Four startups, owned by HCT graduate entrepreneurs, won an entrepreneurship competition, which was a feature of the Sandooq Al Watan Open Day.

The Open Day, held under the theme of “Contributions of Sandooq Al Watan in Providing Productive Job Opportunities for Emirati Citizens”, aims to empower young Emirati entrepreneurs by funding and supporting their emerging businesses. The competition is a culmination of the support and empowerment from Sandooq Al Watan to young Emirati entrepreneurs who have already started their business activities in the market, as they seek to prove themselves in a highly competitive market.

The HCT graduates’ four winning startups were Drxnes, CyberHero, eFATE and Pet Republic, and all originated in the HCT InnCuVation Spaces and competed in a final selection of the six best startups and projects.

DrXnes: A startup, founded by Fahad Alzarooni, that is a drone solution provider based in Dubai, focusing on the customization of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) for different industries and uses.

Cyber Hero: An Information Security company, founded by Shamma Bin Hammad, that aims to protect training users’ information and data against any potential threats. The company focuses on raising awareness among various groups in the community about information security and how to deal with phishing scams or cyber-attacks.

eFATE: A startup founded by Mohammed Saleh, Mohammed Al Hammadi, and Ibrahim Said, that is a company specialized in managing and collecting e-waste, while building connections between e-waste consumers and recycling companies to support sustainability.

Pet Republic: A startup founded by Mohammed Alzaabi, that provides pet care services to pet owners and breeders, including fast-tracking bookings and access to pet products and services. In addition, it is currently developing a medical database, backed by Blockchain technology, to connect pet owners with pet care and veterinary services.

The startup winners were excited to participate in the Sandooq Al Watan Open Day competition, as it gave them the opportunity to present the idea, purpose, marketing mechanism, current activities and future plans of their startups. They said they were also able to showcase their businesses’ USPs and discuss those with the judges. The finalists appreciated the Sandooq Al Watan’s support and encouragement, which boosted their businesses and their enthusiasm to compete and prove themselves.

Since 2019, student and Alumni startups are one of HCT’s main outcomes, when it was named the nation’s first educational free zone, in alignment with the directives of the UAE government. This empowers it to graduate companies and entrepreneurs through its Startup Development Program, operated within the HCT InnCuVation Spaces. The Spaces provide an incubation environment that nurtures and develops students' innovative ideas, transforming them into viable, operating startups with commercial trade licenses.