Ooredoo and AMAC encourage young entrepreneurs and app developers

Ooredoo and the Arab Mobile App Challenge hosted a special “Acceleration Event” last week, aiming to help young app developers and digital entrepreneurs prepare for the largest programme of its kind in the region.

Launched in 2013, the Arab Mobile App Challenge enables teams of up to six members under the age of 35 to develop mobile apps designed to make an impact across the community. This year, 19 teams from Qatar have already registered, with entries ranging from initial ideas through to companies at the start-up stage. Since the launch, the contest has grown to engage young entrepreneurs from across the Arab world, and a series of regional Acceleration Events is being organised for the new entrants, culminating in a final event in Lebanon next month.

In total, more than 20 teams from the region will be chosen to compete in the regional finals in January 2016, with the top place winners receiving US$20,000 for best ideas track and US$20,000 for best start-up track. Selected teams will move through to the Global Mobile Challenge in Barcelona, hosted by the Mobile World Congress, where they will compete with teams from around the world. As a founder and a key partner, Ooredoo continues to support the growth and development of the Arab Mobile Challenge across the region, bringing its technical expertise and support for young entrepreneurs to the programme.

Dr. Nasser Marafih, Group CEO, Ooredoo said: “Ooredoo is a major supporter of digital innovation, because we believe that new thinking can create job opportunities, generate new value and resolve significant community challenges. Over the past three years, the Arab Mobile Challenge has supported the launch of a number of creative new apps developed by young talent from within the region, and Ooredoo continues to benefit from this expansion of the online ecosystem.”

Paris Del'etraz, Professor and Partner at the Applied Innovation Institute, commented: “We are extremely happy, proud and grateful to be able to launch yet another cycle of this competition. This is a testament to the commitment of Ooredoo as a co-founder, and to regional organisations, and their mission to support the growth of young talent. From our perspective the challenge is a window to a number of opportunities such as acceleration, incubation and funding, for aspiring entrepreneurs that may not typically have access to these options or exposure to reach them.”

The Acceleration Events involve support and presentations from leading industry experts, and enable participants to chart a path for their idea through to the activation and start-up stages. For the next step, AMAC will match participating teams with the mentors who will work with them to develop a prototype and full submission for the contest. Ooredoo is supporting a wide range of incubation activities and business growth opportunities across the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia. This includes Ooredoo’s tStart and iStart programmes in Algeria; Start-up Factory in Tunisia, Ooredoo Indosat’s Ideabox in Indonesia as part of its ambitious efforts to foster grassroots innovation through local entrepreneurship.

Earlier this month, Ooredoo and Qatar Business Incubation Center (QBIC) announced a partnership that will launch a state-of-the-art “Digital and Beyond” incubator within QBIC’s premises to encourage the creation of a new range of start-ups and technology-focused businesses, as well as a national contest for new start-up ideas.

Regional registration for AMAC is still open at www.arabmobilechallenge.com.