The fifth edition of the Seedstars Summit announced for the 12^th of April in Lausanne

SEEDSTARS SUMMIT 2018

12^th of April 2018

SwissTech Convention Center, EPFL

Lausanne – Switzerland

(we are a media partner to this event, the organizers offer a 10% discount to our network)

After a year of roaming the world and analyzing startup ecosystems in fast growing economies,

Seedstars is proud to present the grand finale of Seedstars World, the largest emerging markets startup competition. For its fifth anniversary, Seedstars promises its very best Summit to date, gathering 65+ handpicked startups coming from Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, Asia and Africa. Spanning a wide variety of verticals, from Fin-tech to Ed-tech, Med/Bio-tech, Agri-tech, Insure-tech, Clean-tech and High/Nano-tech, they will reunite in the SwissTech Convention Center in Lausanne, Switzerland to compete for different prizes and the title of Seedstars Global Winner, qualifying to win up to $1M in equity investment.

The 2018 edition will also attract startups enthusiasts, investors, business angels, government officials, incubators, NGOs and journalists from all over the world for an international and unique hands-on networking experience.

84% of the world’s population is located in emerging markets and 59% of global GDP comes from these markets. Figures and statistics confirm it, emerging markets are the future. Did you know that by 2025 annual consumption in emerging markets will reach $30trn? And that two-thirds of the global growth is coming from emerging markets?¹

Realizing that these figures represent opportunities to impact billions of lives, Seedstars has been connecting with the digital changemakers of the emerging world, to provide them with access to high growth opportunities. That is why, with the help of partners such as Innovaud, City of Lausanne, Enel, School of Management Fribourg (HEG Fribourg) & TRECC (Transforming Education in Cocoa Communities program, part of the Jacobs Foundation), BBVA, Tag Heuer, Merck KGaA and CVCI (Chambre Vaudoise du Commerce et de l’Industrie), the fifth edition of Seedstars Summit will be celebrated with the purpose to address crucial questions: where do we want to be five years from now regarding technology and innovation? How will the entrepreneurship from fast-growing markets impact the world economy?

The 2017 Seedstars Summit was a success, with more than 1’000 attendees from all over the world, around 60 startup finalists and 116 investors, who took part in more than 450 one-on-one meetings.

Speakers such as Bob Collymore , CEO of Safaricom, and Alexander Galitsky, Managing Partner of Almaz Capital, animated discussions around major themes of fast growing markets. The Best Woman Entrepreneur prize was awarded to Monica Abarca, from qAIRa (Peru), an air-pollution monitoring drone, whilst the most Innovative Startup prize was presented to PiQuant, a South Korean hardware startup dedicated to decreasing the harmful impact of chemicals in food. Nevertheless, the highlight of the event was the crowning of Mario Jordan Fetalino III, CEO of Acudeen Technologies (Philippines), as the Seedstars Global winner.

Though from different sectors, countries and industries, selected international startups which received a direct pass to Lausanne have a few things in common: they are all game-changers, innovators ready to tackle the industry challenges, and shape the future through technological impact on their community. Here you can find a list and short description about each one of them.

Over 70 experts from world renowned companies will spend two days (Monday and Tuesday)

mentoring the selected entrepreneurs, providing them with in-depth insights and business mentorship.

The Investor Forum will happen on Wednesday, when the startups will present their one minute pitches, and attend the one-on-one meetings with Swiss and international investors (curated by Seedstars), and when the 12 finalists will be announced. On Thursday, the main Summit day, there are several workshops in the morning. Two partnerships are already confirmed: Fedex will coordinate a workshop on the future of e-commerce and GSMA will conduct one about the collaboration between startups and telecom operators. Past editions featured experts from companies such as Google, Udacity, Merck KGaA , Nestle, Amazon, IBM and US Aid, and for this year many more are to be scheduled up until the event. In the afternoon, key speakers will take the stage to inspire attendees with their words and lead insightful discussions on the future of innovation in emerging markets, and the Global winner will be announced.

