Winners announced during prestigious ceremony at ArabNet Digital Summit in Dubai
Dubai, UAE: The Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry announced on Wednesday the top three winners of the 2nd cycle of the Dubai Smartpreneur Competition during the closing ceremony for the 5th ArabNet Digital Summit in Dubai.
FriendyCar, a marketplace for borrowing and lending cars, claimed the first-place prize, while second place went to CorporateStack, a web-based solution for managing business operations. Nester, a parking rental marketplace that connects parking owners with people, placed third. The winners were honoured by H.E. Dr. Aisha Bin Bishr, Director General of Smart Dubai Office, Mr. Essa Al Zaabi, Senior Vice President – Institutional Support Sector, Dubai Chamber and General Coordinator of Tejar Dubai, in the presence of business leaders and representatives from Dubai’s entrepreneurial community.
During his welcome speech, Al Zaabi praised the innovative ideas and projects presented by participants and finalists in the competition, noting that their efforts support Dubai’s smart city vision and add value to people’s lives. He explained that entrepreneurship and innovation are key focuses of Dubai Chamber’s strategy, and described the Smartpreneur competition as an important platform that merges these two themes together.
“This competition aims to empower talented entrepreneurs and facilitate their contribution to Dubai Smart Office’s mission, while it also helps them turn their innovative business ideas into a reality,” said Al Zaabi, adding that the Chamber will continue to support participants with training and assistance to help them get their businesses off the ground.
H.E. Bin Bishr said: “I am proud of the ideas and projects that have been put forward by young entrepreneurs who have innovative, creative and pioneering skills. By launching Dubai Smartpreneur Competition, we aimed to support and develop the leadership and enterprise spirit among the youth.” “We at Smart Dubai strive to bolster the contribution of the youth to Dubai’s process of development and smart transformation. To this effect, we seek to attract outstanding ideas and provide the necessary support for young entrepreneurs with a view to achieving the goals of the National Agenda for Youth,” she added.
Following the announcement, Abdulrahman Elgamal of FriendyCar said that his experience in the competition enabled him to gain valuable experience and exposure to many venture capital firms in the region, and added that he hopes to eventually expand the business to the rest of the GCC and Middle East region.