December 5, 2018 – Notre Dame University-Louaize (NDU) hosted the “Inas Abou Ayyash Foundation” (IAAF) University Projects Awards Program for student-led startups at NDU. The IAAF is an NGO whose goal is to help Lebanese youth by offering them access to prospects that encourage and enable them to pursue their creative ideals. This year’s University Projects Awards Program aimed to help students develop and further their startup ideas by hosting a competition and providing funding to the winner. Students had to present their startup ideas, including a complete business proposal, in front of a panel of judges who would then choose a winner.
The panel was comprised of: Inas Abou Ayyash, founder of the IAAF; H.E. Elias Bou Saab advisor to president Michel Aoun on International Cooperation; H.E. Ghassan Hasbani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Public Health; H.E. Jean Oghassapian, State Minister for Women’s Affairs; Dr. Ghazi Asmar, Director of the Office of International Relations at NDU; and Dr. Lara Khabbaz, Director of Marketing at NDU.
H.E. Elias Hankach, Deputy, Edy Maalouf, MP, NDU President Fr. Pierre Najem, Fr. Samir Ghsoub, Vice President for Administration, and Dr. Elie Badr, Vice President for Academic Affairs, were also in attendance.
Director of Public Affairs and Protocol, Majed Bou Hadir, opened the ceremony by introducing Inas Abou Ayyash and the IAAF.
President Fr. Pierre Najem then spoke, thanking Inas Abou Ayyash for giving students the opportunity to pursue their passion, and saying: “We want to make NDU a place for everyone with big ideas.” Fr. Najem added that NDU’s aims go beyond academic success and into making its students engaged and active citizens who do their best to improve on every level.
Inas Abou Ayyache then spoke talking about the two paths people face, one of routine stability and one of risky, but rewarding dreams. The goal of the IAAF, Ayyash said, is to enable young people to “dare to dream.” Ayyash added that the jury members were not here as lofty ministers, but as friends and examples to encourage students to aspire to similar goals, “if they can do it, so can you.”
Six startups were presented for the competition:
1. “Social Cup” a coffee shop which organizes meetups between strangers with similar interests, presented by Elissa Chattat.
2. “Rebirding” an initiative to change the culture of bird hunting in Lebanon to a culture of bird watching, presented by Lea Kharrat, Maria Marguirta El-Asmar, with Dr. Pauline Aad acting as an advisor.
3. “Pharmaleb Medical App,” an app which will help keep track of all pharmaceuticals in Lebanon, their quality, and availability, presented by Tia Wakim.
4. “Cave des Ours,” an apple winery which aims to mitigate the apple farming crisis Lebanon is currently undergoing, by producing apple based wine and arak, presented by Elia El Beainou.
5. “Kill My Routine,” an app which aims to match people to activities which match their interests and mood, presented by Fadi Bou Debs, Elio Bou Debs, and Maria Salamoun.
6. “REK: Retired and Extremely Knowledgeable,” an initiative to bridge the gap between the older and younger generations by establishing a platform for a retired citizen to pass on their knowledge, presented by Yara Mrad and Walid Faddoul.
After careful deliberation, the jury decided to give the award to “Pharma Lebanon,” on the basis that it was the startup which needed the biggest boost, and one that was serving an unusual and often forgotten need.