The Dubai Smartpreneur Competition is starting to establish itself on the international entrepreneurship circuit thanks to the appeal of becoming a part of Dubai’s emerging platform for innovation focused businesses, in addition to its incentives of cash prizes, mentorship, training, and the chance to exhibit at the COVID-19-delayed Expo 2020 Dubai.
This year’s three finalists, revealed on August 27th, were PlasticFri in third place (which uses renewable resources to develop totally biodegradable, compostable, non-toxic plastics), Callix in second (offering intelligent cloud-based call answering solutions), and ProvenMed Global (makers of innovative medical devices such as its patented incontinence kit) who came first.
We spoke to the winning company’s co-founder, Amine Staali.
Why did you participate in this competition?
[Amine Staali] I was aware of the tremendous work and potential Dubai Chamber was doing in boosting the start-ups landscape, and I knew that this is where ProvenMed should be to get more support for our expansion plan. Smartpreneur is an esteemed competition, and I was confident that winning it will enable us to be part of the government strategy of elevating Dubai into a global platform of innovation and leveraging growth.
Describe your innovative product that made you a winner.
ProvenMed is a medical devices innovation start-up. We have a revolutionary and patented product ActivGo, which is a wearable device for incontinence that helps people to go on and have a hygienic and active lifestyle. We exist to innovate medical devices through compassionate empathy that empower people and improve their lives.
How was the competition journey from start to finish?
The journey was very exciting and an enriching experience. I enjoyed every moment in the competition journey from the very beginning to the end.
The latest competition exceeded our expectations and achieved its objectives of attracting high-potential start-ups and mentoring aspiring entrepreneurs who are bringing innovative ideas to the market
Was presenting your concept to a live audience nerve-racking?
It was exciting more than anything. Of course, my past experience with many regional and international competitions came in handy. In addition, Aby Thomas, the moderator, did a great job in relaxing and encouraging the entrepreneurs with his friendly approach. It was a fantastic opportunity as well to become acquainted with nine amazing people and their ambitious start-ups and technologies.
Did you face challenges with COVID-19?
Fortunately, we didn't face any issues, as the Dubai chamber team , transformed the competition to a fully online version and managed it at a very competently.
Did this competition provide the feedback and validation you were seeking?
I'm happy to say it exceeded my expectations!
So now that you have won, what is next for you?
The next step is to boost our growth regionally and internationally by opening new markets, raising growth capital to fuel the expansion and realising our vision.
Are you looking forward to being represented at Expo 2020 Dubai [now due to be held from October 2021 through March 2022]?
Definitely yes. We are very happy to have the opportunity to be present at Expo 2020. By the way, in line with the theme of Expo 2020 that supports innovation, we have a plan to design a unique and one-of-a-kind interactive booth to showcase our technology in an innovative way.
