IN the group of social entrepreneurship start-ups “Labayh” from Madinah and in the group of tech innovation start-ups “Lucidya” from Jeddah were the winners in the First German-Saudi start-up competition in Riyadh

Ten start-ups from all over the Kingdom competed for a four-day start-up tour to Germany. The competition at the Rosh Rayhaan Hotel here on Thursday was organized by the German-Saudi Arabian Liaison Office for Economic Affairs (GESALO) and was attended by Princess Johara Bint Talal as guest of honor.

Detecon Al-Saudia (DETASAD), an end-to-end ICT solution provider and a leading contributor of ICT sector of Saudi Arabia for more than 35 years, sponsored the 1st German-Saudi Startup Competition organized by GESALO. This event gave Saudi entrepreneurs the opportunity to pitch their business models to a jury. The winners will then represent their company at the MENA Business Forum in Berlin during a four-day startup tour in Germany. This will allow them to network with leading investors, potential partners, and other stakeholders in the startup ecosystem.

In his welcoming remarks, the delegate of German Industry and Commerce for Saudi-Arabia, Bahrain and Yemen, Oliver Oehms, explained, “Today is about start-ups and entrepreneurship and we will bring the two winning start-ups to Berlin to showcase promising Saudi start-ups at a very interesting conference, the MENA Business Forum. Small and medium-sized companies and innovative business ideas are the key drivers of the German economy and a growing sector in Saudi Arabia.”

Ambassador Dieter Haller commended the guest of honor for giving a wonderful example for Saudi entrepreneurs and for helping to empower Saudi women. Regarding the start-up competition he went on: “The Saudi start-up is as vital and dynamic as any other segment of the Saudi society. We have thought that we should bring the Saudi and the German start-up scene together and one of the most fertile places for start-ups is Berlin. I am so happy that the two winning start-ups will be invited to this important conference in Berlin. My hope is that we will establish a continuous platform for the exchange of ideas and best practices between German start-ups and Saudi start-ups.”

Following the official opening, the ten finalists from Riyadh, Jeddah, Dhahran, Taif and Madinah competed in two groups. They had two minutes to pitch their business ideas in front of the German-Saudi business community and a high-ranking jury, which had another two minutes for follow-up questions.

In the group of social entrepreneurship start-ups the winner was “Labayh” from Madinah. The project helps individuals who are suffering from family and psychological problems by useful free content and providing consultation sessions through a mobile app, which works as a point of connection between consultants and users.

In the group of tech innovation start-ups the winner was “Lucidya” from Jeddah. The company aims at empowering businesses in order to make smarter decisions by using artificial intelligence and big data technologies, so that they monitor and analyze all forms of digital media to understand and predict consumers’ thoughts.

The two winners will travel to Germany from April 11 to 14 and get the chance to pitch at the Mena Business Forum on April 12. Before and after the event, an exciting dive into the vibrant start-up ecosystem in Berlin awaits the entrepreneurs including individual meetings with successful German founders, investors, and experts.

Meanwhile, Felix Wass, president and CEO of Detecon Al Saudia, said, “We’re proud of our leadership position within the high technology space, and delighted to work together with the German Embassy, GESALO, and our partners to support development & building of a vibrant start-up ecosystem in the KSA ICT industry.”

He added: “Sponsoring this competition as an official partner of the German-Saudi Liaison Office for Economic Affairs (GESALO), is consistent with our corporate mission and is squarely within our vision of fostering creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship. DETASAD as a prime example of successful Saudi-German partnership with a track record of 36 years in ICT industry is committed to being a key contributor to the realization of Saudi Vision 2030.

“DETASAD is committed to supporting the Saudi youth start-up entrepreneurs and we believe in the Saudi youth’s high capabilities in ICT industry. DETASAD is not only sponsoring this event but will provide access to DETASAD cloud, other facilities as well as providing other logistical support to selected technology start-ups,” Wass said.

DETASAD, established in 1982 as a Saudi-German Company, and drawing on the technology leadership of Detecon International, a member of Deutsche Telekom Group, offers tailor-made solutions in Corporate Networks & Connectivity Solutions, ICT deployment solutions, managed services, data center and cloud solutions to corporate and governmental clients and is committed to contributing to the realization of Saudi Vision 2030. — SG