Four keynote speakers are already confirmed: Gwendolyn Regina, who most recently spearheaded Mashable’s global expansion into Asia; award recipient, tech founder and CEO of AppsTech Rebecca Enonchong, representing Africa; Tallis Gomes, one of the most outstanding references for entrepreneurship in Latam and Gibran Huzaifah, the Seedstars World Alumni superstar that will join the Summit on its 5^th anniversary. A fish-farmer-turned-agriculture-tech-entrepreneur, Gibran Huzaifah founded eFishery, the company that is revolutionizing the relatively untapped $5.4 billion-valued Indonesian aquaculture market.

On the investors side, Ace & Company, Omidyar Network, Index Ventures and 500startups will

be joining us, alongside many others from the US, Europe and emerging markets worldwide.

ABOUT SEEDSTARS

"They tried to bury us, they didn’t know we were seeds." - Mexican proverb

Seedstars is a Swiss based group with the mission to impact people’s lives in emerging markets through technology and entrepreneurship. Seedstars connects stakeholders, builds companies from scratch with public and private partners and invests in high growth startups within these ecosystems.

Through different activities, that range from startup scouting to company building and acceleration programs, the team has built the most powerful network of entrepreneurs, investors, incubators, corporations and government officials from 65+ fast growing economies around the globe. Seedstars group includes Seedstars World, a worldwide startup competition, sourcing the top talent in technology and entrepreneurship in emerging markets; Seedstars Growth, a three month virtual acceleration program; Seedspace, a network of coworking and co-living spaces now in 35+ countries and Seedstars Academy, a six months intensive training for aspiring local entrepreneurs on how to build sustainable businesses. Some of Seedstars main partners are Enel (Energy), School of Management Fribourg (HEG Fribourg) & Trecc (Education), BBVA (Finance), Tag Heuer (Fempreneurship and Innovation) and Merck KGaA (Health).

ABOUT SEEDSTARS WORLD

Seedstars World is the first global startup competition focused on emerging and fast-growing markets. For five years now, it has built a network in 65+ countries, with the teams traveling the world to source innovative startup investment opportunities. We run 80+ local competitions to identify the best seed-stage startups and host an inspirational set of disruptive tech and networking sessions. We also organise 5 regional Summits, reuniting all local winners of each region to network with speakers, investors, corporates, incubators, accelerators, governments and all other relevant stakeholders. Finally, Seedstars Summit, the competition’s final, is our exciting flagship event filled with breakout sessions, panel discussions, specialized workshops and the best minds from emerging markets, where local winners compete to be crowned Seedstars World Global Winner and win up to $1M in investment. In parallel, our virtual three month growth program focuses on improving the growth and traction for 10-20 startups selected from the local winners.

1. Sources: https://www.aesinternational.com/blog/e-is-for-emerging-markets-

//www.imf.org/external/datamapper/PPPSH@WEO/ADVEC/WEOWORLD/OEMDC/ADVEC/WEOWORLD/OEMDC?year=2018">http://www.imf.org/external/datamapper/PPPSH@WEO/ADVEC/WEOWORLD/OEMDC/ADVEC/WEOWORLD/OEMDC?year=2018>

https://www.aesinternational.com/blog/e-is-for-emerging-markets-

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-08-04/two-thirds-rising-global-growth-due-emerging-markets-and-9-other-interesting-facts

(العربية)

SA Entrepreneurs sat down with Ray Dargham, Founder & CEO, STEP Group, on the sidelines of the 2018 STEP Start Conference in Dubai to discuss the entrepreneurial landscape in the region and what does the future hold for this rapidly growing sector.

