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Royal Commission for AlUla highlights unique formula for SME growth as Global Entrepreneurship Congress begins in Riyadh

The RCU model integrates economic, social and natural sustainability to create powerful and lasting growth powered by a community of SMEs Amr AlMadani, the RCU CEO, discusses ‘tourism at a tipping point’ during a fireside chat at Global Entrepreneurship Congress 2022 Scene then shifts to AlUla to share insights with emerging entrepreneurs RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, March 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — As delegates from around the world gather for the Global Entrepreneurship Congress 2022 in Riyadh, the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) is highlighting its unique approach to SME growth which places an emphasis on integrated sustainability.
RCU is active in this week’s congress as the event’s official knowledge and programming partner. Further the RCU CEO, Amr AlMadani, led a fireside chat at the congress this afternoon on ‘Tourism at a tipping point’.
Next, RCU will localise insights from the congress with an event in AlUla on Thursday, March 31 to discuss challenges and opportunities for the region’s SMEs on the path to sustainable and inclusive growth.
RCU is organising the AlUla event in conjunction with Monsha’at, the Small and Medium Enterprises General Authority for KSA. The event will include panel discussions on creating a sustainable, inclusive and entrepreneurship-powered local economy; and on establishing future-proofed start-up ecosystems for ambitious growth. The event will also feature case studies, and presentations from AlUla entrepreneurs.
Mr. AlMadani noted: “SME development is central to Vision 2030. RCU is committed to regenerating AlUla around the success of SMEs and MSMEs to create a destination completely rooted in the local culture and community. We believe our formula for integrating natural, economic and social sustainability in our activities will create powerful and lasting growth for AlUla’s SMEs. We are nourishing the soil where the seeds of entrepreneurs’ ideas can thrive. As this garden grows it will create value for our community and visitors.”
A strong example of the work being done in AlUla is Vibes AlUla, an entrepreneurship platform created in partnership with the Royal Commission for AlUla. The goal of the space is to activate and enable AlUla’s entrepreneurial ecosystem through the provision of shared mentorship, programmes, services and office spaces. The SME hub has been used to train around 80 budding entrepreneurs in a range of first-step business principles and a further 60 micro and small businesses.
Of these 60, 15 have undergone deep-dive support as they evolve into newly strengthened businesses. In the past three months these businesses have created 15 new jobs, started receiving investment and developed more than 15 partnership agreements from event management services to honey production. Throughout the coming 18 months the throughput of “initiation” individuals will be around 700 people. A further 45 business will also be uplifted in terms of business skills. The Hub represents a unique launch pad for new businesses into an economy that will be both transformative and responsive to the demands of other businesses directly supporting the tourist industry and locals alike.
The pillars of RCU’s plan for the SME sector are:
1. Promote indigenous growth
SMEs and MSMEs in AlUla harness local talent, natural resources and the cultural landscape. Opportunities span moringa oil production; date and citrus farming; handicrafts, arts and culture; culinary, hospitality and tourism services; and history and heritage.  RCU is developing grassroots businesses to create broad economic change. By leveraging natural assets and strengths, we create a self-sustaining economic ecosystem. 2. Build capacity and capabilities
RCU initiatives enable SMEs to upskill talent, broaden reach and diversify offerings: Vibes AlUla is a one-stop shop for SMEs to train, set up and develop. Vibes kicked off the first cohort of the AlUla SME Enablement Programme — as of March 2022 it enabled creation of 14 SMEs. The AlUla Languages Centre offers the opportunity to learn new languages and reach new markets. Scholarship and Hammayah programmes offer avenues for growth. 3. Open a gateway to opportunity
By enriching the SME ecosystem, RCU encourages young people with energy and ambition to set down roots in AlUla by launching SMEs and contributing to the national agenda. Economic sustainability echoes RCU’s goals of natural and social sustainability. As sustainability requires monitoring, RCU will track SME health as part of a new Destination Performance Index. Reflecting RCU’s worldly outlook, this strategy is informed by SME success in Jordan and India and ideas of economists such as Michael Porter on the value chain.Already the first shoots of SME growth at AlUla are emerging as a result of RCU-led efforts. This rising community of new SMEs includes a tour-guide service for stargazing, a family-owned farm planting trees and harvesting fruits, a honey harvester, a marketplace for beauty products, a natural-soap retailer, an events manager, a short-term apartment rental service and a home bakery selling online.
Mr. AlMadani observed: “Integrated sustainability means not only integrating the economy with nature and society but also integrating the past with the present, the present with the future, and technology with culture. Our ancestors were entrepreneurial. To survive in a harsh environment they made clever use of the materials at hand. They wove and embroidered with silk and metal thread, farmed dates and gathered hay, worked as metal smiths, and ran coffee houses. Think of how much we can achieve today if we apply this heritage of initiative and perseverance in a modern AlUla fully connected to the wider world and all its possibilities.”
Mr. AlMadani has a strong background in entrepreneurship, having been an entrepreneur himself as co-founder of National TalentS Company. From 2007 to 2017 he helped guide the company as it nurtured grassroots social and economic development by establishing STEM and giftedness projects and programmes, including the first ‎International Science & Engineering Fair-affiliated local science fair programme in Saudi Arabia.
About the Royal Commission for AlUla
The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) was established by royal decree in July 2017 to preserve and develop AlUla, a region of outstanding natural and cultural significance in north-west Saudi Arabia. RCU’s long-term plan outlines a responsible, sustainable, and sensitive approach to urban and economic development that preserves the area’s natural and historic heritage while establishing AlUla as a desirable location to live, work, and visit. This encompasses a broad range of initiatives across archaeology, tourism, culture, education, and the arts, reflecting a commitment to meeting the economic diversification, local community empowerment, and heritage preservation priorities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 programme.
Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1775087/Amr_AlMadani.jpg
Contact: jinith.joy@hkstrategies.com, +971528527285

