Ten Female Entrepreneurs Unleash Their Innovations And Creativity At GITEX Future Stars 2018

Ten female entrepreneurs who integrated innovative technologies and digital solutions within their businesses are showcasing their businesses under the sponsorship of Sharjah Business Women Council (SBWC) at GITEX Future Stars 2018.

This marks SBWC’s third participation in one of the fastest growing start-up events in the MENA & South Asia Region – GITEX Future Stars- and its commitment to empowering young female entrepreneurs and start-ups through live engagement and exchange of expertise between participants and the exhibition’s visitors.

Of the ten female businesswomen supported by SWBC, an affiliate of NAMA Women Advancement Establishment, seven are Emirati female entrepreneurs who set to inspire visitors from all over the world, with their innovations, which integrates cutting edge technologies and advanced digital systems.

GITEX Future Stars kicked off yesterday (Sunday), and will run until October 18, 2018 at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC). This year, SBWC is GITEX Future Stars’ “Women in Tech” partner. The

Sheikha Hind bint Majid Al Qassimi, Chairperson of SBWC, said: “Each year we explore ways to inspire young female entrepreneurs and business women through showcasing their tangible achievements to global visitors; playing a big role in supporting global initiatives that empower young female business leaders towards a sustainable and innovative future for their businesses.”

She added: “We are truly happy with the level of inspiration and aspiration the seven Emirati female entrepreneurs are bringing to the show this year. Their strong participation this year continue to reflect on the wise leadership of the Emirate of Sharjah and the UAE, which has historically invested substantial efforts to ensure a sustainable future for generations to come, including women.”

“The current levels of engagement and inquiries from the public at the event are fantastic. Our presence at GITEX Future Star serves to engage, educate and inspire young business start-ups.”

The Ten Startups

One of the participating start-ups under SBWC is ‘Mend.’ It is designed by Nora Saeed Al Awadi, (UAE) and  provides emotional support to women who are going through emotional by crises utilising the latest technologies.

“Through this project, we provide support packages that depend entirely on smart apps and technological solutions that make it easier for women to get psychological and emotional support anywhere and anytime,” said Nora Saeed Al Awadi.

Another sponsored project is ‘Fenbits Technology Solutions’, a cleantech start-up, innovated by Amal Al Jismi. It aims to reduce plastic pollution in rivers and seas and provides water-filtration solutions, using AI, robotics, and aerodynamic marine construction.

Amal Al Jismi said, “The World Health Organization (WHO) indicated that half of the world’s population will be living in water-stressed areas, highlighting that the growing number of deaths will be caused by contaminated water and enviroment. To ensure a clean and healthy environment, we launched Fenbits Technology Solutions.”

Another innovative business, is the ‘Smart Safe Bus System’ (SSBS), designed by Ayah Al Marzouqi, which aims at reducing school bus accidents.

Ayah Al Marzouqi remarked, “The World Health Organisation (WHO) pointed out that 1.25 million people die each year as a result of road traffic accidents. UAE statistics indicate that 70% of children fatalities are caused by traffic accidents. I launched my project, which uses smart technology to prevent children fatalties, after an in-depth research on school bus accidents.”

Another Emirati project is ‘Mythical Bear Games,’ which provides people with the skillset to develop their own digital games and is led by Maitha Omar Muhammad. The developer said: “Mythical Bear Games is my first entrepreneurial project through which I aim to share technical as well as creative expertise with aspiring game developers and designers to bring their ideas to life, and create games they wish existed!”

‘Heyraat’ is a platform for individuals and entrepreneurs to run and manage their businesses from their home offices, and is created by young Emirati entrepreneur, Layla Al Saadi.

‘Organic Guild,’ developed by Emirati entrepreneur, Mariam Al Junaibi is one of the start-ups in the agricultural sector. “Organic Guild is part of the ‘Al Ebdaa Al Zahabi Investment LLC,’ one of UAE’s first and leading agricultural investment company dedicated to organic and sustainable industries. 

Under the hardware category, Shaiyma Muhammad Al Rumaihi and Aisha Al Tunaiji (UAE) are participating with the ‘Smart Security Surveillance Camera.’ The project is aimed at increasing reliability and efficiency of residential, commercial, and industrial CCTV cameras and surveillance systems with minimal human assistance.

Led by Riham Saeed Al Sayed (Egypt), ‘Senior Global,’ was founded in 2012 in Cairo and expanded to Morocco, India, and UAE as ‘Seniors.’ It delivers educational support and training aimed at developing vocational and industrial skills from senior class to senior management.

An award-winning digital media company, ‘The Tempest,’ is also sponsored by SBWC due to its diversified content and discussion of important topics. It is founded by a Pakistani entrepreneur Mashal Waqar who is also the CTO of the company.

Lastly, ‘Fitterfly’, is a project that seeks to build healthier and fitter, generation through guiding parents on children’s health and wellness to enhance the children’s lifestyles. The project is developed by Tunisian entrepreneur Sara Lajnaif.

The GITEX Supernova Challenge
The participants can compete at GITEX Future Stars in the third largest pitch fund, GITEX Supernova Challenge, where the total assigned prize is USD 180,000 distributed across nince categories, each with a cash prize of USD 10,000.

The entrants will be participating in one of the nine categories: ‘Best Emirati Start-up’, ‘Best Social Impact,’ ‘Best Female Led-Start-up’, ‘Best AI Start-up’, ‘Best Scale-up,’ ‘Supernova Champion,’ ‘Best GCC & MENA Start-up,’ ‘Best International Start-up,’ and ‘Best Youth Start-up.’

NAMA Women Advancement Establishment is also taking part at the GITEX Technology Week for the third year in a row. Participating at Sharjah Government’s pavilion, NAMA is promoting ‘Badiri E-Academy’ that was recently launched under the umbrella of the ‘Badiri Education and Development Academy,’ the learning and capacity-building arm of NAMA. The E-academy provides programmes, courses, and knowledge resources dedicated to improving education and skills. It is a free open-source online platform available in Arabic and English to people across the world.

Starting its journey in 2002, Sharjah Business Women Council aims to drive women entrepreneur’s integration into the global economy, support economic output of the nation, and social development of the Emirate of Sharjah.

To achieve this aim, SBWC engages in delivering a range of programmes and initiatives including conferences, seminars, workshops and research that supports potential and existing entrepreneurs in Sharjah. It also forges partnerships with government, private organisations and foundations in the UAE and beyond.

For more information about SBWC, visit www.sbwc.ae. For enquiries about how to become a member, call the SBWC hotline 600 535554 or send an email to info@sbwc.ae.