Up until recently, our global economy was dominated by industrialized nations who relied heavily on the availability of expensive and complex infrastructure for mining and processing natural resources and manufacturing. However, various significant developments, including the economic crisis of 2008, the spread of the internet and social media and the decreasing costs of technology have led to the disruption of this monopoly. Thus, allowing the emergence of a more inclusive economic model that has gradually increased the participation of formerly marginalized economies in the global market. That being said, these aren’t the only phenomena that have played a pivotal role in changing the dynamics of our global economy.

The unprecedented fusion of our physical, digital and biological worlds, in what’s now being called the Fourth Industrial Revolution, has also transformed our global economies by creating new and innovative industries. In addition to empowering a new generation of entrepreneurs who are re-imagining the products and services available in the market place and disrupting the traditional workforce by moving towards a work model that focuses more on flexibility and project-based work. The UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has also influenced the trajectory of our global markets by emphasizing the need to encourage growth that promotes more responsible social, economic and environmental practices.

The rapid developments of the digital economy have raised many questions about the future of work. Especially in the MENA region where many countries’ workforces are still made up of a large proportion of unskilled and informal laborers. Therefore, leaving many people in the Arab world concerned about their job security. However, this fear can’t stop the key stakeholders in the region from asking the hard questions that need to be asked in order to develop the educational and employment opportunities that will be needed to secure the economic future of the Arab world.

The current state of Arab youth

At the moment, youth under the age of 25 constitute nearly half of the MENA region’s population and more than a quarter of these young people are unemployed. However, this lack of unemployment isn’t the result of a lack of education. According to The Future of Jobs and Skills in the Middle East and North Africa report published by the World Economic Forum in May 2017, “university graduates make up nearly 30% of the total pool of unemployed in the region, with two in five MENA graduates out of a job.” So, why are so many young people struggling to find employment opportunities?

The problem lies in the ever-growing gap between the skills and competencies that the MENA region’s educational institutions are providing youth and what employers are actually looking for in their prospective employees. However, Arab youth aren’t the only ones who are losing as a result of the skills mismatch in the region. According to the same report, “[n]early 40% of employers in the MENA region indicate that skills gaps are a major impediment to business growth.” Thus, highlighting the vicious cycle that continues to persist in the Arab world as a result of the lack of alignment between the region’s various stakeholders.

Having said that, one of the biggest challenges that the Arab world faces when it comes to unleashing the full potential of its economy comes from its inability to fully capitalize on the abundance of educated and talented young people in the region. Although the aforementioned skills deficit prevents many young Arabs from finding jobs, many qualified young people are also hesitant to join the workforce, because they’re unhappy with the compensation and working conditions in the MENA region’s private sector. Consequently, many young Arabs choose to immigrate to countries that offer more attractive salaries and non-monetary benefits (such as mentoring programs, tuition assistance and childcare) which ultimately reduces the level of human capital available in the region.

The aspirations of Arab youth

Bayt.com and YouGov’s Middle East Jobseeker Confidence Survey published in August 2017, highlighted how “jobseeker confidence is a measure of the economic wellbeing of a country.” In other words, if jobseekers are positive about their country’s economy and they have a satisfactory level of disposable income, they’re generally inclined to spend more on consumer goods. However, if job seekers are uncertain about the state of their country’s economy they tend limit their spending, which can create a spending recession that can lead to an economic downturn.

So, how does the Arab world’s young workforce feel about their future potential? According to the aforementioned survey, respondents in the Levant and North Africa were generally more pessimistic about the current state of their family’s finances, their country’s economy and their future job opportunities. On the other hand, respondents living in the GCC reported higher levels of optimism in almost every category. That being said, the young respondents from the Levant, North Africa and the GCC did share one thing in common: they don’t want to seek employment in a company.

In another survey published by Bayt.com and YouGov entitled Entrepreneurship in MENA published in November 2017, an overwhelming majority (between 55% and 76%) of respondents from across the Arab world expressed the desire to have their own business or be self-employed. Some of the reasons cited for this choice include the desire to seek a sense of personal fulfillment and the freedom to choose their own work-life balance.

