Beirut – November 27, 2017: The MIT Enterprise Forum Pan Arab and TATWEER Research announced the three winning teams of the ENJAZI Competition, the first nation-wide entrepreneurship competition in Libya. The announcement took place during a ceremony held in Beirut, Lebanon in the presence of Badr Ben-Othman, the CEO of the Local Libyan Fund for investment and development, representatives from the MIT Enterprise Forum Pan Arab, TATWEER Research and a number of media personnel.
ENJAZI Competition aims to empower entrepreneurs and start-ups in Libya by helping them evolve their projects to more advanced stages. Three winning teams Lisan, Yummy, and Sinbad were selected in recognition of their unique entrepreneurial projects. Team Lisan addressed problems faced by the mute/deaf community in the Arab world creating a solution that allows them to have face to face communication with non-sign language speakers. Team Yummy presented an application that consolidates all of Libya’s Restaurants and food providers on one comprehensive platform through which consumers can browse, rate and order. As for Sinbad, they created a hybrid game (online and offline) that constitutes a powerful interactive space that teaches the basics of entrepreneurship in a simplified and entertaining format.
Commenting on the competition, Hala Fadel, Chairperson of the MIT Enterprise Forum Pan Arab said: “Although this is a local contest confined to Libyans, we consider it to be one of the main competitions organized by the MIT Enterprise Forum Pan Arab. The importance of this competition lies in having the participants visit Beirut, benefiting from its entrepreneurial ecosystem. This in turn underscores Lebanon as a key hub for the “entrepreneurial scene” in the region as well as an advocate for entrepreneurs. During the final event, the participants met a number of Lebanese entrepreneurs and benefitted from a panel discussion that tackled the future of entrepreneurship in Libya.”
CEO of Tatweer Research Dr. Khaled Mufti praised the importance of this competition and the role that it plays in enhancing and diversifying the economy in Libya. He emphasized that it plays a fundamental role in supporting the knowledge economy and encouraging the private sector in the long term by providing value added jobs and establishing an ambitious generation capable of innovation. He added, “We are delighted to be partners and supporters of this first-of-its-kind competition in Libya, which is perfectly in line with our goals: Fostering a new Knowledge Economy, nurturing the brightest young minds in Libya and incubating the ideas of ambitious homegrown entrepreneurs.”
ENJAZI competition kicked off on the 8th of April till the 1st of June after which ten finalist teams embarked on a one-month training program in Libya last August, then moved to Beirut and participated in a series of seminars and workshops from the 9th till the 17th of November. During their training process, they met a number of prominent Lebanese entrepreneurs and business accelerators.
The three winning teams were also given the opportunity to visit London Tech City and Cambridge Science Park.