ريادة الأعمال

According to The Stuttering Foundation, more than 70 million people worldwide are affected by stuttering. The speech disorder not only affects and interrupts the communication experience but could oftentimes lead children and adults to feel anxious in public settings.

Takalam, a Jordanian-based startup and MIT Arab Startup Competition Finalist, is setting out to find solutions for stutterers and speech disorders by using Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and software development.

Started in May 2018 and set to launch on 1st December 2019, Takalam has developed a mobile app and a linked device made up of a specialized hardware that works through each patient’s speech recognition, and in turn provides them with feedback and evaluations based on their speech fluency.

Stuttering Therapy and Digitization

So how does Takalam really work to improve speech fluency? Firstly, the device consists of an ear piece and microphone that picks up the sound and vocal vibrations of the stutterer and sends it back in real time through a process called “choral effect.” Simply put, choral effect works by altering and improving the speech accordingly, and finally sends it back through the device in real-time to the stutterer. This enables stutterers to hear the right sounds as they talk; and through more and more practice, they’re able to improve their speech fluency.

Takalam not only helps patients but also helps speech therapists as well. In fact, Takalam is the first device in the Arab world to make use of Stuttering Severity Instrument (SSI) that provides speech therapists with accurate assessments. Instead of the old traditional pen to paper evaluations, therapists will be able to have access to evaluations of each and every patient and see how far they are improving through Takalam’s hardware results. In other words, Takalam helps mimic, simplify, and complement each speech therapist’s efforts.

Artificial Intelligence for Speech Therapy

A great characteristic of AI is machine learning where Takalam will pick up the patient’s daily improvements and guide them further to speaking fluently. In other words, “Takalam learns from you and your improvements and works accordingly based on that,” said Abdallah Al-Faris, the Co-Founder at Takalam. Through this, patients will be able to monitor their progress and improve whenever they speak. With Takalam, stutterers can practice and work on their speech everyday instead of having to wait for their next appointment to make a visit to their therapist.

Young Jordanian talent is on the rise

Entrepreneurship is a growing scene in Jordan. The Takalam team is made up of five partners: four graduates and their professor from the University of Petra that are part of their university’s business incubator SIQ. The team is also a part Umniah’s startup incubator, The Tank, where they benefited with support on business development, legal and financial advice, workshops, and networking and investment opportunities through Umniah’s partners in Jordan and the region. They were also given the opportunity to be part of the Mobile World Congress (MWC), where they were able to showcase to visitors the efficiency and benefits of their product.

Abdallah Al-Faris said, “While Takalam has succeeded in being a finalist at the MIT Arab Startup Competition and a part of Umniah’s incubation, at the end it’s all about the team members – a team with the same goal is an essential part to every startup’s success.”

Takalam started upon seeing a need that people wanted to improve in their country. Although young, the startup is on a path to success to helping stutterers’ voices be heard.

What do you get when you merge an impact designer with a tech developer? You get Whyise, Amman-based impact analytics startup that has risen to success in a relatively short period of time (one year to be exact) amongst organizations and investors in Jordan.

In 2018, Reem Khouri and Eyad Hodiani began their Whyise journey together after realizing that many corporations faced a common challenge – Data. Most organizations lack data, and even if they do have data, they don’t usually have access to the data real-time or they lack the ability to analyze that information, attain insights, understand the trends that are happening and finally design solutions based on evidence.

Khouri comes from a background of working with the private sector, not-for-profit community organizations and impact design after having worked with Aramex for a few years while Hodiani has more than 25 years of experience in technology development and managing projects related to operating systems. After witnessing a problem first-hand, the Whyise team saw this as an opportunity to design a solution that solves the problem of accessing and analyzing data. “Everything we developed and designed was actually led by what people and customers want. And we did this through a design thinking approach,” explained Khouri.

A data solution for all

Whyise was created with a purpose in mind – to bring more visibility to organizations and their impact in real-time so that they can be smarter about their initiatives, products, or services.

By providing more transparency, organizations will be able to assess their operations. As Khouri says, “In 2019, everything is about evidence based impact and so many organizations don’t have access to the data and information they need to exponentially multiply the impact of their products and services.”

For instance, a business can automate its sustainability reporting through Whyise and have access to real time analytics on the impact their initiatives have created but more importantly see the correlation between their sustainable business practices and overall performance, including the change they created for stakeholders, where and how their resources were deployed, and how their sustainability initiatives generated profits and/or savings.

