"HAWDAJ" the 36th team to qualify for this year's MIT semi-finalist round

This story is provided by MIT Enterprise Forum - Pan-Arab Region.

Egyptian “HAWDAJ” ” has been selected as one of the semi-finalist teams for this year’s MIT Enterprise Forum Pan Arab Region Start-Up Competition for the Ideas Track.

Undergraduate Hassan El-Zaher and Kamal El-Soueni are two ambitious and determined young persons that have been friends since their early childhood, and willing to launch HAWDAJ; a company specialized in providing on-the-go green solutions to mobile electronic devices like phones, tablets, laptops. The first product intended to be designed by the company will be an iPad cover with a solar charger.

Inspiration

“At the very start, we were driven by just our desire not to follow the clichéd path of simply graduating, then aspiring to work in a big company to actually fulfill somebody else's dream” says Hassan and Kamal. They want to launch something that is “for them” and that they passionate about even before graduating from college. They kept trying many ideas, conceiving and executing business plans until they finally came up with the most mature one: HAWDAJ or “iPad cover with solar”.

Something was different with this trial “We just got hooked up and it turned into real passion” the team clarifies. Hassan and Kamal expressed their readiness to do whatever it takes to bring it to life.

Problem & Solution

Based on a survey about iPad and iPhone owners in Cairo, HAWDAJ found out that 50.8% of iPad owners face battery problems, and 77.3% of iPhone owners face the same problems. There was absolutely no way to charge up other than through a direct power source or the annoying portable battery which just doesn't fit into a pocket. Another survey conducted two months ago shows that people prefer and are willing to buy covers with solar energy batteries rather than regular covers or covers with portable battery.

The project offers a green and echo-friendly solution through advanced technology. Manufactured products are reliable so owners can charge their devices without using any exhaustible energy resource. iPad/iPhone covers got solar panels that charge a battery built in the cover.

Advice for entrepreneurs

An entrepreneur must neve use "Not enough time as an excuse"; putting this in Hassan and Kamal minds is what urged them to move forward whenever they felt they’re overburdening themselves.

Find out more about HAWDAJ by:

Watching a video pitch about their project here

Following them on Twitter: @HAWDAJEgypt