MIT Enterprise Forum (MITEF) Pan Arab has announced the six winners of the 13th edition of its Arab Startup Competition. Among the winners was the Saudi platform Telp, winner of the fourth annual edition of MITEF Saudi Startup Competition.
Telp is a tutor marketplace with high quality, vetted tutors, designed for busy parents that seek continuity in tutoring services through weekly lessons. During the pilot launch, more than 9,000 hours of tutoring were conducted worth over $182,000. Telp is now ready to start its regional expansion and has started operations in Riyadh.
The Arab Startup Competition, held in partnership with main partner Community Jameel, innovation partner King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, and digital partner Zain Group, ensured that attendees would benefit from a digitally immersive experience that closely emulates attending a real-life event. The virtual conference was attended by 400 attendees from 40 countries globally, who had all come to network, connect, and learn from the world’s most renowned tech speakers. The conference culminated with the announcement of the six winners (from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Egypt, Palestine, Syria, and Jordan), each going home with a monetary prize and several opportunities for growth.
Hussein Jameel, director of Community Jameel, addressed the entrepreneurs, saying: “You are the cornerstone of the world of entrepreneurship, and the real capital is your talents, capabilities and skills that we seek to support through the Arab Startup Competition and other initiatives of Community Jameel. We have been always striving to turn your creativity into startups that have today become one of the main pillars of the Arab world economies of both the developed and developing countries, not only because of their economic impact, but also for their social influence as a tool to tackle unemployment and other challenges.”
The virtual conference and awards ceremony this year marks a new turning point, especially being MITEF Pan Arab’s first fully-digital conference. The virtual event created unforeseen challenges to the organizers and endless opportunities to experiment and innovate.
MIT Enterprise Forum Arab Startup Competition is a yearly competition initiated by MITEF Pan Arab since 2006. This annual competition is designed to empower entrepreneurs and foster an ecosystem of innovation and entrepreneurship in the Arab region. The competition pits entrepreneurs in three different tracks: Ideas, startups and social entrepreneurship track. The winning teams are awarded $45,000 in equity-free funds and benefit from a range of other activities including top-tier training, mentorship, coaching, media exposure, and great networking opportunities.
