ISTT Holds the 14th National Sheikh Bahai Technopreneurship Festival

Having successfully concluded the 35^th IASP world conference at Isfahan’s Abbasi Hotel in Sep. 2018, Isfahan Science and Technology Town (ISTT) also embarked on holding its National Sheikh Bahai Techopreneurship Festival on the 27^th and 28^th of December, 2018. This national event is annually held to identify the country’s unknown entrepreneurial and innovative minds working in different fields of science and technology and to introduce them to eager investors looking for a new project to back. This festival was the 14^th festival held in Isfahan by ISTT which incorporated two main segments; a Competitive and a Non- Competitive section.

The competitive section of the 14^th Sheikh Bahai festival included 3 different competitions for Young Technopreneurs, Business Planners and Investment opportunities. Out of the 100 plans received from the first two competitive sections, Young Technopreneurs and Business Planners, a total of 9 and 6 different awards were respectively handed out during the closing ceremony of the festival. An award was also given to the winner of the Investment Opportunity section and also in memory of the Late Dr. Zeinoddin, former president of ISTT. This latter award was given to a novel plan that had the potential to be commercialized and to turn into a separate industry on its own.

The non-competitive section incorporated a special exhibition section dedicated to showcasing the products and services of knowledge-based companies and institutions active in the knowledge ecosystem of Iran and a B2B negotiation section for investors and developers of new and innovative business plans to sit down and exchange information. During the last day of the festival approximately 200 face to face negotiations took place between investors and technopreneurs.

This festival also incorporated a new segment for the first time dedicated to the sharing of knowledge and experience of activity in international markets. For this reason 13 different Iranian entrepreneurs working in different international markets shared their respective experiences on their road to success.

ISTT will be holding the 15^th National Sheikh Bahai Techopreneurship Festival in 2019 and is pleased to announce that during the next Sheikh Bahai Festival a NEW AWARD will be handed out by the Secretariat of SHTF and representatives of UNICEF Iran to the best original plan that enhances the wellbeing of the children of Iran.

Further information about the 15^th National Sheikh Bahai Technopreneurship Festival will be available shortly on the festivals website at SHTF.