Ideathon, Start-Up Demo Finalists Named for ArabNet 2011

ArabNet, the largest gathering for the Arab web/mobile industry, today announced the finalists and runners-up for the forums’ annual competitions; the Ideathon and the Startup Demo.

The ArabNet Shift Digital Summit brings together Arab web executives, entrepreneurs, developers, investors, NGOs and media, to discuss the latest trends and technologies in the sector. The four-day event, which takes place in Beirut on March 22-25, hosts the two annual competitions for upcoming entrepreneurs.

The Ideathon aims at turning bright ideas into functional products. Selected finalists from around the region will be given the chance to present their ideas in two minutes in front of investors, incubators, and developers. The top three ideas (selected from hundreds of qualified entries from around the region) will receive big cash prizes and support in building prototypes of their ideas!

The finalists and runner-ups for the Ideathon are as follows:

Finalists:

1- Abraham Kamarack – Qatar - Visualize Bookmark

2- Alexandra Tohme – UAE - Online Lingerie Store

3- Attieh Almatrafi – KSA - Informative website about loans & car rent rules and regultation

4- Elias Debbas – UAE - Mobile Classifieds

5- Evelyn Zoubi – Jordan - eCloset - a virtual wardrobe

6- Mohd Samah Al Sheikh – UAE - Online video library for schools in the Middle East

specifically UAE

7- Shadi Salameh – KSA - Jomlh.com is a platform can help suppliers (retail & wholesale) to sell their products or services online

8- Sherif Maktabi – Lebanon - Vida Card

9- Tariq Jaber – KSA - n2oot.com - Gifting website

10- TJ Quinn - Egypt - Mobile app based on tourism game

Runners-up

1- Alaa Khalifa – Egypt - Presto - wireless internet access

2- Ehab Alhrakey – Syria - Interactive Online news website (media monitoring)

3- Huda Al Wahidi – Palestine - Semantic search engine (Dr.Know)

4- Mashhour Bani Amer – Jordan - Mobile Phone-Based Healthcare System

5- Pierre Daher – UAE - Mimix - easy way to communicate with hearing disabled

The Startup Demo supports early-stage start-ups and helps them grow their business. Selected startup entrepreneurs will be given 5 minutes on stage to showcase their product and convince the audience and judges of its market potential. The start-ups will be given exhibition spaces during the conference, where they can network with investors, executives and media to build the relationships they need to help them grow.

The finalists and runner-ups for the Startup Demo are as follows:

Finalists:

1- Ala Alsallal – Jordan - Jamalon is an online bookstore operating from Jordan which aims to offer a high quality service at the best possible price for people in the Arab World.

2- Asad Akbar – Jordan - Edufina provides research and planning tools to pre-University and University students.

3- Danny Haber – UK - Nuqudy is an Arabic financial news and trading portal that provides Arab investors with original and high quality regional and international content.

4- Hassan Baydoun – USA - Cashbury is a location-enabled mobile payment platform combined to a reward system from your favorite places.

5- Karanveer Singh – UAE - iShopaholic is a shopping guide app that includes mall directories with access to huge savings based on location.

6- Karim Helal – UAE - Monaqasat is an online eTendering solution/platform that enables users to work with tenders in an easy, secure, cost and time efficient way.

7- Mahmoud Abu-Wardeh – UAE - zeedna is a web-based social publishing platform to build sites in many configurations and with an integrated online social and commercial presence.

8- Rafah Alkhatib – KSA - 3eesho is an Arab health social network built to deliver information, support, and content to increase the awareness of health issues.

9- Rami Farah – Syria - Toosal is a travel comparison website that covers low cost airlines in the MENA region providing users with the best deals available.

10- Samer Abdin – UAE - Istikana is an online portal providing premium on-demand classic Arab TV content.

Runners-up

1- Amad Almsaodi – USA - AqarMap is an online portal that links real estate sellers directly with the buyers, and eliminates the middleman.

2- Amjad Shahrour – Jordan - eSimsar offers a comprehensive online property management system for professional property management companies and property owners.

3- Daniel Neuwirth – Lebanon - Shahiya.com is a food portal for Arabic and English speaking foodies that have a special interest in food from the Arab region

4- Elie-Gregoire Khoury – Lebanon - Dermandar is an online service that allows anyone with a digital camera to easily produce a 360 panoramic image that can be shared on social networks or embedded in a website.

5- Saleh Al-Zaid – KSA - TwitEmail lets twitter users share rich content emails easily and quickly through twitter.

6- Sherif Abaza – UAE - me360 is a smart phone application with social media integration that helps users find information about businesses and locations around them.

“ArabNet brings together young entrepreneurs and leaders from the web and mobile industries, giving them a chance to not only present to a panel of prominent judges but also an opportunity to network with some of the most influential players in the region,” said Omar Christidis, ArabNet’s Founder.

Registration for the conference remains open however seats are limited. For more information on the ArabNet Summit and to register please visit: http://arabnet.me/