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Two teams of young Bahraini entrepreneurs have won top honours at the regional INJAZ Al-Arab Young Entrepreneurs Competition with their technology-based solutions, writes Naman Arora.
The competition, held virtually, attracted 111 students from 13 countries across the MENA region.
Representing INJAZ Bahrain, Ibn Khuldoon National School’s (IKNS) Team Sahim won the ‘Product of the Year’ and ‘Best Digital Presence’ awards and Kingdom University’s Team Malga from INJAZ Bahrain won the ‘Client-Focused Award’.
“Each team member has gained a lot of skills as we stepped out of our comfort zones and learned how to make more critical decisions, take risks and act professionally,” Team Malga’s Aysha Taj told GulfWeekly.
Team Sahim’s Yusuf Albasri, 17, Talal Radhi, 17, Aneesa Almahmood, 17, Noof Albastaki, 17, and Shooq Albastaki, 17, created a mobile application that connects social non-government organisations with their potential donors.
Team Malga, comprised of Aysha Taj, 25, Hessa Al bin Ali, 23, Fatima Mohammed Ahmed, 24, Fatima Ali Sanad, 22, and Noora Ubaid Mansoor, 27, created a comprehensive web-based platform that connects businesses to one another, as well as employers to job seekers, based on an advanced algorithm.
“The most important lesson we learned during the regional competition is that great achievement usually comes through great sacrifice, and is never the result of selfishness,” Yusuf added.
“The regional competition has not only taught us lessons, but also a different lifestyle – one of true ambitious, dedicated, committed business leaders and what it takes to live that lifestyle.”
Hessa added that their next step will be enhancing their product and adding features in response to feedback from the market.
Shaikha Hessa bint Khalifa Al Khalifa, chairperson of INJAZ Bahrain, expressed pride in their accomplishments and said that the teams demonstrate Bahrain’s ingenuity to the region amid skilled competitors.
