Press Release.
The second edition of the regional MENA Hackathon has successfully concluded last month, organized by Etijah Coaching and Consulting Services in partnership with Tamkeen Bahrain, and powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS) . Held virtually from the 16th to 18th of September 2021, over 150 applications were received from over 20 countries across the MENA Region and beyond, and a total of 40 teams were shortlisted.
The participating teams consisted of students from two age groups: high school students ages 14-18, and university students and fresh graduates ages 18-30. The teams were tasked with innovating tech and cloud based solutions for challenges in the healthcare, and the energy, environment & sustainability sectors.
Among the eight winning teams, three were from Bahrain. One team secured the first place in the healthcare sector challenge and the other two teams secured the second place within the energy, environment & sustainability sector challenge.
Prior to and during the 52-hour event, shortlisted teams were supported by the mentors and experts who guided them in delivering their prototypes for the judging rounds, which was followed by all shortlisted teams presenting their ideas to a panel of judges on the last day. Eight teams with the best tech-solutions were selected and declared as first and second place winners in the healthcare, energy, and environmental and sustainability sectors of each age group during the closing ceremony.
The first-place winning teams were as follows:
- Level 2, Team Qawam from KSA [Healthcare Track]
- Level 2, Team Luxseed from Lebanon [Energy, Environment & Sustainability Track]
- Level 1, Team Megabyte from Bahrain [Healthcare Track]
- Level 1, Team Technocrats from Egypt [Energy, Environment & Sustainability Track]
The second-place winning teams are as follows:
- Level 2, Team Curify from Jordan [Healthcare Track]
- Level 2, Team Gamma Waves from Bahrain [Energy, Environment & Sustainability Track]
- Level 1, Team Devica from KSA [Healthcare Track]
- Level 1, Team Vanko from Bahrain [Energy, Environment & Sustainability Track]
Winners have secured rewards that include personalized mentorship sessions from AWS, AWS Promotional Credits for prototype development support, and guidance through the AWS Cloud Innovation Center in Bahrain. Selected winners have also been given the exposure to potential business incubation opportunities. Moreover, all participants of the MENA Hackathon that submitted a pitch will be receiving participation certificates.
On the occasion of this collaborative initiative, Mr. Esam Hammad, Partnership and Customer Engagement Director at Tamkeen, said “The regional hackathon provided a unique opportunity for participants to exercise their innovative and creative skills while putting them into action, especially since the Kingdom’s direction is heading towards digital transformation.
The hackathon enabled participants to pitch their ideas and creative solutions to help develop Bahrain’s sectors in healthcare and energy, environment & sustainability; which this year has proven its necessity for innovation and flexibility. This also goes in line with our objectives at Tamkeen of empowering aspiring entrepreneurs and supporting their sustainable ideas.”