New tech, innovative ideas mark SBWC’s 10 female-led start-ups

The Sharjah Business Women Council (SBWC), a Women Advancement Establishment (NAMA) affiliate, has showcased the works of 10 UAE-based female-owned start-ups at Gitex Future Stars (GFS) 2019. The event was held from October 6-9 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

This is SBWC’s fourth consecutive year participating in GFS – the fastest growing global start-up event in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. It is part of the entity’s continuous efforts to highlight the skills of women entrepreneurs by allowing them to showcase their ideas, innovations and products.

Mariam Bin Al Shaikh, Membership Manager of SBWC said: “One of the biggest challenges beginners face is developing an attitude that will encourage them to win and push their big ideas regardless of the consequences. An entrepreneur must have an open mind and the ability to see the world from a different perspective. All members, who have received SBWC’s sponsorship at GFS 2019, have something in common – the capacity to dream and the courage to make it come true. They have all brought fresh ideas that will surely impact society positively.”

She added: “This year, SBWC is collaborating with GFS as its ‘Women in Tech Partner’ and is the official sponsor of the Women in Tech category. We actively work towards increasing the participation of female-led businesses and start-ups in non-traditional fields like technology. We also believe that sponsoring deserving projects at GFS 2019 is part of our advancement in the right direction.”

The Council has included successful entrepreneurs and leaders in business to deliver a variety of workshops throughout the event. These include, ‘Successful pitching of your ideas is key to business success’ by Dr. Mohammad Hirzallah of ModySoft; ‘Women in innovation’ by Hussain Al Mahmoudi of SRTIP; and ‘Successful entrepreneurs know how to get innovative ideas’ by Dr. Osama Eldeeb of ModySoft on Oct 6, 7 and 9, respectively. The SBWC Tech Talk under the slogan #THINKFUTURE is turning the spotlight on the issues of scaling businesses remotely, building the future of businesses and others, to be delivered by Mashal Waqar, Co-founder of The Tempest; by Simran Chowdhry, Co-founder of Bluephin; and Deemah Alyahya, CEO of Misk Innovation.

The founder and CEO of the Automated Livestock Smart Feeder project, one of the participants, Najla Abdalla Banihammad, said: “The aim of this project is to develop an innovative system for farm owners to feed their cattle without any dependency on workers, using an eco-friendly alternative energy source. We anticipate this project will benefit farm owners in the UAE who face real problems feeding and caring for their animals.”

Another participant Bright Shift is an online platform that offers online therapy services in six different languages from licensed psychologists located in different parts of world. Clients can communicate with them via video or audio calling or text chat. It aims to make therapy affordable and available to everybody.

The CEO and founder of Bright Shift, Leila Estifaie, said: “Bright Shift taps the power of technology to create a positive impact in our lives. It offers online, secure, and confidential therapy services in six different languages from licensed psychologists. Through Bright Shift services, therapy will be more accessible to a larger group of people. We have also removed many barriers that stop people from talking to a psychologist. We are not just a platform that offers online therapy, we have a genuine interest in helping people to live better lives.”

The Arabee project provides a comprehensive, progressive and fun online Arabic language programme, complemented by physical resources, teaching guides and more.

The application Park Me provides a complete parking service, from navigation to booking a parking spot by entering the plate number and crediting the user’s account. When the user arrives, a camera will scans the car plate number and allow them to park. The application will also help them find where they parked the car by saving the car location and giving walking directions back to the vehicle.

The Dragon project aims to develop a drone to cater to different customer needs through an original payload system based on a multi-purpose loading device and balls.

Nutribox is the first intelligent and interactive nutrition platform that aims to help Arab World millennials lose weight and empower them to live a healthier life, with plans tailored to their medical, nutritional and health requirements and goals. They will have access to a curated marketplace of healthy food personalised to their needs, with secure live access to a library of top notch health experts from around the world for on-demand private consultations.

Ma’akum project aims to help people injured in accidents when an ambulance is not available or is delayed.

Resilient Autonomous Vehicle project aims to provide resilience to autonomous vehicles through a number of robust features: human detection, active suspension system using model prediction control, and tyre inflation system. The prototype will be tested under different conditions to ensure performance and accuracy.

Searfi is a smart marketing platform for small businesses and local service providers, combining the best of social media, search engines and location finding apps. Searfi will locate the hidden gems in your local area and aims to become the most user friendly and precise business directory in the Middle East. Searfi has been shortlisted at several start-up competitions, including Gulf Capital SME Awards and Etisalat Business pitch.