The 7th MIT Enterprise Forum (MITEF) Arab Startup Competition launched in partnership with Abdul Latif Jameel Community Initiatives has now been receiving applications at www.mitarabcompetition.com for three tracks — ideas, startups and global.

The submissions follow a rolling process that closes at the selection of 50 semifinalist teams.

The final award ceremony will be held in Egypt in April 2014, where the entrepreneurial ecosystem has been witnessing a significant boom on the startups and innovation scene. Fifty Arab entrepreneurs from the ideas and startups tracks will fly to Cairo for a two-day intensive workshop that will help them perfect their pitch and business model prior to announcing the winners at the closing ceremony.

“Besides the hands-on training by top entrepreneurs, the event in Egypt is about providing our entrepreneurs with visibility, connecting them with the regional ecosystem, and opening doors for them,” says Hala Fadel, chair of the MITEF Pan Arab. “We are partnering with the American University in Cairo to build this platform of networking, learning and knowledge-sharing.”

“We are delighted that our ongoing partnership with MITEF is yet again providing another opportunity for young entrepreneurs in the region to help them on their path to success, falling in line with the vision of our company’s community initiative to combat unemployment in the Arab world,” commented Fady Jameel, president of Abdul Latif Jameel Community Initiatives International.

To connect companies looking to grow with Silicon Valley, the MITEF Arab Startup Competition will give growth-stage entrepreneurs the opportunity to receive international exposure and meet with international venture capitalists (VCs).

“The global track creates a bridge between our region and Silicon Valley. The Arab companies will benefit from interaction, feedback and connections that they will build with local VCs and successful entrepreneurs. We are partnering with TechWadi to accelerate and develop new markets for the participants,” said Fadel.