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Harper Collins Publishers India is Delighted to Announce the Recent Publication of ‘People We Love’ by Preeti Shenoy

NEW DELHI, June 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — HarperCollins Publishers India is delighted to share the recent publication of People We Love by bestselling author Preeti Shenoy. At once tender and sharp, this collection of stories offers intimate, truthful and relatable portraits of the people we cherish, the ones we lose, and the people we become.

ABOUT THE BOOKThe people we love never truly leave our story…In these tender yet piercing stories, Preeti Shenoy returns to some of her most beloved characters to reveal who they were before they appeared in her bestselling novels It’s All in the Planets and The One You Cannot Have.Aniket, a coder, carries the weight of a longing for Trisha that he cannot bring himself to act on. Nidhi abandons her corporate life to teach pottery, only to discover that clay is far more forgiving than the people she loves. A quiz competition sparks an unlikely romance between Aman and Shruti, one that must withstand parental disapproval and class divides. And Anjali, a journalist, is so busy chasing stories that she almost misses the one unfolding in her own life.Set against the pulse of contemporary India, People We Love explores the tug-of-war between duty and desire, family and freedom, who we are and who we dare to be. Intimate and deeply felt, these are stories about love that stays, leaves and almost slips away … love that quietly and irrevocably shapes the people we become.Preeti Shenoy, author, says, “People We Love is a collection of three long stories, prequels to my bestsellers It’s All in the Planets and The One You Cannot Have. If you have read those books, you already know how these characters’ stories unfold. But what you don’t know yet is where it all began, the loves they carried, the choices they made, and the people they were before life shaped them into who you met on those pages. Writing these prequels felt like returning to a home I hadn’t realised I missed, and discovering rooms I had never been in before.”Rashmi Menon, Associate Publisher – HarperCollins India, adds, “Preeti Shenoy has an extraordinary gift for finding the heartbeat of ordinary lives. People We Love is a warm, wise and deeply humane collection of short stories that reunites readers with favourite characters from her bestselling novels It’s All in the Planets and The One You Cannot Have, weaving them into fresh, deeply satisfying narratives. These characters feel like people you know, and their journeys will move, comfort and surprise you. This uplifting, thought–provoking collection reminds us why we turn to stories in the first place. We couldn’t be more excited to share it with our readers.”ABOUT THE AUTHOR Preeti Shenoy is among the highest-selling authors in India. She was featured on the Forbes longlist of the most influential celebrities in India. Her books include When Love Came Calling, Wake Up Life, Is Calling, Life Is What You Make It, The Rule Breakers, A Hundred Little Flames, It’s All in the Planets, Why We Love the Way We Do, The Secret Wish List, The One You Cannot Have and many others. Her work has been translated into many Indian languages. Preeti is also a motivational speaker, an avid fitness enthusiast, and an artist specializing in portraiture and illustrated journalling. Preeti lives in Bengaluru, Karnataka.ABOUT HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS INDIAAt HarperCollins Publishers India, we believe in telling the best stories and ensuring they reach the widest readership. We publish around 250 new books every year across 10 imprints, adding to a diverse catalogue of more than 3,000 titles in print and digital formats, with an array of genres and voices that ensure there is a book for every reader. Our authors have won some of the most prestigious literary awards, and we are proud to publish many acclaimed writers, alongside new and emerging voices shaping contemporary literature. We are also the publishers of The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga, winner of the Booker Prize 2008, and Girl in White Cotton by Avni Doshi, shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2020, and HarperCollins India itself has been awarded “Publisher of the Year” several times. In addition, we represent some of the finest global publishers such as Harvard University Press, Lonely Planet, Oneworld, Nosy Crow, Usborne, and National Geographic Children, bringing Indian readers access to world-class books and ideas. We are also proud to be certified as a Great Place to Work for two consecutive years, a recognition of our culture, people, and values that make HarperCollins India a truly inspiring workplace. PRESS CONTACT:Nandini Tripathi, Manager – Marketing (Commercial)Email: nandini.tripathi@harpercollins.co.in | Mobile: +91 9718928839Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2997583/HarperCollins_People_We_Love.jpgLogo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2105077/4665143/HarperCollins_Logo.jpg 

