Dubai StartUp Bootcamp
I attended a Startup Mini Bootcamp in Dubai in early November 2017. It was organised by Rainmaking, the Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority & some other wonderful people.
My favourite part of the experience was the people I met.
Here is a brief introduction to some of them & their inspiring journeys.
Ragad Alsharif
Ragad is an extremely successful, driven, visionary entrepreneur from Saudi Arabia.
Ragad is the founder of Innoras (Innovation + Raas (‘Head’ in Arabic)). Innoras creates products to solve problems. One of their first products is a portable bidet to help Muslims have an environmentally friendly, easy to store product which they can use when they need to go to the bathroom in a non-Muslim setting. This product is called ‘TeshTesh Bottle’.
Ragad is also currently working on a toothbrush cap which sanitises and safely stores one’s toothbrush. When she’s not speaking at conferences in New York or to investors in the UAE, she is working on realising her vision for Innoras to one day become a hub to help entrepreneurs bring product ideas to life.
When asked about whether it was difficult being a female entrepreneur, she said ‘absolutely not!’. In Ragad’s opinion, male & female entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia face the same challenges. Her most challenging experience so far has been trying to launch TeshTesh in other countries. She was really surprised at how slow & ‘cold’ the businesss pace was internationally when compared with Saudi. Ragad likened the business etiquette in Saudi to that in America- serious, fast paced & important.
Aws Abusalem
Aws is an incredible 22 year old Palestinian-Jordanian who is currently studying International Business in Boston. He founded a charity in Jordan when he was just 17 in order to help Syrian refugees & to support the poor in Amman. It’s called Ghayir (‘Change’ in Arabic).
Ghayir organised events, fundraising days, soup kitchens, and many other activities in order to try to assist the most vulnerable and most disadvantaged in Amman. The challenges of founding a charity in Amman are bigger than I ever imagined. I was really horrified to hear some of the challenges he encountered.
After working for a few years with Ghayir, Aws redirected his entrepreneurial efforts to developing the intellectual & creative capacity of Muslims around the world. He co-founded a startup, Qirtas, which is rediscovering the inventions from the Islamic Golden Age and recreating them as products. They inspire individuals and families to engage with science, innovations and history.
One of Qirtas’ first products is the clock made by Aljazri 800 years ago. You can check out their work at www.qirtas.me
Bismillah Babies
Tayyaba, Mehnaz and Sadia are three incredible, unstoppable, powerful mothers who will conquer the world one day. A paediatrician, accountant and architect, they felt very unchallenged and restless when life slowed down as they had children. Thus, they authored three children’s books, founded an education company and founded a whole social media empire which promotes education for children.
As this wasn’t challenging enough, they also are taking part in a few other projects to alleviate the struggles of people around the United Arab Emirates and around the world.
One of these is a project they have is supporting an orphanage in India with literacy and numeracy education. They meet with students on Skype every week to share knowledge and to promote learning.
I absolutely loved meeting this team and seeing their passion and drive. They genuinely care about everyone they meet, making the world better and contributing to the lives of those in challenging situations around the world.
Subhi Taha
Subhi is a sup
er incredible 25 year old. He is a youtuber and designer who cares deeply about making the world a better place.
I felt so hopeful when discussing the Middle East with him. He spoke about the power of young people to hope; to enjoy their lives despite the greatest of oppressions and injustices; and of their capacity to heal and heal others.
Whenever Subhi spoke of the Middle East, especially about Palestine, his love of that land & culture transported you there. He carries around volumes worth of painful memories and stories, as does every displaced Palestinian.
Subhi has not only found huge success through his media career, but has also launched a modest fashion brand and is starting to launch a magazine. The world is lucky to have his vision, energy and passion.