Deloitte DASI Program invites Middle East SME social innovators to win $100K in advisory services

13 March, 2018 — Deloitte launched the Deloitte Accelerator for Social Innovation (DASI) program in the Middle East, which provides social enterprises in the region with an opportunity to grow and scale their impact.

DASI aims to help address the region’s challenges by empowering and supporting small and medium social enterprises - companies or NGO’s that operate with a social or environmental purpose, while having a viable business model and sustainable revenue stream.

DASI’s components include a regional competition across 14 countries in the Middle East to identify two winning innovative social enterprises that will receive customized Deloitte support packs of advisory services, mentorship, networking opportunities, and skills-development valued at over US$ 100,000.

Criteria include scalability, economic viability, sound business strategies and plans as well as inclusion and diversity in ownership and management teams. The program supports gender parity by encouraging social enterprises fully or partially owned by women to apply.

Commenting on the launch, Omar Fahoum, Deloitte Middle East Chief Executive said, “DASI aims to help address some of the Middle East region’s most pressing social and environmental challenges by helping accelerate the power of social enterprises. DASI is an exemplification of Deloitte’s corporate responsibility, where we aim to positively impact the greatest number of people in the Middle East communities through our core expertise and our global Deloitte WorldClass initiative that aims to empower 50 million futures by 2030”.

“It is evident to us that support for social enterprises in the Middle East is still embryonic, limited to incubation initiatives that are short-term in nature, and targeting social enterprises that are still at the idea stage,” said Rana Ghandour Salhab, Deloitte Middle East Talent and Communications partner. “Our current community programs have for years been effective in reaching thousands of youth and women under employability and leadership skills building. We are now pleased to add DASI, a tailored program for innovative social enterprises that are at the early growth level and in need of longer-term acceleration and support programs that will allow them to scale their impact.”

Two DASI winners will be selected to receive customized pro bono advisory services from Deloitte. They will also be matched with a mentor to provide support during the acceleration period, gain access to networking opportunities, and receive exposure opportunities. DASI collaborating organizations are “Ashoka Arab World” and “Communication Design”.

Ashoka is the largest network of social entrepreneurs in the world and has provided stipends, professional support services, and connections to a global network for more than 3,000 leading social entrepreneurs - elected as Ashoka Fellows - in over 90 countries. Ashoka Arab World has pioneered and been the platform for social entrepreneurship across the Middle East and North Africa, identifying and electing more than 100 of the region’s leading social entrepreneurs across 12 countries, uniting them into a dynamic community and working with them to build a vibrant ecosystem.

Communication Design is a multi-disciplinary design firm that offers an array of services in the Middle East ranging from complete corporate communication, to brand identity systems, retail, print and digital design.

For more information, kindly refer to www.deloitte.com/dasi.

About Deloitte:

Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee (“DTTL”), its network of member firms, and their related entities. DTTL and each of its member firms and their related entities are legally separate and independent entities. DTTL (also referred to as “Deloitte Global”) does not provide services to clients. Please see www.deloitte.com/about to learn more about our global network of member firms.

Deloitte provides audit, consulting, financial advisory, risk advisory, tax and related services to public and private clients spanning multiple industries. Deloitte serves four out of five Fortune Global 500® companies through a globally connected network of member firms in more than 150 countries and territories bringing world-class capabilities, insights, and high- quality service to address clients’ most complex business challenges. To learn more about how Deloitte’s approximately 245,000 professionals make an impact that matters, please connect with us on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter.

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About Deloitte & Touche (M.E.):

Deloitte & Touche (M.E.) is a member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (DTTL) and is a leading professional services firm established in the Middle East region with uninterrupted presence since 1926. DTME’s presence in the Middle East region is established through its affiliated independent legal entities, which are licensed to operate and to provide services under the applicable laws and regulations of the relevant country. DTME’s affiliates and related entities cannot oblige each other and/or DTME, and when providing services, each affiliate and related entity engages directly and independently with its own clients and shall only be liable only for its own acts or omissions and not those of any other affiliate.

Deloitte provides audit, tax, consulting, financial advisory and risk advisory services through 25 offices in 14 countries with more than 3,300 partners, directors and staff. It is a Tier 1 Tax advisor in the GCC region since 2010 (according to the International Tax Review World Tax Rankings). It has also received numerous awards in the last few years, which include best Advisory and Consultancy Firm of the Year 2016 in the CFO Middle East awards, best employer in the Middle East, the Middle East Training & Development Excellence Award by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), as well as the best CSR integrated organization.

The information contained in this press release is correct at the time of going to press.

About Deloitte Accelerator for Social Innovation (DASI):

DASI is a Deloitte Middle East Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability (CR&S) program that aims to help address our region's social challenges by empowering and supporting small and medium sized social enterprises to grow and scale their impact. Social enterprises are companies or NGO's that operate with a social or environmental purpose, while having a viable business model and sustainable revenue stream.

DASI's components include a regional competition across 14 countries in the Middle East to identify two winning innovative social enterprises that will receive customized Deloitte support packs of advisory services, mentorship, networking opportunities, and skills-development valued at over US$ 100,000. The program supports gender parity by encouraging social enterprises fully or partially owned by women to apply.

About Ashoka

Ashoka is the largest network of social entrepreneurs in the world. Since its founding more than 30 years ago, Ashoka has provided stipends, professional support services, and connections to a global network for more than 3,000 leading social entrepreneurs - elected as Ashoka Fellows - in over 90 countries. Since its inception in 2003 and from its offices in Cairo, Ashoka Arab World has pioneered and been the platform for social entrepreneurship across the Middle East and North Africa, identifying and electing more than 100 of the region’s leading social entrepreneurs across 12 countries. Not satisfied to merely find, elect and support social entrepreneurs, Ashoka Arab World unites the Fellows into a dynamic community and works to build a vibrant ecosystem that fosters and furthers entrepreneurship, empathy, and the change-making skills necessary in today’s global economy and facing today’s most pressing social challenges.

About Communication Design

Communication Design is a multi-disciplinary design firm based in Beirut with client reach across the Middle East. Offering an array of services ranging from complete corporate communication, brand identity systems, retail, print and digital design, in addition to film and animation across multiple industries including financial services, automotive, fashion, real estate, F&B, education, consulting, logistics, and telecommunications. The firm’s work has been recognized with several prestigious accolades from across the globe, including the Red Dot Design Award (2014, 2018), the Certificate of Typographic Excellence by the Type Directors Club in NYC, the German Design Award (2016, 2018), and the Graphis International Design Award.