The top prize at Quick Startup 2017 went to a Qatar University (QU) team with an innovative idea for wirelessly charging batteries while one walks. The batteries can charge smartphones, game controls, cameras, and glasses for the visually impaired.
Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q) hosted the annual three-day competition for entrepreneurial college students and recent graduates. This year, a record 80 participants from nine universities attended Quick Startup.
QU fielded the winning team for the second year in a row. This year’s top team included Ahmed Abdulmalik, Tarek Chriki, Zainab Elmandi, Abeer Malik, Rabia Mughal, and Zaid Ahmad Mughal.
Last year’s winning team included two QU graduates who used their Quick Startup experience to carve out a career in Qatar’s budding entrepreneurial sector.
The second place in the competition went to a CMU-Q team of Mohamed al-Hor, Andreea Nan, Sherif Rizk, and Maryam al-Naemi for their project, “Food Saver.” A team from College of the North Atlantic-Qatar (CNA-Q) finished third.
The competition was sponsored by QNB, which provided prizes to the top three teams. Khalid Majid al-Naemi, the assistant general manager for small and medium enterprises at QNB, presented the awards.
“QNB is pleased to sponsor Quick Startup as part of its efforts to help develop a robust private sector in Qatar,” he said while adding that it is inspiring to see all the hard work that went into developing these great business ideas. Ilker Baybars, dean and CEO of CMU-Q, commented: “To thrive, startups need a healthy economic climate, strong mentorship and a network of like-minded professionals. We are pleased to help contribute to this burgeoning community in Qatar.”