The jobs of the future in the Arab world

Undoubtedly, while the Fourth Industrial Revolution has presented formidable challenges to the populations of the MENA region, it has also provided new opportunities to establish high value-adding formal sector jobs in numerous fields. However, in order to fulfill this demand, young Arab professionals will have to pursue interdisciplinary qualifications that will enable them to blend digital and STEM skills. Thus, providing the multi-skilled labor force needed to propel the digital economy forward in the Arab world. However, high-skilled jobs aren’t the only ones that have the potential to grow in the near future.

As the population of the MENA region continues to grow, there will be a need for more public infrastructure, including schools, roads, transportation systems, so on and so forth. Consequently, if the region’s stakeholders can strategically address these needs, they could generate a substantial number of medium and low-skilled jobs as a result. Also, by formalizing, professionalizing and upgrading various services in the care economy (such as cleaning, childcare and elderly care) countries in the MENA region could create even more employment and training opportunities for unskilled workers.

While the green economy is projected to generate millions of jobs and boost the GDP of numerous countries in the Arab world, there’s another work trend that stands to capitalize on the region’s underutilized talent pool: the freelance economy. In 2015, a Mckinsey Global Institute report entitled A Labor Market That Works stated that by 2025 it’s estimated that online talent platforms could generate as much as 945,000 additional full-time equivalent jobs and a US$21bn increase in GDP in Egypt and 276,000 jobs and US$32bn additional GDP in Saudi Arabia.

Cultures to support the development of Arab economies

Although countries in the MENA region have the potential to generate millions of jobs across various sectors and different skill levels in the future, their ability to do so will depend on whether they’re able to reskill and upskill their current workforce. Furthermore, it will also rely on their ability to equip the Arab youth of today with the skills of tomorrow. However, in order to be able to achieve these goals, the stakeholders in the region will have to embed 4 essential cultures in Arab communities.

Firstly, a culture of collaboration between the MENA region’s key stakeholders needs to be established to ensure that they can create curricula and learning experiences that will empower Arab youth to thrive in the future workforce. Secondly, a culture of mass digital literacy needs to be established to facilitate the transition of Arab economies to knowledge-based economies that export innovation. Thirdly, a culture of counseling needs to be integrated into the MENA region’s different educational institutions and work places, so young people can make more strategic decisions in their personal and professional lives. Last but not least, a culture of lifelong learning needs to be established, so that individuals and institutions in the MENA region can continue to stay relevant in this age of constant change.

Despite the development gap that currently separates the MENA region from its industrialized counterparts, the rise of the digital economy has created a unique opportunity for Arab countries to level the playing field and responsibly manage this “underdevelopment” by using the best practices that have emerged in the development arena over the past couple of years. Now, the question remains: can the region’s stakeholders effectively co-create and implement the policies needed to unlock the unlimited potential of the Arab world’s youth, talent and resources?

من المعروف أن اكثر المواقع الالكترونية تداولا بين الناس هي فيسبوك وتويتر وانستغرام وسنابشات...الخ من مواقع التواصل الاجتماعي، لكن في الواقع، وبفضل تطور وسائل الاتصال وانتشار الشبكة العنكبوتية (الانترنت) وسهولة الوصول الى المعلومة، اصبحت الانترنت تشكل وسيلة هامة للتواصل والترفيه، الكثير من الناس يقضي اوقاتا امام شاشة الانترنت للتواصل مع الاقارب والاصدقاء أو للترفيه والاستمتاع بالمحتوى الذي يعرض من خلال الوسائط المتعددة، ولكن الانترنت توفر في الواقع امكانية الجمع بين الترفيه والتعلم، خاصة مع الانتشار الواسع للهواتف الذكية والامكانات الهائلة التي توفرها للاتصال عبر الانترنت والسرعات الفائقة التي تتمتع بها الانترنت في ايامنا هذه، حتى أن مؤسس شركة مايكروسوفت الشهير بيل غيتس افاد بأنه يستمتع بدروس الرياضيات التي تتوفر عبر الانترنت، هذا ناهيك عن تعلم العديد من المهارات من خلال الدروس المجانية التي تتوفر على اليوتوب والمواقع التعليمية الاخرى المتخصصة حسب المواضيع المختلفة.

