BETHLEHEM, April 14, 2016 (WAFA) - U.S. Consul General Donald Blome and officials from partnering Bethlehem University and Bank of Palestine officially launched the Bethlehem Business Incubator on Wednesday in Bethlehem, said the Consulate General of the United States in a press release.

The Consulate said the Bethlehem Business Incubator (BBI), an innovative hub and physical space to incubate, mentor, and support Palestinian entrepreneurs, students, and faculty, was  part of a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of State’s Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI). 

The incubator will be housed within Bank of Palestine office space in Bethlehem and it would support the start-up of West Bank small businesses by providing the resources, office space, and logistical support needed to scale up quickly into profitable ventures. 

The program, under the title of Building Entrepreneurship Excellence and Developing Economic Enterprises will not only directly contribute to the success of Palestinian small businesses with special attention to women and youth-run ventures, it will support Bethlehem University in the development of an entrepreneurship curriculum, investing in future generation of Palestinian innovators and creating an entrepreneurship “center of excellence”. 

At the inauguration event,  Blome said, “Did you know that the majority of Palestinians working in the West Bank and Gaza work in small- and medium-size enterprises?  They work in the family business or store.  They’re professionals and entrepreneurs. Just imagine what they could accomplish if they had access to the same resources as their peers in New York or Silicon Valley.  Today’s inauguration is a step in that direction.” 

K.F.