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Fulfilling PM Modi’s Dream of Atmanirbhar Bharat: India’s AI Writing Startup Kreativespace Incubated at IIT Kharagpur

Kreativespace, an Indian AI-powered writing platform founded by Vinet Kakadea, has been incubated at IIT Kharagpur and recognized by SVNIT University, Ministry of Education under Bodhan AI Conclave also through the NVIDIA Inception Program, AWS Startup Program, and DPIIT under Startup India.The platform unifies 8 AI-powered writing tools, along with AI Humanizer and Message AI feature being the latest addition into a single ecosystem, so you can generate and refine content all in one place.The company reports more than 50,000+ signed-up users, 75,000+ anonymous users, and roughly 100,000 monthly website visitors, positioning itself as the only Indian company operating at scale in the global AI writing market.SURAT, India, June 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Kreativespace, an AI-powered writing platform, is building out its position as the only homegrown alternative in a market long dominated by international tools such as Grammarly and QuillBot. Founded by Vinet Kakadea and incubated at IIT Kharagpur, the company has aligned its growth with the broader push behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self-Reliant India) initiative, which encourages indigenous technology development capable of competing on a global scale.

As AI adoption accelerates across India’s education, research, and enterprise sectors, Kreativespace is among a small group of Indian startups building writing technology designed to compete directly with established international platforms.Kreativespace’s progress has been recognized by several institutions central to India’s startup and technology ecosystem. The company has been incubated at IIT Kharagpur, selected under SSIP 2.0 through SVNIT University, and chosen by the Ministry of Education to present its work at the Bodhan AI Conclave. It has also been accepted into the NVIDIA Inception Program and the AWS Startup Program, and holds DPIIT recognition under the Startup India initiative.Where many writing-tool users rely on separate subscriptions for content generation to refinement for grammar correction, paraphrasing, plagiarism checking, citation generation, and editing, Kreativespace brings these functions into a single platform as a super-app for AI writing tools. The company says its approach centers on affordability and accessibility alongside performance, aiming to make advanced AI writing assistance available to a wider range of users regardless of geography or budget.The idea for Kreativespace took shape while founder Vinet Kakadea was studying at New York University and Marymount University in the United States, where he experienced firsthand how students, researchers, and professionals often need multiple paid subscriptions to cover writing-related tasks. That fragmented experience led him to build a super-app offering each of these capabilities together, at a more accessible price point.Kreativespace combines 8 AI-powered writing tools with AI Humanizer and Message AI feature being the latest addition, allowing users to generate, rewrite, refine, and humanize content without moving between separate platforms. The product is available via web platform, mobile apps on the App Store and Google Play, browser extensions for Chrome, Mozilla, and Edge, and a Google Docs add-on.Vinet Kakadea, Founder of Kreativespace, said, “Kreativespace’s vision is to digitalize the entire Indian education ecosystem to support PM Modi’s Atmanirbhar Bharat scheme.”About KreativespaceKreativespace with the Motto of Making Writing Accessible for Everyone: Kreativespace is an AI-powered writing platform built to make AI writing tools accessible, affordable, and effective for students, researchers, educators, professionals, content creators, startups, and enterprises. Founded by Vinet Kakadea, the company is incubated at IIT Kharagpur and has been recognized by AWS Startup Program, the NVIDIA Inception Program, and DPIIT under Startup India. For more information, visit kreativespace.com.

