From Entrepreneur to Citizen Ambassador

NEW YORK, Oct. 7, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Twenty young female American and Jordanian entrepreneurs have been selected to participate in a week-long cultural exchange and fellowship in Amman, Jordan through a not-for-profit partnership between Open Hands Initiative and the Women First Enterprise (WFE), a branch of the Angel Resource Institute (ARI).

"Not only will this fellowship provide the highest caliber of entrepreneurial training to these aspiring startup founders, but it will also, most importantly, create bridges and new linkages that bond these young leaders together as colleagues and as friends for years to come," said Jay T. Snyder, Founder and Chairman of Open Hands Initiative.

Susan Preston, general partner for the CalCEF Clean Energy Fund and the Chair of WFE and ARI, said of the women entrepreneurs, "We are delighted to partner with Open Hands Initiative and embark together on this exchange with such bright, motivated and accomplished women entrepreneurs."

The partners are proud and excited to congratulate these outstanding finalists:

• Rahmeh Abu Shweimeh - SheCab
• Malak Jehad Al Aiekly - Golden Wheat for Grain Trading, Ltd.
• Anwaar Al Zireeni - Privail
• Afnan  Ali – Eureka: The Innovator's Factory
• Yara Alkhader - SA3ED.ME
• Jessie Becker - InPress Technologies
• Lisa Curtis - Kuli Kuli Foods
• Rola Fayyad - MICEit
• Evanna Hu - Project IO
• Dana Khatib - Insight Marketing and Promotion
• Meghan Lazier - Say No More
• Joy McBrien - Fair Anita
• Sima Najjar - Ekeif
• Tala Nassraween – Solar PiezoClean
• Tara Reed - Kollecto
• Sondos Samara – SanadayME
• Charvi Shetty - KNOX Medical Diagnostics
• Alaa Suleiman - Masmoo3
• Adrienne Yandell – Work4Good
• Carolyn Yarina - Sisu Global Health

Renowned American businesswomen and experts in entrepreneurship, Susan Preston and Gwen Edwards, will serve as the Fellowship's primary instructors. In addition, Open Hands Initiative is proud to partner with Oasis500, a leading early stage and seed investment company, incubator and accelerator based in Amman, Jordan.  

In the spirit of people-to-people diplomacy, these team instructors, along with leading Jordanian counterparts, will together facilitate comprehensive sessions in business development through collaboration, teamwork and intensive practical and theoretical training.

Zain, a leading mobile telecommunications company in the MENA region, will support the fellowship and its founders by generously hosting the program's Demo Day and pitch competition at their ZINC Innovation Campus in Amman, Jordan.

The Open Hands Initiative is in its fifth year sponsoring international people-to-people exchanges with the mission of increasing respect and understanding between the people of the United States and the world. For more information about the "Fellowship for Young Women Entrepreneurs", the participants, and the mission of Open Hands Initiative and its partners, please visit www.openhandsinitiative.org.

CONTACT: Tara Trombetta, 1-917-544-7260, [email protected]

SOURCE Open Hands Initiative

Related Links

http://www.openhandsinitiative.org