expert advice and support they need to accelerate their growth and become a key competitive player in their respective industry.”
He added: “By providing all means of support and unifying our efforts to help Qatari entrepreneurs, we would be fulfilling our duties in developing the SME sector.”    
QBIC chief executive officer Aysha al-Mudahka said: “Our LeanScaleup Programme is unique because it offers Qatari businessmen and women companies that have a high potential for growth access to all the support they need to foster their businesses in a supportive and nourishing environment.”
Senior lecturer in entrepreneurship Professor Les Charm of highly-ranked American entrepreneurship college, Babson College, led the participants on a wide range of business lessons, including how to generate successful business models, apply sales and marketing to businesses, and manage and apply financial statements.
LeanScaleup participant Kholoud al-Ali, the founder of Blue Penguin Animation, said: “The programme was very useful in training me on how to market my company to potential clients, and how to be ready for any questions that a client might have regarding my services, products, and offers.”
Al-Ali said Blue Penguin Animation is a startup graphics production company that provides animation, design, script writing, and producing services.
QBIC will also hold a three-day follow-up session in January 2016 to evaluate the results of the LeanScaleup Programme and assess the progress achieved by participating entrepreneurs.