Orange-Oasis competition awards 37,000 AED to emerging media business
Abu Dhabi, 24 October, 2013:
A new mobile network emergency airtime provider was awarded 37,000 AED
and named best start-up in a competition at the Abu Dhabi Media Summit
2013.
Comzafrica,
which provides emergency airtime to travelers and residents when they
need mobile credit, was one of five innovative early-stage media
start-ups competed for venture capital support during a live event at
the Abu Dhabi Media Summit.
The
Orange-Oasis start-up competition – hosted by Orange, one of the
world’s leading telecommunications operators, in partnership with Oasis
500, a development and investment company that supports MENA-based
start-ups – took place on October 24 as the thrilling finale to the
three-day Summit.
A
select group of fledging media companies from the region were each
given five minutes to deliver their business pitch. Categories included
ICT, Digital Media and Mobile. The expert panel of judges consisted of
Jacky Abitbol, VP Corporate Development, Orange; Tamer Ahmed, Orange
Cairo, iLab; Nathalie Boulanger, Orange Start-up Ecosystem Director;
Ahmed El Alfi, Founder and Chairman, Sawari Ventures; Yousef Hamidaddin,
Chief Executive Officer, Oasis 500; Gilles Lapierre, SVP Investment,
Du; and Sherif Safwat, Executive Director, 21stCentury Digital Arabia.
The finalists were Comzafrica, Zaytouneh, Madfoo3at, Wixel Studios and dSquare.
The
competition, similar in style to the hit TV-show Dragon’s Den, provided
a golden opportunity for young media entrepreneurs to get a head start
in the industry.
The
panel of judges analyzed the pitches across several criteria, including
the company’s products or solutions and the extent of its client base.
Start-ups were also judged on creativity; business plan execution and
quality of the live pitch. The impact the start –up would have local
society or the environment also played a critical role in determining
the winner.
The
Summit featured a combination of high-profile public sessions,
closed-door discussions and private conversations. Sessions focused
amongst others on the state of the digital planet; the explosion of
social gaming; people’s television viewing experiences and habits; and
the growth rate of smartphones.
For more information, visit www.admediasummit.com
