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Team Influx swept to victory in the Bahrain finals of the Microsoft’s Imagine Cup 2017, a global technology competition that aims to deliver educational, entrepreneurial and employment opportunities for young people by acquiring critical skills.
Held in strategic partnership with Tamkeen, and supported by partners including the United Nations Development Programme Bahrain (UNDP), Ministry of Youth and Sports, Start-up Bahrain and Corporate Hub 9 (CH9).
It took place recently at ART Rotana Hotel, Amwaj Islands, and acted as a platform for young developers of the country to showcase innovative, world-changing solutions before industry experts.
INFLUX Team from the University of Bahrain - made up of Malik Jehangir Riaz, 23, Ali Inayat, 24, and Mohammed Hamza Zubair, 22 - took first place for a project called Glare, which aims to help eliminate the fear of public speaking through technology.
They walked away with a big cash prize, the promise of expert advice to develop their project and the chance to represent the kingdom in regional heats.
The O’LINA Team from the University of Bahrain came second for project O’LINA, a mobile application that offers a wide range of recipes with full nutritional information and a precise virtual tutorial on how to cook each meal.
TEAM1, also from the University of Bahrain, took third place with project Kiwi, a band which takes readings from sensors, analyses them to help trainers and athletes in profiling muscles, monitoring workouts and preventing injuries.
Team Influx will go on to meet the region’s top talent at the Imagine Cup MEA semi-finals in Lebanon in May, on a path to compete with the best young innovators in the contest’s worldwide finals, in the US city of Seattle in Washington.
Dr Ebrahim Mohammed Janahi, Tamkeen’s chief executive, said: “Youth plays a key role in advancing Bahrain’s development. Tamkeen and Microsoft enjoy a long-standing partnership in creating and delivering world-class programmes as part of our drive to empower the young generation and enhance their contribution to the national economy.
“We are excited to renew our partnership in this global student competition, and witness students unleash their creativity in Imagine Cup 2017. The competition has become a national quest for Bahraini talent, and our youth have succeeded to surprise us and make us proud year after year.”
The six finalists - Influx, Anon Coders, O’LINA, Feminspire, Team1, and ARH from the University of Bahrain - were shortlisted to compete in Bahrain from 37 proposals received. Cash prize awards for this year’s competition, which marked the 15th year of the Imagine Cup were BD2,500 for first place, BD1,500 for second place and BD1,000 for third place.
The panel of judges for the Bahrain finals to select the winners included Nani Butti, chief of information technology, Ministry of Youth and Sports, Mohamed Kamal, senior technical account manager, Microsoft Bahrain, Maha Al Banki, communications head, Tamkeen, Shaikh Mohamed Al Khalifa from the Economic Development Board, Mohamed Al Tawash, managing director CH9, and Stefano Pettinato, deputy resident representative, UNDP Bahrain.
Influx and O’LINA were also selected for an ‘Incubation Award’ - one year of technical and business consultation.