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Times of India Launches Inaugural ‘TOI AI Quotient Awards’ to Celebrate Pioneers in AI Innovation

In collaboration with Knowledge Partner Adrosonic, the premier nomination-led platform will honor excellence, scalability, and measurable impact across India’s AI ecosystem. NEW DELHI, June 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Times of India has announced the launch of the inaugural edition of the TOI AI Quotient Awards—India’s most credible, nomination-led recognition platform celebrating excellence in artificial intelligence adoption, innovation, and impact.

Organized in collaboration with Adrosonic as the official Knowledge Partner, the awards will bring together pioneering enterprises, technology leaders, startups, innovators, and institutions that are harnessing the power of AI to drive business transformation, optimize decision-making, and enhance customer experiences.As AI becomes a core driver of competitiveness and productivity, this initiative marks the beginning of a prestigious annual celebration. The awards aim to spotlight those leveraging AI to solve complex challenges, unlock new opportunities, and deliver meaningful, scalable outcomes across sectors.Leadership Insights”The conversation around AI has rapidly moved from experimentation to execution. For modern brands, a high AI Quotient is now a boardroom priority. The TOI AI Quotient Awards will serve as India’s most credible validation platform, spotlighting the enterprises that are successfully navigating this transition to drive real business outcomes and stronger governance. We look forward to uncovering the incredible stories of human-machine collaboration that are redefining the future of Indian industry.” — Prasad Sanyal, Group Business Head – TOI, IndiaTimes, WhatsHot”AI will not replace human intelligence, it will amplify it. The organisations that succeed with AI will be those that combine technology with human judgement, domain expertise and a clear focus on business outcomes. The true measure of AI success is not how much AI is deployed, but how effectively it improves decision making and delivers measurable value. Achieving this requires clear objectives, strong governance and responsible guardrails. The TOI AI Quotient Awards celebrate organisations turning AI potential into meaningful business impact.” — Mayank, Founder & CEO, AdrosonicAward Tracks & CategoriesThe initiative features 25+ awards distributed across 4 distinct tracks: Industry, Functional AI, Maturity-based, and Special Jury Awards. Key categories include:Sector Excellence: BFSI, Retail & Commerce, Healthcare & Wellness, Travel & Hospitality, Media & Content.Functional & Strategic AI: Customer Experience, HR & Talent, Risk & Compliance.Enterprise & Impact: Social Impact, Women in AI, Legacy to AI Transformation, and Native Enterprise.To ensure absolute credibility, the evaluation matrix leverages Adrosonic’s deep technical consulting frameworks for an objective initial screening. Following a preliminary audit by the expert TOI Editorial Board, the final winners will be selected by an esteemed, independent jury comprising leading AI experts, technology pioneers, industry veterans, and business visionaries.Why Nominate Your Organization?The TOI AI Quotient Awards offer more than just recognition—they provide a premier platform for national visibility and industry-wide alignment:National Recognition: Showcase your AI-led innovations and business impact before a distinguished audience of industry leaders and decision-makers.Credible Validation: Gain elite positioning backed by TOI’s powerful media reach and Adrosonic’s technical validation frameworks.Industry Benchmarking: Measure your achievements against the rapidly evolving AI ecosystem to strengthen your market leadership.How to ParticipateIs your organization setting new benchmarks in AI adoption and implementation? Do you know an enterprise driving measurable transformation through artificial intelligence?Nominate your organization or a deserving industry leader today to secure your place among India’s most forward-thinking, AI-driven enterprises.Learn more and submit your nomination here: toievents.indiatimes.com/ai-quotient-awards 

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