Qatar's ALF Foundation Launches Entrepreneurship Center At Driehaus College of Business in Chicago A new center to foster entrepreneurship through exchange programs has been established at DePaul University's Driehaus College of Business in Chicago by the Qatar-based Al Faisal Without Borders Foundation.

By Aby Sam Thomas

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ALF Foundation
H.E. Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani, ALF Chairman speaks at the launch of the Sheikh Faisal Center for Entrepreneurship in the Middle East at DePaul University Chicago.

A new center to foster entrepreneurship through exchange programs has been established at DePaul University's Driehaus College of Business in Chicago by the Qatar-based Al Faisal Without Borders Foundation (ALF).

The newly formed center, which will be called the Sheikh Faisal Centre for Entrepreneurship in the Middle East, will allow DePaul University students to study abroad in Qatar, while also giving Qatari students the chance to go to Chicago each summer and work with the business college's faculty and alumni.

From left to right: At the launch of The Sheikh Faisal Center for Entrepreneurship in the Middle East at DePaul University in Chicago: Abdullatif Al-Yafei, General Manager, ALF; HE Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani, Chairman, ALF; Patricia Donoghue, Interim President, DePaul University Chicago; Tarek El Sayed, Group Chief Financial Officer, Al Faisal Holding and Managing Director of Aamal QSC; and Ali Mare, Executive Director, ALF. Image credit: ALF Foundation.

In addition, the center also plans to host an annual business conference in Chicago as well as a competition in Qatar for emerging entrepreneurs in the nation. The Sheikh Faisal Centre will also facilitate a Young Entrepreneur Academy to develop new generations of Qatari and American entrepreneurs.

Commenting on the new initiative, H.E. Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al-Thani, Chairman, ALF, said, "Al Faisal Without Borders Foundation is a strong supporter of Qatar's vision and this agreement will help to accelerate knowledge transfer, which is very important for success in business."

"With a booming economy and excellent educational system, we are sure that this center will foster the entrepreneurial spirit and help to fuel Qatar's thriving economy," he added.

Aby Sam Thomas

Entrepreneur Staff

Former Editor in Chief of Entrepreneur Middle East

Aby Sam Thomas is the former Editor in Chief of Entrepreneur Middle East. Having started working on the brand in November 2014, Aby was responsible for leading the publication on its editorial front until September 2024.

In his nearly-decade-long tenure at Entrepreneur Middle East, Aby played a key role in its growth and development across the MENA region, with him developing and executing events, programs, and other initiatives under the brand's banner, while also personally representing it through his appearances in conferences, media, etc.

Aby has been working in journalism since 2011, prior to which he was an analyst programmer with Accenture, where he worked with J. P. Morgan Chase's investment banking arm at offices in Mumbai, London, and New York. He holds a Master's Degree in Journalism from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York.  

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