During the inaugural edition of the ChangemakerXchange Summit for Middle East entrepreneurs, sponsored by the social enterprise Ashoka and the software giant SAP, 20 promising ideas received support and mentorship.
Among the prominent facilitators of the event unnere Bahraini’s Tariq Al Olaimy from the sustainable development think-thank 3BL Associates; The Italian Gretta Rossi of Akasha Innovation, and Raphaëlle Ayach from the Egyptian initiative against xenophobia Safarni.
Some of the participating entrepreneurs include:
- The Mawada Project by Noha Mahdi – the UAE provider of educational community-service and volunteering for the children in the region.
- The Saudi Antibiotics Integrated Regulatory Program (SAIR) which works closely with universities to combat the anti-microbial resistance.
- The Baladini program by Dahlia Elorabi from Egypt which helps women from rural areas to produce healthy food.
- The Hive robotics hackerspace by Ahmed Allali from Bahrain.
- The Zanyar Salih’s Gift a Life project that raises awareness about organ donation among the Iraqi population.
- The Pakistani project Creative Alley, promoting talented people with disabilities.
- The Lebanese No Label project, raising awareness against bullying. The digital recycling program Recyclol and an e-learning platform for studying Arabic also received funding.
- The Matar Project of Jordan that supports the blind.
- The Eureka Tech Academy to enhance tech entrepreneurs.
- The Jalees Project to provide books to families from underprivileged backgrounds.
- The Eco Travel Egypt program, promoting sustainable travel.
Ahmed Al-Faifi, Managing Director, SAP Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Yemen commented:
Dubai and the UAE are global hubs for entrepreneurs and startups. In line with the UAE’s Year of Giving and making a difference in people’s lives, Ashoka and SAP are dedicated to supporting UAE-based and Middle East entrepreneurs in enhancing their business networks. These UAE startups are set to take their transformational projects to the next level and make a positive impact on society.