In the case of investors and funders that use the impact analytics platform, they’ll be able to conduct their due diligence through the platform and seamlessly measure and assess how their resources are being deployed and whether they are creating a positive impact. The fact that they won’t have to wait to make assessments and evaluations and intervene in real time based on data allows them to be more efficient, transparent and multiply their impact.

Through this, organizations will be able to make evidence-based decisions. The genuity here is that organizations will be able to design impactful initiatives, products or services and deploy resources transparently. Khouri went on to say, “It’s really about bringing clients the evidence they need to design and deploy resources for exponential impact.”

A promising entrepreneurship journey in Jordan

Now made up with a team of seven, the Whyise endeavor is already on a promising path to success. They have already secured investment from Amman-based accelerator Propeller and were selected aong other promising Jordanian startups by Beyond Capital to join their scale-up program.

Propeller and Beyond Capital have both helped match and connect Whyise with potential clients, and mentors that have helped with some aspects of the solution design, guidance, fundraising, pricing and even recruitment.

“As a company, I think the most challenging experience throughout our journey is the race against time – from onboarding clients to even developing new features. Also, considering the fact that we are a tech-driven business, some skills are difficult to find in the local market, such as product managers, data analysts and scientists.”

A spotlight on big data and AI

These days, AI is attracting a lot of attention especially when it comes to data. Khouri explains, “We have partnered with Mondobrain to bring augmented intelligence, a mix of human and artificial intelligence to provide clients with the ability to understand the variables affecting their impact and create scenarios and simulations for better decision making.

Looking at the next five years, Khouri hopes individuals will see just how important data truly is. Only through data that is available can organizations and governments be able to design much better solutions, have more transparency and accountability. Khouri says, “Technology can be a tool to multiply impact and reduce corruption, we need more transparency and accountability on how resources are deployed and how investments and aid money are being disbursed.”

What is the future of Whyise after garnering such strong success?

The startup further plans on a geographic expansion with the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and the US in mind. But another important aspect lies on enabling impact-based smart contracts. By deploying and leveraging technology, businesses can then benefit by “less is more,” meaning they can utilize the Whyise platform to the lower percentage of their costs for a higher impact.

When asked on how Whyise was able to achieve such success, Khouri said, “We have a world class team that believe in the mission and vision. Through a holistic cultural fit, we are able to grow and succeed together.”

Whyise is certainly a great example of Jordan’s talented and high-skill entrepreneurs that are rising to success while they impact the future and beyond.

A language with more than 400 million speakers, the official tongue of 22 countries, and one of the six official languages of the United Nations, Arabic has been a treasure for millions ever since the fourth century. With a rich history that has developed through an era dominated by poetic tradition and entrenched in art through beautiful calligraphy, Arabic has, and still influences many languages around the globe and is the fifth most spoken language in the world. Believing in preserving such a well-kept treasure, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II launched the “Daad” initiative to further preserve the place of the Arabic language in an era of increased globalization and digitization.

In reference to the distinctive sound made when pronouncing the letter “Daad”, the crown prince has launched such an initiative with a goal of stressing on the importance of conserving and developing the Arabic language and its content in today’s world. Through the Crown Prince Foundation, the initiative hopes to serve as a unique model for the youth who seek to highlight such an identity and are keen on making a positive impact along the way. In order to achieve such an aspiration, the model seeks to blend its youthful component with the language through the use of modern-day communication technology and the Internet.

In its essence, and according to a Royal Court statement, the initiative also aims to train Arabic youth ambassadors who would promote the language in disciplines ranging from scientific, technological and communications. Working on making such an initiative a successful one, the youth taking part in the latter will work on achieving its main goals that include:

– Developing techniques that digitally enable the Arabic language online.

– Establishing and strengthening the various platforms for communicating in Arabic

– Enhancing the skills of the Arabic ambassadors in order to unlock their full potential.

Parallel to its goals, the initiative is keen on implementing a plethora of activities to reach the latter in accordance with its set policies. In the month of June for example, the ambassadors will be sitting for a world-renowned Neuro-Linguistic programming workshop and will be launching an on-ground take-over of one of the capital’s streets, where they will ask the visitors to solely speak Arabic in the ultimate aim of promoting the initiative.

As Arabic plays an essential part in this region and as it is a language spoken by almost half a billion speakers around the world, such initiatives stand as a guardian for such a treasure and as a gateway to a world where the language is valued as much as it should be. Yet, an initiative alone does not have the power to unlock the potential of Arabic in its Jordanian home; the Jordanians in themselves have the most prominent role to play in realizing such potential and in spreading the mission of the initiative.

