IT students at the Sharjah HCT presented three winning business ideas as part of the Ruwad Technopreneurs initiative aimed at supporting and funding technology enterprises for UAE nationals.
With a mandate to scout for young Emiratis who have savvy, innovative technological business ideas, Ruwad approached Sharjah HCT (SHCT) and encouraged its IT students to develop businesses which Ruwad could invest in.
On April 12, IT and Ed Tech students attended a workshop presented Dr. Khaled Makled, Business Development Manager of Ruwad, who launched the Technopreneurs initiative - a 3-day business startup competition.
Between May 1-3, Ruwad and SHCT held the Technopreneurs Competition during which IT students developed their business plans with the supervision and guidance of Ruwad.
On May 3rd, students presented their business ideas in front of a panel of 4 judges:
- Abdulrahman Al Hammadi, Manager, Abu Dhabi Vocational Education and Training Institute
- Omar Mahmoud, Incubation Manger of ICT Fund
- Raghda Taryam, Business Owner, Kanzi
- Amal Zeyad, IT faculty, SHCT
In additional to money prizes for first and second place winners, Ruwad offered the students the opportunity to immediately start their enterprises.
The first-place winner was Wameed –an online learning website for children. Research shows that in some cases, a child finishes kindergarten without knowing the alphabets. Wameed will feature software that aims at solving this problem by making the learning process fun and easier for children.
Second place was Remas – an E-Magazine is online venture that aims at providing services focused on the local fashion industry for women. The E-magazine will provide mix of fashion, entrainment, health and fitness, beauty, lifestyle and celebrities, and style guide.
Third place went to UAExplorer. This is a website that will serve all those who wish to learn more about the UAE. This idea was planned to provide information in a creative interactive way that can meet the distinct needs of the individual.
Maha from UAExplorer said: “It was a great experience although we didn’t win . We gained valuable knowledge from the 3 day workshop that was enough to get us ready to establish and think of any idea that can grow to be a successful business later.”
Nasima from Remas said: “Ruwad gave us chance to apply our IT skills, teamwork and provided us with opportunity in the real market. The initiative helped us generate new ideas of interest to people and our goal is to satisfy their needs as well as make profits.”
