In Partnership with Abdul Latif Jameel Community Initiatives

Amman, Jordan: The Jordanian 'Diabetes Healthcare' team won third place in this year's MIT Enterprise Forum Arab Business Plan Competition in partnership with Abdul Latif Jameel Co., during a big ceremony attended by Tunisian Minister of Employment, HE Said Aidi, and Secretary of State to the Minister of Trade and Tourism in Tunisia, Slim Chaker.  The team, comprised of Rehab Mahmoud Mohamed, Jalal Bani Younes and Mashhour Bani Amer, were granted five thousand dollars for their idea of developing and marketing new patented technologies in the field of diabetes monitoring devices and management tools.

'PT Screen', including Mostafa Tawfik Mostafa, Cherif Atia Mostafa and Ahmed Samir Awad, won first place with a 50 thousand dollar prize for their business plan concerning a software innovation that encourages collaborative internet browsing between users from all over the world. 'Al Khawarizmy Language Software' from Egypt, including Hossam Eldin Mahgoub, Noha Fathi, Mostafa Helmy, Yasser Shaaban, Mohamed Ibrahim, Tarek Sayed and Maissa Megahed, won 10 thousand dollars for second place for providing Arabic users with search capabilities that allow them to get all required target words. As for third place, Egyptian 'iNavigator', including Rasha Ahmed, Asem Mohamed and Mahmoud Salaheldin, tied up with Jordanian "Diabetes Healthcare", to introduce a new software technology that converts traditional 2D software applications into 3D applications in a fast and automated manner. Both teams were granted 5 thousand dollars each.

Attendees at the final ceremony held in Tunisia included Hala Fadel, Chair of the MIT Enterprise Forum of the Pan Arab Region, Zaher Munajjed, Advisor to the President, Abdul Latif Jameel Co., Ziad Oueslati, Board Member at the MIT Enterprise Forum of the Pan Arab Region, Mohamed Taher Chikhaoui, President of the MIT Club of Germany, Neveen Al Tahri, Co-Chairperson & Managing Director, Delta Financial Investments, Adnan Sultan, Managing Director for the Middle East, Kuwait City of Agave Partners Holdings, Wael Fakharany, Regional Manager of Google Middle East and Mohamed Mehdi Khemiri, Founder and CEO of Innovest.

The jury, which included Tahri, Sultan, Mehdi in addition to Wael Fakharany, held a discussion panel titled, 'Is it Springtime for Arab Entrepreneurship?' moderated by Salwa Smaoui, Managing Director of Microsoft Tunisia.

On June 16, the 12 finalist teams that had arrived to Tunisia attended a coaching session with Booz & Co. guiding them through how to better perform in oral presentations to help them effectively pitch their ideas in front of the final jury.

Munajjed congratulated the winners and said, "This is the third year that Abdul Latif Jameel Co. partners with the MIT Enterprise Forum Arab Business Plan Competition, and we particularly value this partnership because it reflects our belief in young entrepreneurs as future leaders in the Arab World. Entrepreneurship education and promotion are fundamental for a healthy and growing Arab ecosystem able and willing to create new jobs, and this Competition is at the heart of it."

As for Fadel, she said, "After nine months of continuous work and receiving 3800 applications from 17 different Arab countries, I must thank Abdul Latif Jameel Co. and the executive team for their dedication and support. I hope we have succeeded in spreading a culture and awareness of entrepreneurship among the Arab youth community. As we have seen, Rana Shmeitelly, last year's competition's winner, succeed in launching the 'Little Engineer', we hope to see 'PT Screen' launch and grow and subsequently expand regionally." She added, "Soon we will be re-opening the competition's doors to accept applications and new ideas. We want this Competition to become an annual event bringing together the entire region for the next 20 years providing entrepreneurs with a platform to learn, share and exchange their business ideas."

During the closing of the ceremony, team members from 'Diabetes Healthcare' expressed their extreme joy for having won 2011's competition. Speaking on all of their behalf, Mashhour Bani Amer said, "Thank God - winning first prize at the MIT Enterprise Forum Arab Business Plan Competition is a sign for us that we are going in the right business direction, we would like to thank Abdul Latif Jameel Co. and the organizers for giving us this unique opportunity and putting us in contact with professionals to guide us through how to lead a successful business and take it to the next level."