Dubai: Four high school projects have won something more than points in class - they received grants from Startup Sharjah, an initiative from the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa).
The four aspiring teams of students received grants of Dh10,000, Dh5,000, and Dh2,500 (for a third place tie). The programme, which falls under the Future Changemakers initiative, began June 14 and brought together high school students from across Sharjah for a two-week bootcamp, where they competed and put forth their ideas.
All of these had to be based on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Twenty shortlisted students were split into startup teams and got the opportunity to pitch their tech-enabled concepts to an online jury. Winners were selected based on an evaluation system designed to include seven main requirements – idea, team, innovativeness, scalability, profitability, impact and pitching quality.
Applicants for the second edition of Startup Sharjah were selected from within the Sheraa Online School, a five-week course designed to mentor students of grades 10 to 12 on building a business.
Najla Al Midfa, CEO of Sheraa, said, “We are incredibly proud of the innovative ideas the students have developed in such a short amount of time— these changemakers are proving that you are never too young to make a difference in the world. We look forward to seeing them continue to fulfill their immense potential, and to offer our support to any talented young founder looking to take the next step on their startup journey.”
Al-Furat is a device that assists in re-using unused water from taps with the help of LiDAR sensors that create a 3D virtual image of the path taken by the water once it leaves the tap. If the sensor determines that water was wasted, it would be transferred to a clean channel that transports it to an Al Furat chlorination facility.
Second Place: Fen Virtual Art Platform
Fen Virtual Art Platform is an app that brings together artists looking to sell their art pieces.
Third Place Tie: The Ozonator
The Ozonator is a device that is completely powered by solar panels and can be used to kill bacteria, viruses and protozoan. It will be used to turn contaminated river water into drinkable water giving residents a clean steady source.
Third Place Tie: Life On Land
A concept that uses solar panels to produce clean water from atmosphere humidity.
