Singapore-based food technology start-up TurtleTree Labs won the Entrepreneurship World Cup 2020, the world's biggest start-up pitch competition in Saudi Arabia, and secured a cash prize of $500,000.
The contest was hosted by the Misk Global Forum that concluded in Riyadh on Monday.
"Despite the constraints of Covid-19, this year’s virtual gathering was bigger and better than before,” Badr Al Badr, the Misk Foundation's chief executive, said.
"At Misk we believe that immense difficulties present great opportunities, but only to those who are active and adaptive. We don’t see Generation X, Y, or Z, or 'millennials'; we see 'Generation Solve' – defined around young people’s potential to turn challenges into youth-led solutions.”
The winning start-up TurtleTree creates milk sustainably using cell-based technology. It works with dairy brands, healthcare and nutrition companies, dairy processors and confectionery brands globally.
“We are addressing the value gap created by an insufficient and unsustainable animal-based dairy industry,” the company’s founder Fengru Lin said.
“Our approach involves working with mammalian cells … so they can be cultured, differentiated and induced to lactate,” she said.
Canadian Cleantech start-ups Flite Material Sciences and Genecis Bioindustries won the second and the third prizes worth $250,000 and $100,000 respectively.
Flite uses lasers to change the surface of materials so that they protect themselves from rust, ice, fouling and pathogens, without toxic chemical coatings.
“Our clean, patented technique can protect human life, make safer products and improve industrial products in almost every industry,” Dan Cohen, founder of the company said.
Genecis uses bacteria and synthetic biology tools to transform organic waste into high value materials and chemicals.
“Our first product line is marine biodegradable polymers that can be used to make thermo-resistant packaging, pharmaceutical products and 3D printing filaments,” Robert Celik, Genecis founder, said.
The EWC received entries from more than 175,000 start-ups from nearly 200 countries.
Over 1,000 shortlisted start-ups pitched at 65 national finals held across six continents this year, organised and judged by entities from the local entrepreneurship ecosystem.
The top 10 finalists competed on Monday for cash prizes totalling $1 million. The top 100 finalists will also receive a package of in-kind services valued at $850,000 each.
EWC attracted more than 100,000 applicants from 187 countries in its inaugural event last year.
Besides awarding the top three start-ups, there were four “category awards” that fetched each company a cash reward of $50,000.
The UAE-based Key2enable Assistive Technology, which empowers children with disabilities using a set of assistive technology, was awarded in best growth category.
Key2enable designs tools that accelerate users’ communication and learning process and help them to become self-sufficient.
“Our revenue comes from direct sales plus monthly subscription plans,” said Jose Rubinger Filho, company’s founder.
“First, we understand their [users] needs … then, we indicate the best one [solution] in a subscription-based plan.”
Other winners of the category prizes include the US-based health and wellness companies Rubitection (best early stage) and Vuetech Health Innovations (best idea), and Saudi Arabia-based education technology start-up BrightSign (best social).
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The years Ramadan fell in May
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Our House, Louise Candlish,
Simon & Schuster
The years Ramadan fell in May
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Mamo Year it started: 2019 Founders: Imad Gharazeddine, Asim Janjua Based: Dubai, UAE Number of employees: 28 Sector: Financial services Investment: $9.5m Funding stage: Pre-Series A Investors: Global Ventures, GFC, 4DX Ventures, AlRajhi Partners, Olive Tree Capital, and prominent Silicon Valley investors. UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
More on Quran memorisation:
MATCH INFO
Serie A
Juventus v Fiorentina, Saturday, 8pm (UAE)
Match is on BeIN Sports
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
