The Oasis 500 is the MENA region’s premier education and counselor driven seed investment program. Set in Jordan, we concentrate on accelerating the transformation of information & communications technology (ICT), mobile and digital media ventures in our corner of the world. Our candidates and their ideas will embody and embolden a movement that will stir up a new breed of entrepreneur in the Arab world. Why “Oasis 500”? Our part of the world has always been a hot-bed for great ideas and determined dreamers, but what comes after the idea? The word “Oasis” addresses a serious gap in the region; the lack of seed and early stage funding for technology ventures. As an entrepreneur who decides to pursue a new business idea, you may be able to start off by borrowing money from family and friends. That will take you a few steps forward if you use it wisely, but once you really need to grow you enter the “funding desert”. It’s a dark and scary place where virtually no funding mechanisms are available until your company matures and has real revenues, a big business, and a solid track record. Our program is jumping in to build that special bridge that will keep you afloat as you sail across that desert between major funding milestones – we teach you all the tricks along the way too! You get all the seed, early-stage, and follow-on funding that you need. The “500” represents our grand goal of funding five-hundred ideas by the year 2015. Any one of these ideas can become a regional or international powerhouse; you can be the next big thing ! How do we help you “Cross the Desert”? Receive up to 10,000 JOD in funding for the first round, up to 50,000 JOD in the second & the chance to pitch to some of the best angel investors in the industry for even more cash: We give you much more than just money! Attaining funding from the Oasis 500 program will become your project’s stamp of approval for the future as your concepts and business models will be screened and put to the test by industry experts. You will be recognized! You are free to spend the amount on anything related to the business. No strings attached – you can even give yourself a salary or hire a team! Up to 6 Months of incubation at the new King Hussein Business Park (KHBP) in Amman, Jordan: Take full advantage of all the facilities and bring your ideas to life in a focused and tech oriented environment side-by-side with all the big industry players. Receive special tax exemptions! The KHBP is an economic free-zone! That means that you can make the most the funding you receive and not have to work regionally and abroad.