The startup scene in the Middle East has been booming and growing exponentially in the past few years and shows no signs of slowing down. The region’s young tech entrepreneurs are not only embracing technology but are developing creative solutions and turning those into exciting business models that resonate with the demands of the tech-savvy generation.

With smartphone usage increasing in the region and only expected to rise, home grown apps are making way to some of the largest platforms that are transforming and simplifying people’s lives. E-commerce, ride-sharing apps, and online services are fast becoming some of the biggest breakthroughs coming from the Middle East, fueling high employment despite the tough economic environment and taking a wide interest from international investors looking to expand in the region.

Maktoob

One of the first success stories to come out from the Middle East is Maktoob, the first and largest Arabic email service provider founded in Amman, Jordan in 2000 by self-starter and now serial entrepreneur Samih Toukan. Upon completing his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Europe, Toukan began his entrepreneurial journey. He became heavily interested and invested in creating a platform for Arabs, most notably Arab speakers, that would serve as an email provider and deliver the latest Arabic content in sports, business and news. According to TechCrunch, Maktoob grew “from 6 million unique visitors in June 2008 to 21.8 million a year later… Its page views have grown to 1.1 billion over the same time frame.” And in 2009, Yahoo! joined forces and acquired Maktoob for $85 million according to sources, as a chance to expand into the region. During the time, not many global companies had invested in the Arab world, so Maktoob certainly set the trend for many more success stories to come.

Souq.com

Founded in in Dubai in 2005 by Syrian entrepreneur and chief executive Ronaldo Mouchawar, Souq.com is the largest online e-commerce site in the Arab world. After a successful 12-year run, Amazon.com Inc. fully acquired Souq.com in 2017 for $580 million in cash. During the company’s early days, Souq.com was merely an auction site, but Mouchawar’s long term vision was to connect Arabs to products and things they need. He ended up not only disrupting traditional markets but filled a gap that many around him had overseen – and that was making products accessible to everyone in the region. Upon its successful acquisition, Souq.com had already served 50 million consumers in the region with over 8.4 million products to choose from across 31 categories. Amazon’s acquisition is paving the company’s way into a growing, untapped and hugely potential market.

MarkaVIP

Another success story coming from Amman, Jordan is MarkaVIP, the flash sales online shopping website for the latest fashion trends and luxury goods. Launched in 2010 by Ahmed Alkhatib and Amer Abulaila, the e-commerce site rose to success and fame in less than two years and was able to attract two million registered subscribers at the same time. And so, it is no surprise that its domino effect also attracted Jollychic, one of the largest Chinese online stores that is also a top ranking in the Middle East. And so, in 2017 Jollychic acquired MarkaVIP for an undisclosed sum; and prior to that, Jollychic had already raised $1.5 million in a Series B funding and obtained a value of $1 billion in a Series C round from global venture Sequoia Capital, officially claiming a ‘unicorn’ title.

Dubizzle

Founded in 2005, Dubizzle is Dubai’s leading classified website, that serves as a free online platform enabling users to buy and sell whatever they need within their city – from apartments, to electronics, clothes, appliances, and much more. Upon moving to Dubai and trying to find a job, a place to live, and second-hand home items, JC Butler found that there was an evident gap in the market he needed to fill and in return make people’s lives much easier in finding what they need. What started off a small site is now of the leading platforms in the Arab world. Dubizzle immediately garnered attention and was first acquired by South Africa’s Naspers in 2011 – the company acquired 25% of market share and in 2013 acquired 53.6% of the company through its subsidiary OLX. Finally, in 2019, Naspers fully acquired Dubizzle for a total of $190 million.

Careem

One of the most recent success stories that is now known to be the Middle East’s first unicorn startup is Careem, the region’s 7-year old ride hailing service. The company’s highly achieved success in the region has make it Uber’s biggest competitor yet. Seeing that safety is one of the most fundamental in the region, Careem provided a hotline option within the app so that drivers can call in real time if they need any help. Attempting to expand deeper within the competitive region, Uber fully acquired Careem for $3.1 billion. This joint force will enable both companies to help and improve people’s lives whether they are riders or drivers.

