Arab Science and Technology Foundation and Intel Corporation announce final winners of 2nd Arab Technology Business Plan Competition

Egyptian Si-Ware Systems CEO, Dr. Hisham Haddara, won the award for the Best Technology Business Plan (Mature Entrepreneurs), while his compatriot Ahmed Hassan Abdulmagid co-founder of Edxia won the award for Best Technology Business Plan (Universities & Young Entrepreneurs).

The winners receive regional recognition, exposure and entry to the ASTF Global Startup Program, in addition to $10K in cash and $25K in seed investment (Mature Entrepreneurs), and $7.5K in cash (Universities & Young Entrepreneurs). Winners for the second and third place awards went to Algorithm Innovations and ConsentWare (Mature Entrepreneurs), while ENSS and Personal Protection Technologies secured a joint second place award. (Universities & Young Entrepreneurs).

Commenting on the competition Dr. Haddara, CEO of Si-Ware Systems stated: "The Arab Technology Business Plan Competition is a fantastic forum for Arabs to demonstrate their entrepreneurial skills on a global platform. We are obliged to Intel and ASTF for providing all the competitors with the chance to showcase exactly what Arab technology entrepreneurs are capable of."

Bassem Nasir, Higher Education Manager, Intel Middle East Turkey and Africa and champion of the ASTF partnership commented: "Our mission at Intel is to spur innovation in the Arab World and help the entrepreneurial spirit flourish as this will help elevate the region on to a more globally competitive scale."

"As part of the Intel World Ahead Program, we are dedicated to investing, promoting and fostering Arab talent and entrepreneurship to ensure the region achieves a more competitive IT workforce, which will in turn drive and stimulate economic growth. By taking the time to raise the caliber of Arab talent we are helping entrepreneurs of the future succeed," he concluded.

As part of its commitment to continue to generate digital inclusion opportunities to citizens under the Intel World Ahead Program mandate, Intel collaborates with national and worldwide NGOs and governments to provide people with accessibility, education, connectivity and content that are customized for their local needs.

Dr. Abdalla A. Alnajjar, President of ASTF added: "Through this regional competition we hope to increase investment in Arab technology by promoting entrepreneurship in the Arab world. The 2nd Arab Technology Business Plan Competition is designed to drive awareness by showcasing Arab talent to a host of investors. ASTF is a non-governmental and non-profit organization devoted to driving awareness for potential MENA based technology startups, in addition to creating forums where they are provided with the chance to showoff their innovative ideas."

In addition to hosting the closing ceremony of the 2nd Arab Technology Business Plan Competition, the 5th Investing in Technology Forum featured 40 high-profile speakers from successful regional and global organizations. Topics tackled during the forum included; attracting global venture capital, technology licensing, listing technology companies, incubation and funding of technology startups, and the challenges faced in the development of strong technology base on national and regional levels.