What will be the next major development in disruptive technology? We guarantee you’ll wish you’d thought of it first.
If you don’t mind, could please tell us who you are, what you do, and what you won last night?
My name is Khalifa Mannai. My technology company, Mannai Technological Facilitations W.l.l. began with virtual medical consultations. We designed an innovative, user-friendly platform for both hospitals and patients, rendering medical treatment borderless and easy to access. What I won last night was Startup of the Year for the Bahrain Entrepreneurship Award, sponsored by Tamkeen and EDB.
How do you feel about winning?
I feel it’s a big accomplishment—a milestone that brings credibility to our business.
Do you think your win will encourage other people to innovate, be creative, and take risks in starting new businesses next year?
Definitely. We have a lot of hidden potential in Bahrain. I think these awards and workshops allow people to excel.
VIRTUAL MEDICAL CONSULTATION IS BASICALLY HAVING A VIDEO CONVERSATION, FROM ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, WITH A SPECIALIST WHO CAN VIEW YOUR INSTANTLY-UPDATED DIGITAL MEDICAL FILE.
Why do you think you deserved to win in your category? What makes you special?
There is no other IT company in the region that provides IT services and consultancy for people at a micro-startup level.
No one else who has seamlessly integrated digital medical files to access on the go, wherever you are, with hospital management—and, at the same time, virtual consultations with specialists from around the world. All of this is 100% free to the patient or user.
For readers who don’t know, what do you mean by virtual medical consultation? What did you build?
Virtual medical consultation is basically having a video conversation, from anywhere in the world, with a specialist who can view your instantly-updated digital medical file.
Why did you get into the medical field? Do you have any medical background?
No. I’m not in the medical field. I’m in the technology field. I built the medium of communication between patient and doctor.
Is this happening through software, a service, or a website?
We developed what we call the Phoenix Portal. All communications are completely hosted and encrypted by us—and at the same time, all data is stored remotely, so no one has access to it. We don’t rely on a third-party provider for communications.
How do people get access to this?
As a patient, it’s completely free. You just register. You bring in all the medical files you have the first time, then we digitize them and give them back to you. Clinics and hospitals purchase licenses from us based upon the number of users they have.
What’s in it for the hospital, clinic, or doctor?
The hospital has all its patient files digitized, so forget storage rooms for files. Transfer of medical files between hospitals becomes instantaneous. At the same time, hospitals can market their services to the entire world.
Got it. What were some of the challenges you faced when you started this?
Acceptance of the CR.
Why?
No one knew what virtual medical consultation was, so how would they classify it? Once that was clear, then everything started slowly, slowly rolling.
If you were to start from scratch and rebuild this same business with the same experience and knowledge you have now, what would you do differently?
I would work on my human capital. There was a lot of time spent doing everything on my own, because I had difficulty delegating tasks to people.
Why?
That’s the nature of an entrepreneur. No matter how good the person is, you feel nobody can do it better than you can. I would hire qualified people in order to delegate from the start, so I could be more agile within the day-to-day operation.
Did you get any funding from Tamkeen, the BDB, or any other organization while starting this business?
About a year in, I was given the BDB Innovation Grant.
What is that?
It’s a 5,000-dinar grant to help grow your business. It’s like innovation capital.
You won a nice trophy, of course, that symbolizes your achievements and the fact that you met the criteria of that category, which is the …
Startup of the Year.
Startup of the Year. Other than that, you also won, as we understand, 100% subsidy of up to 40,000 Bahraini dinars—is that correct—from Tamkeen?
Yes.
DON’T GIVE UP THE FIRST TIME. IN THE BEGINNING, YOU’LL HAVE A LOT CHALLENGES, BUT PUSH THROUGH THEM. THERE’S ALWAYS A WAY.
How are you going to use that to grow your business?
I have a few ideas, but the subsidy requires that I meet with Tamkeen and get their approval on the overall strategy. With that said, I can’t tell you what my strategy is until I get that approval. I would focus on infrastructure and a stronger foundation for the business.
What advice do you have for up-and-coming entrepreneurs?
Don’t give up the first time. In the beginning, you’ll have a lot challenges, but push through them. There’s always a way. Then, one or two years down the line, when you hit your milestone, you’ll reach a point where you feel you have accomplished something. You’ll look back and see that the entire thing was a very valuable learning process.
What advice do you have for contestants in next year’s award program?
My advice is start working hard now. Don’t think of it as a competition. Think of it as a business achievement, a milestone, a measure of success.
Thank you for this opportunity.
Thank you, Bader.