هناك قاعدة تقول بأن المعرفة هي دالة تعتمد على الانتباه والوقت المكرس في التعلم اي (المعرفة = (الانتباه،الوقت)، (K)=f(A,t)). وهو ما يعني ان الوقت المتاح للترفيه يمكن ان يستغل للتعلم والمعرفة.

نورد فيما يلي خمسة مواقع عليك أن تدمن عليها أكثر من فيسبوك وتويتر، إذ بوسعك أن تجد فيها من الفائدة الشيء الكثير، ولكن قبل كل شيء لا بد من الاختيار الجيد للموضوعات التي تهمك والابتعاد عن ما هو جدلي، اذ لا تنسى أنها تعتبر منابر مفتوحة للجميع.

1- موقع تيد TED:

تيد عبارة عن مؤتمر او قاعة محاضرات يحاضر بها أناس مبدعون من كل دول العالم. الفكرة أن ted يمنحهم 18 دقيقة كحد أقصى لإلقاء أفضل محاضرة في حياتهم، وتكون فعلا رائعة، وهذا الرابط به كل محاضرات الموقع مترجمة للغة العربية  https://www.ted.com/talks?language=ar

2- موقع Udacity او coursera : هذا الموقع به محاضرات مجانية في كل المجالات وهي متوفرة باللغة الانجليزية، فهناك حاجة لاتقان اللغة الانجليزية لتتفاعل مع كل محتويات المحاضرة وحلقات النقاش، ولا تنسى أنه بامكانك تحسين لغتك من خلال استخدام الانترنت، فيما يلي الروابط الخاصة بهذا الموقع: https://www.udacity.com - https://www.coursera.org

3- موقع رواق:

رواق هي منصة تقدم محاضرات باللغة العربية في مختلف المجالات، كلها مجانية والتسجيل فيها سهل جدا  https://www.rwaq.org

4- موقع ويكي هاو:

هذا الموقع يعلمك أي شيء، الموقع موسوعة عن كيفية عمل أي شيء، ولذلك جميع مقالات ويكي هاو تبدأ بـ «كيف» أو «How to» ما يقرب من 100 ألف مقال في شتي مجالات الحياة، والفيديو لا يتعدى الـ 10 دقائق، يعني ممكن سماعه وانت تقف في انتظار شارة المرور، الموقع متوفر ب 60 لغة منها العربية: https://m.wikihow.com/Main-Page

5- موقع العلوم الحقيقية:

ينشر احدث ما وصل اليه العلم من أبحاث واكتشافات ومقالات مترجمة، بالاضافة لمقالات في أغلب مجالات الحياة (طب - رياضيات - اقتصاد – علم نفس...الخ http://real-sciences.com/ http://www.syr-res.com/

الطبيعة هي مكتبة ملهمة للمخترعين

اخيرا لمن يبحثون عن التميز، فان الطبيعة تعتبر مكتبة كبيرة الهمت العديد من المخترعين. هذا ما حدث بالفعل بالنسبة للعديد من الاختراعات المذهلة التي نستخدمها في حياتنا اليومية المبنية على ابداعات توصل اليها بنو البشر من خلال مشاهدة الظواهر الطبيعية التي تحيط بنا. تجدون على الرابط التالي الاكتشافات المستوحاة من الطبيعة. https://asknature.org

