Saudi Arabian women will learn how to become entrepreneurs with the help of an educational program from the Tippie College of Business that will also connect them with mentors throughout the state.

 The college’s Institute for International Business (IIB) has received a $123,000 State Department grant through the U.S. Consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to provide entrepreneurial education to women in the western part of Saudi Arabia.

The women will participate in Venture School International, an entrepreneurial educational program that guides students through the startup process by teaching them how to identify a market need and build a business to meet it. The university is partnering with the nonprofit Education for Employment (EFE) to teach the Venture School International training, which will be complemented by contacts with local financing organizations, government officials, and business support services.

Iowa women entrepreneurs also will work with the Saudi women as mentors, providing support and encouragement while serving as role models. The mentors will be recruited from the institute’s existing networks of women entrepreneurs in Iowa.

More information is available at https://www.iowajpec.org/news/university-iowa-efe-will-train-saudi-women-entrepreneurship.