The event featured over 100 school and university students presenting their revolutionary business ideas to the elite judging panel

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 30 May 2024: INJAZ UAE, a member of INJAZ Al-Arab and Junior Achievement (JA) Worldwide, the world’s largest non-profit business education organisation, hosted the 15th edition of its annual ‘National Company Program Competition’ at the Waldorf Astoria, Palm Jumeirah in Dubai.

The competition which celebrates the achievements of student companies demonstrating sound knowledge in business planning, marketing, sales, and financial literacy, saw over 100 students this year, representing schools and universities across the UAE. A total of 14 teams were qualified to compete for several prestigious awards and showcase their innovative projects, entrepreneurial skills, and creativity to the esteemed panel of judges from the private sector.

The flagship “Company of the Year” university prize was awarded to team “Itifaq”, and “Company of the Year” school prize was awarded to team “Limitless”. “Product of the Year” was given to team” Pitch Play Pro”, “CEO of the Year” was given to Yusur Manar from team “DetermineU” from the High School track and Maryam Al Ansari from team “Itifaq” from the University track. Nestle’s “Marketing & Sales Award” was given to team “Revive” and Honeywell’s “Sustainability Award” was given to team “Algo”. “Khatwa” was recognized as the company with the “Best Social Impact”.

The competition was hosted alongside key collaborative strategic partners including Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, U.S. Mission to the UAE, Accenture, Marsh McLennan, ExxonMobil, Honeywell and Nestle.

The school competition track included judges Tarek Lotfy from Mercer, Fares Antoun from Bank of America, Sergej Pracevic from Nestle, David Ramos from HSBC, Fathi Finaish from Mubadala Investment Company, Ghiya Al-Haj-Hasan from Honeywell and Izabella Szadowska from Al Tamimi & Co. For the university track, judges included Hamda Al Shamali from Mashreq Bank, Mario Alfredo Barilli from Accenture, Laura Barrett from JP Morgan.

Eric Gaudiosi, Deputy Chief of Mission, U.S. Embassy in Abu Dhabi commended the competition for its role in nurturing young entrepreneurs in the UAE. He stated, “The collaboration between the United States and the UAE in initiatives like the INJAZ’s National Company Program Competition illustrates our shared commitment to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship, strengthening business and trade ties between our countries. I am genuinely impressed by the creativity, ambition and drive the students have shown today, and I am confident that their contributions will have a lasting impact on both the national and regional economies. Congratulations to all the participants for their remarkable achievements.”

”Razan Bashiti, Chief Executive Officer of INJAZ UAE, commented 'Year after year the National Company Program Competition continues to prove the exceptional potential, courage, determination and creativity of the UAE youth. It is those leadership qualities and our shared human capital that made the UAE what it is today. It is a privilege to celebrate this year’s participants and I am thrilled to witness how the energy and ambition of our students transforms into the tangible economic and social impact.”

The National Company Program sees classrooms transform to students’ enterprises in 25 weeks, where students are offered advanced mentorship from key experts within the business community. By learning the complexities of running a business, financial literacy, and team building, students enhance their business skills and entrepreneurial knowledge. Designed to enrich the learning experience of participating students, the program provides a venue for students to bring their creative ideas to life by learning practical steps to start up their own entrepreneurial companies. Winners of the programme will go on to participate in INJAZ Al-Arab’s Young Entrepreneurship Competition.