Riyadh – Exclusive Sharikat Mubasher: Mahmoud Hussein, Founder and CEO of Farid Academy, expressed his appreciation for the extensive support provided by Monsha’at in helping the platform establish its presence in Saudi Arabia.
In an interview with Sharikat Mubasher during Biban 2025, he revealed that the collaboration began in 2024 when Monsha’at facilitated a meeting with the Ministry of Investment to discuss business facilitations relevant to their field.
Hussein explained that the platform’s entry into the Saudi market started with a workshop organized by Monsha’at, which embraced the idea and helped Farid Academy secure an entrepreneurial license from the Ministry of Investment.
Founded in 2017, Farid Academy was created to bridge what Hussein described as a “major gap” in Arab education systems. While around 178 million children and adolescents in the Arab world receive formal education, he noted that most lack psychological support and personality development, while traditional curricula fail to cover those areas.
Farid Academy is the first Arabic platform dedicated to children’s mental well-being and future skills development. It empowers families, schools, and governments by offering access to qualified trainers that families can select based on their child’s needs, with training programs lasting from one month to a full year.
Hussein emphasized that providing safe platforms for children to express themselves and receive guidance has become essential amid the overwhelming flow of digital content influencing young minds. He called for building strong foundations to nurture a psychologically balanced generation capable of communication and ready for the digital future.
Organized by Monsha’at, Biban 2025 took place from 5 to 8 November in Riyadh with the theme ‘A Global Destination for Opportunities,’ bringing together startup founders, investors, global CEOs, policymakers, and thought leaders.
The forum welcomed over 200 local and global speakers and 1,000 exhibitors from 150 coun-tries with the aim of sparking strategic partnerships, unveiling new agreements, and creating financing, training, and advisory solutions to accelerate the growth of startups and SMEs.