الطلاءات الحيوية المضادة للحشف البحري*: هي طلاءات خاصة تمنع تراكم الكائنات البحرية على السطح. وقد تم استلهام هذه الطلاءات الحيوية من سطح جلد سمك القرش، الذي يتكون من لوحات متداخلة (كالاسنان) متناهية الصغر (نانو) تمنع بشكل فعال تراكم الكائنات البحرية الدقيقة على سطح أسماك القرش حتى عندما تتحرك بسرعة بطيئة، كما انها توفر انسيابية عالية جدا وتوفر الطاقة. وهذه الخاصية التي تتمتع بها اسماك القرش تتفوق على الدهانات التي تم تطويرها لحماية الغواصات النووية اثناء الحرب الباردة، حتى أن شركات صناعة الطائرات مثل الايرباص استلهمت هذه الخاصية لطلاء طائراتها الحديثة (مثل طراز ايرباص 380 و350).

* الحشف البحري (الكائنات الدقيقة والنباتات والحيوانات والطحالب البحرية)

شاشات شركة سامسونغ عالية الدقة:

قامت شركة سامسونع بتصنيع اول شاشة رقمية مرنة. في اطار جهودها لتطوير الشاشات الرقمية عالية الجودة، قامت شركة سامسونغ بدراسة الحبار البحري لهاواي (hawaiian bobtail squid) والذي يتمتع بمرونة عالية وتنوع الوانه ودرجة وضوح متناهية في الدقة كما أنه يقوم بتنظيف جلده بشكل مستمر ويعمل على معالجة الجروح التي قد يتعرض لها بشكل كامل بحيث لا تترك اثرا على سطحه، واخيرا فانه يقوم بتغيير نسيج سطحه بحيث يمكن استشعاره باللمس، وهو ما يعني امكانية عمل شاشات لفاقدي البصر.

تصميم مواد مقاومة للصدمات مستوحاة من الروبيان ذو المطرقة (جمبري الطاووس، مانتيس) (Mantis Shrimp)

يعد الروبيان ذو المطرقة (جمبري المانتيس) الذي يعيش في المحيطين الهادىء والهندي صاحب اسرع ضربة على سطح الارض، وهو من أكثر كائنات الكرة الأرضية دقة في الرؤية، وذلك لقدرته على رؤية الحزم الضوئية حتى تلك شديدة التعقيد. يتراوح طول هذا الكائن البحري من حوالي 20 سم الى حوالي 30 سم.

تتحرك قبضة الروبيان بسرعة رصاصة من عيار 22 ملم ويمكن أن تصل إلى الفريسة في غضون 1 من 3000 جزء من الثانية، وتبلغ قوة الضربة 1500 نيوتن. ولو أن هذه السرعة استخدمت من قبل الذراع البشرية فستكون كافية لإرسال كرة البيسبول في مدار حول الارض. وتتسبب السرعة الفائقة للضربة في غليان الماء حول قبضة الروبيان وتخلق موجة يمكن أن تقتل الفريسة عن بعد.

بامكان قبضة الروبيان هذه توجيه ضربات لفريسته الاف المرات دون أن تنكسر، وتعادل قوة الضربة 1000 مرة وزنه، ومن هنا يتوجب وضع هذا الحيوان البحري في حوض خاص لان بامكانه كسر زجاج الحوض بفعل قوته الهائلة (للمزيد).

لقد الهمت ذراع الروبيان التي تشبه المطرقة فريق من الباحثين بكلية برونز للهندسة في رفيرسايد في كاليفورنيا لتصميم مواد مركبة مقاومة للصدمات وصلبة اكثر من المواد المستخدمة في صناعة الطائرات.

في الرابط التالي اليكم فلم قصير حول هذه المعجزة البحرية (للمشاهدة)، كما يظهر تسجيل اخر الاثر الذي تحدثه ضرباته على احدى القواقع، حيث يمكن مشاهدة فقاعات تتصاعد على اثر الضربة ناتجة عن تسخين الماء المحيط بالقوقعة (للمشاهدة).