The Middle East is certainly filled with bright minds that see an opportunity for growth and potential possibilities in the long term. They are able to introduce new ideas, apps, and businesses for the convenience of the region. By overcoming challenges and filling an existing gap in each market, they have created some breakthrough ideas for the people and region that use them.

You have a startup and you have prepared its business model and go-to-market plan. What’s the next step? A pitch! You need to craft a great pitch for your startup to investors! A successful pitch is your ultimate way to secure funds and get your startup on its feet.

The Tank, by Umniah organized an event in partnership with Seedstars, during which 10 startups pitched their business to a panel of hand selected jury members, and a diverse audience of 100 entrepreneurs, investors and ecosystem players.

It’s time to pitch your startup to promising success with these 8 simple and effective tips!

Prepare a killer pitch deck and use visuals

Avoid using a lot of text and try to replace it with images, charts and graphics. Visuals do not only make your presentation more attractive but are a sure-fire way to lock into your audience’s memory. Make sure to use the right visual aids that can act as a reference during your presentation in the rare cases that you forget what you want to say. One important thing to keep in mind is to add your startup’s brand color and font type throughout the presentation. Consistency is key.

Tell a story

One thing that most successful entrepreneurs have in common is the ability to tell great stories. Telling a story that ties with your idea helps create a narrative structure to your presentation. So, try to incorporate your story early on to your presentation to engage your audience from the beginning. Paint the picture of startup story and share it in a simple and effective way as it will help you integrate your data and information in an interesting way. This method can boost your pitch as it will help you communicate and integrate all the facts, statistics and information in a memorable way.

Research your audience first

In most competitions, an email would be sent to contestants with the names of the jury members. Make sure to use this information for your advantage. Research about the members and find out what are their disciplines, demographics, values and interests. Just look for any piece of information that will allow you to build common grounds with the audience.

Research your audience first

In most competitions, an email would be sent to contestants with the names of the jury members. Make sure to use this information for your advantage. Research about the members and find out what are their disciplines, demographics, values and interests. Just look for any piece of information that will allow you to build common grounds with the audience.

Focus on problems and solutions

Think of the big picture here. What really makes your startup different than the numerous ones popping up each and every day? What are some problems people seem to face and are overlooked that only you can be able to solve effectively?
Start your presentation with the problem and gradually end it with your solutions. Also present the potential take-aways that both consumers and product owners will attain through this. If you’ve already managed to take your startup to the real world, investors could appreciate that and this could help set you apart as your idea is not only just a fictional concept.

Keep your eye out on the competition

Competition is inescapable in the business world. Investors are very well aware of that and what they are interested to hear is how your startup stands out from the crowded competition. So, be mindful of what it is that you can offer that is unique, innovative, and a step ahead of the game.

Focus on the unique value proposition of your product

Your aim is to sell your idea to investors and that’s why you should always highlight the unique value proposition of your product and how it’s different. Convince them why they should invest their money in what you are offering. Try to include a phrase or a slogan in every slide that pertains to the unique identity of your product, so that it subconsciously sticks to their minds.

Answer questions smartly

Sometimes it’s all about how you present yourself confidently. A well-prepared presenter is someone who anticipates the questions the jury might ask. Present your pitch in front of someone who has no idea about your startup and note down their questions and prepare answers accordingly. If you are asked a question that you don’t have an answer to, simply say “That’s actually a great idea which my team and I will discuss and integrate into our project” or “We would definitely like to discuss this with you during the coffee break”.

Practice, practice, practice

As the old saying goes: “Practice makes perfect.” Practicing will help you ace the pitch. The more you practice, the more confident you’ll be when presenting. Every time you practice, you lessen the chances of you forgetting what to say as it enables you to focus more on building a connection with the audience and attracting their attention. Make sure to time yourself and keep your presentation in under 20 minutes long.

Finally, as nerve-wrecking it could be to some as you will be the centerpiece of the room with all eyes on you, try to maintain eye-contact with audience. This simple and most repeated advice will definitely keep investors engaged. Remember, even nerves can be used as energy. So, use that energy to your advantage and move around if you can. In fact, that can signal you as being confident and honest.

Last but not least, keep a smile on your face. Now are you ready to ace that pitch and transform your idea to reality?

