MASON CITY, Iowa – The NIACC Pappajohn Center and North Iowa Area SBDC are proud to announce and welcome Ibrahim Alhussain as the Director of Business Acceleration and Innovation. Ibrahim will be responsible for providing business consulting and accelerator services to start-up companies and existing small businesses in all phases of business who are in need of funding, management and operational expertise to improve their chances of success. Ibrahim will also be delivering and leading programs to improve the region’s culture of entrepreneurship and innovation, as well as supporting the entrepreneurial ecosystem through partnerships and collaboration.

Ibrahim comes to NIACC with over ten years of industry experience in business operations, strategy, and entrepreneurship. He has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana. After earning an MBA, Ibrahim joined the Valparaiso University Office of International Programs as Assistant Director where he worked on the development and execution of a campus internationalization strategy which increased the number of international students from 200 to over 800 within 4 years. Ibrahim’s efforts also created new collaboration and partnership with over 20 international institutions and government around the world.

Ibrahim then joined the Saudi Aramco Entrepreneurship Center to set up their business incubation program which later evolved into StartUp Lab, encompassing different entrepreneurial programs including their business accelerator, business incubator, seed funding, business development hub and co-working spaces. Ibrahim also served as mentor, coach, and advocate to early stage startups. In this role he created and commercialized over 70 startups and SMEs for Aramco. The Pappajohn Center and North Iowa Area SBDC are excited to welcome Ibrahim to our team.

The NIACC John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center is the expert in rural business innovation and success. In partnership with North Iowa’s Small Business Development Center, together we provide tools, support, and resources to Iowa’s entrepreneurs. We counsel both new and existing local businesses, from Main Street to industry leaders. We’re growing Iowa’s entrepreneurial culture through grade school initiatives, college and community programs, and business training and development. Contact the NIACC Pappajohn Center at 641-422-4111 or pappajohn@niacc.edu.

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