Excellence in Entrepreneurship
Over the 28th and 29th of November 2016 the snow wasn’t been the only cool thing happening in Stockholm, Sweden! Over 20 of the most innovative entrepreneurs from all over the world gathered to share stories, build on their unique business solutions, and be honoured at the 2016 Global Inclusion Awards held by Child and Youth Finance International.
The entrepreneurs who were there included Country Award winners and finalists from Kenya, India, Kosovo, Ukraine and the Philippines, as well as finalists for Ye!’s own holy grail of entrepreneurship- the Young Entrepreneurship Award. With over 160 applications for this award, there was tight competition between the six finalists for the prize:
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Tamer Taha’s Yomken.com is a unique online consulting platform that uses ‘CrowdSolving’ to solve business challenges in the MENA region
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Aster Company, founded by Kamal Alhmoud, plants rooftop and vegetable gardens in Jordan to target air pollution and the lack of greenery.
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Charles Immanuel Akhimien started MOBicure, an app that provides mobile healthcare solutions, with their OMOMI initiative providing advice to over 11000 mothers.
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In Nigeria, Oluwaseun Sangoleye has been developing a nutritious brand of baby food, BabyGrubz, that promotes healthy consumption for babies, and educates mothers about nutrition on social media.
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SPOUTS of Water was started by Kathy (Seul) Ku and John Kye manufactures affordable water filters to Ugandans that are affordable and suit the Uganda’s cultural context. It has provided safe water access to over 55 000 Ugandans.
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Juma El-Awaisi, Anwar Almojarkesh and Amr Wanly founded Braci is a mobile app which assists those who need hearing assistance by picking up sounds and translating them into mobile notifications.
While it could have been anyone’s prize, the jury decided to give the award to SPOUTS of Water because of their impact and unique combination of technological innovation and tradition. The award was received by John Kye and Rebecca Liebshutz in the prestigious Stockholm City Hall, as pictured below.
All of the attendees the also got the opportunity to connect and grow their skills in workshops that lasted two days and which were run by McKinsey and Company. They learnt about tackling business problems, leadership skills and effective communication.
There is no doubt that the event was a great ode to the efforts of young entrepreneurs from around the world, and we can’t wait to see how the entrepreneurs implement what they have learnt in their enterprises and back in their communities. It seems that each year the talent represented at the Country Awards and the Global Inclusion Awards gets better and better, and we can’t wait to see what phenomenal ideas pop up in the events to come!
Next year’s award ceremony will be in Berlin, Germany. Keep checking in with the Ye! Community to know when the next round of applications for the Global Ye! Award will open!
All of the young entrepreneurs at the Global Inclusion Awards held at Stockholm City Hall
* The Global Inclusion Awards - Global Youth Entrepreneurship Award is part of the Ye! Boost Program 2016 and co-funded by the Erasmus + Programme of the European Union.