تعتبر المملكة الأردنية الهاشمية واحدة من أقطاب الدول العربية التي تميّزت في مجال ريادة الأعمال وتشهد نجاحاً ملحوظاً في هذا المجال. فلقد اهتّم الأردن باكراً بهذا القطاع من خلال إنشاء مراكز وجمعيات منذ عام 1995 ، لتمكين المجتمع ودعم وتطوير الشباب وتوجيههم نحو المسارات الانتاجية. ومع مطلع الألفية تم إنشاء مركز الملكة رانيا للريادة، وهو منظمة غير ربحية، تحت مظلة جامعة الأميرة سمية للتكنولوجيا، حيث يقوم بتنمية ريادة الأعمال في الأردن من خلال مبادرة ريادة الأعمال التقنية التي تركز على التشبيك وتنمية الوعي والتدريب والدعم والتمويل. وهكذا تطور المشهد الريادي في الأردن عاماً بعد عام ليشكل دعامة أساسية في الاقتصاد الوطني وليتخطى عدد المؤسسات والمشاريع والبرامج التي تعنى بريادة الأعمال 150 مؤسسة وبرنامجاً.

 شركة أمنية وانطلاقاً من إيمانها بأهمية نشر ثقافة الريادة والابتكار وتوفير بيئة حاضنة ومحفزة للرياديين الأردنيين والشركات الناشئة، ترجمت رؤيتها هذه من خلال إنشاء حاضنة أمنية لريادة الأعمال The Tank في مجمع الملك الحسين للأعمال.
يعمل The Tank على توفير الدعم لرياديي قطاع الاتصالات وتقنية المعلومات من خلال مساعدتهم على تطوير وتنمية أفكارهم والتعرف على الآلية التي يجب إتباعها لتحويل أفكارهم إلى مشاريع ناجحة. كما توفر هذه المنصة فرصة التشبيك مع مستثمرين محليين وعالميين بالإضافة إلى تقديم العديد من البرامج وتنظيم ورشات تدريب وتوعية واستضافة المؤتمرات والندوات المتخصصة لتأهيل وتنمية المهارات الشخصية والإبداعية للرياديين.

ولم تتوقف جهود أمنية عند حدود ما تقدمه في The Tank بل تعمل على دعم العديد من المبادرات في هذا المجال ومن بينها مبادرة 1000 ريادي. وفي هذا الإطار استضاف The Tank حدث ‘Meet with Mentors’ بهدف توفير المساعدة للشركات الناشئة في جميع المجالات على كيفية دراسة أفكارهم ومشاريعهم وتقييمها ولقاء عدد من الموجهين والمستثمرين والاطلاع على وجهة نظرهم ورؤيتهم لبيئة العمل وما يمكن توقعه خلال رحلة ريادة الأعمال. وشهدت فعالية Meet with Mentors مشاركة واسعة من قبل الرياديين الأردنيين الشباب ومجموعة من أبرز الموجهين في عالم الاتصالات وتقنية المعلومات وريادة الأعمال وعلى رأسهم الرئيس التنفيذي لشركة أمنية زياد شطارة والرئيسة التنفيذية لمؤسسة عبد الحميد شومان فالنتينا قسيسية و رئيس قسم الشركات الصغيرة والمتوسطة في بنك الاتحاد محمود بدوان والرئيس التنفيذي للصندوق الأردني للريارة مهاب مرّار ورئيس هيئة جمعية ” إنتاج” الدكتور بشار الحوامدة.

وكان المشاركون قد ناقشوا من خلال جلسة حوارية موسّعة أسباب وسبل رعاية ودعم الشركات الناشئة. وخصصت جلسات للقاء الموجهين: الشريك الإداري والمؤسس لشركة South Point نضال قناديلو والشريك الإداري في سيليكون باديا إميل قبيسي ومدير الاستشاريون العرب لتنمية الاعمال Arabian Business Consultants for Development ليث القاسم ومدير مؤسسة إنجاز سليم كرادشة بالإضافة إلى مستثمرين بارزين والاستماع إلى تجاربهم ونصائحهم، حيث تم تقسيم الرياديين إلى فرق بناءً على نوعية مشاريعهم وأتيحت الفرصة لكل فريق لعرض مشاريعهم أمام المستثمرين والموجهين.

ويذكر أن هذه الأحداث والفعاليات تساهم في تنمية ثقافة الابتكار بين الشباب الأردني عبر لقاء موجهين ومستثمرين بارزين من شأنهم توضيح كافة تفاصيل وخبايا هذا العالم المتسارع النمو، وبالتالي مساعدة كل ريادي على اختبار وتطوير أفكاره وتحويلها إلى مشاريع ملموسة تسهم في دعم الاقتصاد الأردني.