Youth In The UAE Bring Entrepreneurship Ideas To Life In INJAZ UAE’s Annual ‘National Company Program Competition’

INJAZ UAE, a member of Junior Achievement (JA) Worldwide and INJAZ Al-Arab, the world’s largest non-profit business education organisation, held the 12^th edition of its highly successful ‘National Company Program Competition’ yesterday, which encourages students to use their entrepreneurial spirit to create their own start-up company.

The competition saw close to 200students from five schools and four universities across the United Arab Emirates come together virtually to compete for a series of prestigious awards including the ‘Company of the Year’ award. This year’s winner of the Company of the Year Award from the high school track went to LiveXwho created a comprehensive mental wellbeing solution for schools. From the university track, ULBATI created a subscription box company for kids filled with activities themed around Emirati culture.

Other awards on the day were presented for Product of the Year Award; from the high school track the winner was Vivliotopia, who created an online bookstore that provide a unique platform for readers around the world. For the university track, the winners were HYDROOT, who sell small -scale sustainable Hydroponic kits to grow fruits and vegetables.

Best Social Impact Award went to 360 Degrees of Love Bakery, that advocates for volunteering opportunities through social gatherings. As for the winners from the university track, the award went to Youth Recruit who created a platform to financially empower youth between 16-24 years of age through paid employment opportunities. The special award of the CEO of the Year was granted to Ayesha Tahir from Shetopia company which is a centre for girls between the ages 9-19 years of age that carries social and physical and emotional services.

The National Company Program sees classrooms transform to start-ups in 25 weeks, where students are offered advanced mentorship from key experts within the business community. By learning the complexities of running a business, financial literacy, and team building, students enhance their business skills and entrepreneurial knowledge.Designed to enrich the learning experience of participating students, the program provides a venue for students to bring their creative ideas to life by learning practical steps to start up their own entrepreneurial companies.

Elissar Farah Antonios, MENA Head, Citi and INJAZ UAE Chairperson, said: “Our role at INJAZ has always been to bring to the surface the talent and innovation that students already have. We believe in our youth and their ability to share new ideas and perspectives. This is the core idea behind our programs, and we are grateful to our partners who believe in INJAZ’s objectives and goals. We are glad to give students a real immersive experience of 25 weeks in which they learn the basics of entrepreneurship and financial literacy and apply their knowledge by building real business models. At INJAZ, we seek to empower our youth by enhancing their capability to navigate prospective career challenges and changes that may come their way in their future journey, and we believe this program will enrich their professional experiences.

Speaking at this year’s virtual competition,Razan Bashiti, Chief Executive Officer of INJAZ UAE, “We are pleased to host yet another digital edition of the successful National Company Program Competition. Innovation and creativity are at the heart of this program, which is tailored to ensure students have a space to express their unique individual entrepreneurial ideas, while equipping them with the practical skills needed to bring their ideas to life. We are grateful to our private sector partners for helping us provide business training and mentorship for students, enabling them to achieve their full potential and become future business leaders and entrepreneurs.”

The competition was hosted with key collaborative partners such as Citi, Dubai Chamber, Accenture and ExxonMobil.Through these powerful partnerships, INJAZ UAE have been able to create truly impactful programs that have inspired over 75,000 UAE students since its inception.

Natalia Sycheva, Senior Manager of Entrepreneurship and Special Projects, Dubai Chamber, said: “We are proud to support the National Company Program Competition as it aligns with our efforts to foster a culture of innovation and taps into the entrepreneurial potential of youth in the UAE. The initiative also falls in line with Dubai Chamber’s comprehensive strategy to nurture the emirate’s startup ecosystem and provide aspiring entrepreneurs with the knowledge and tools to help them realize their ambitions.”

This year’s competition had an esteemed panel of judges. For the university competition track judges included Alexis Lecanuet, Senior Managing Director, Middle East, Accenture, Hamad Eghdani, Entrepreneur and Coach, and Sonia Ben Jaafar, Chief Executive Officer, Al Ghurair Foundation for Education. While Christian Lenoble, President, ExxonMobil UAE, Abdul Aziz Mohamed Bin Shafar, Vice President and Executive Director, ASGC and Tahany Taher, Senior Vice President, Head of Mid Corporate and Digital for UAE, Citi are the judges for the school track. For the CEO of the Year Award, Sara Mahmmoudi, CEO of Family Business Council Gulf judged and announced this recognition.

To discover more about INJAZ UAE’s Company Program or to apply to take part in next year’s program visit: https://www.injazuae.org/