On May 10-13, in Tbilisi, Georgia, CLDP led a regional workshop for Bahraini and Kuwaiti officials , NGOs and private sector representatives, academics, and entrepreneurs on how to improve the environment for doing business in each country and encourage private sector growth by fostering SME development and entrepreneurship. CLDP experts included Josh Mandell, Senior Advisor for Innovation and Competitiveness for the US Secretary of Commerce, and Kayvan Barmound, Founder of Global Tech Venture, a Silicon Valley-based incubator. Participants also had the opportunity to engage with a variety of Georgian counterparts, including the representatives of the Entrepreneurship Development Agency, Ministry of Economy & Sustainable Development and the Georgia Revenue Service to learn more about rules and regulations, tax strategies, innovation/technology, and mechanisms for attracting investment in an entrepreneurial-friendly business environment. At the conclusion of the workshop, participants and experts joined forces to create an action plan to overcome the challenges facing private sector growth and business registration processes in Bahrain and Kuwait.