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MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA • HEALTHCARE & ICT/TELCOM
Saniya Giniatullina
OCT. 2, 2019
This September, Seedstars has partnered with Mada, a leading non-profit organization based in Qatar that works in the field of ICT access locally and internationally to enable Persons with Disabilities (PWD) and the elderly. The collaboration intends to seek for the best ICT based innovative solution catered to improve access to quality education, community & cultural aspects of life such as transportation, tourism, sports, and retail.
Mada aims to collaborate with international innovation partners like Seedstars who are committed to facilitating the development of innovative solutions to improve digital access for PWD and the elderly in Qatar and beyond. By working with Seedstars, Mada hopes to enable equal basis for PWDs and the elderly to take part in cultural life in line with the Arabic identity via ICT. This partnership will also help fulfil the aim of Mada to support the provision of opportunities for PWDs and the elderly to use their creative, artistic and intellectual potential independently.
Alisée de Tonnac, Partner and Co-Founder at Seedstars stated: “We, as Seedstars, are thrilled to collaborate with organisations such as Mada operating in the field of accessibility and promoting education, culture and community. We believe this is a necessary step towards promoting digital inclusion and further building a tech-based community that meets the needs of persons with functional limitations, people with disabilities and elderly.”
The applications are open until October 18th for any seed-stage startup that has a clear innovation component and is tech enabled, has less than 4 years of activity and has a demonstrable product or service (MVP). The screening process will then select 10 to 20 most promising ventures based on their industry and region. During this stage, the applicants will be analysed for their market size, competitive edge, traction & customers, and quality of team.
Four startups will then be selected to participate at the Seedstars Summit MENA in Casablanca in December 2019, where they will be assessed for the final stage of the competition, which will take place at the Seedstars Global Summit in Switzerland in April 2020. The winning startup will be announced at the event and will receive the MADA ICT Accessibility Award and a prize of USD 15K.
