March 29, 2019 – The Faculty of Business Administration & Economics (FBAE), in collaboration with the office of Admissions, at Notre Dame University-Louaize Shouf Campus (NDU-SC), organized its third edition of “Young Entrepreneur Showdown” (YES NDU-SC). The YES NDU-SC Competition provides a unique opportunity for young people to learn about the basics of entrepreneurship while putting their innovative and sustainable enterprise ideas into action. This competition focuses on unleashing creativity, encouraging a mindset of abundance and self-determination, and promoting purposeful entrepreneurial action.
The participating schools were: Shouf National College (SNC), Le Lycée National (Bakaata), Irfan Secondary School (Bsatin), Baakleen Official Secondary School, Jezzine Official Secondary School, West Hill College (Baakleen), and Kfarhim Official Secondary School.
Contestants attended a workshop presented by Amir Saab, a certified trainer and Entrepreneurship Educator on Tuesday January 29, 2019 at NDU-SC. He helped the students enhance their managerial skills, unleash their creativity, and guided them through essential techniques in developing business plans.
Contestants from different schools in the Shouf area pitched in teams their business ideas in front of a jury panel composed of two external and two internal members:
Amir Saab, Certified Trainer and Entrepreneurship Educator
Cezar Mahmoud, Social Entrepreneur
Souhad Abi Zaki, Senior Admissions Officer at NDU-SC
Talie Kassamany, Coordinator and Assistant Professor at NDU-SC
The jury members evaluated the teams' ideas based on several predetermined criteria including the extent of innovation and sustainability, relevance to the Lebanese market, feasibility, clarity, presentation skills, ethics etc. Prizes were discounts on NDU tuition fees for the first semester, with a 100% discount to the first prize winners, 70% for second prize, and a 50% discount for third prize winners.
Following deliberations, the jury announced the following winning teams:
First Prize: Rena Richani, Iyad Zebiane, Eliana Beaini, Elie Keryakos and Bassel Shazbek, with “Khamsa”, an online platform that links artisans to customers and helps them advertise their products and reach wider markets.
Second Prize: Rozan Zeineddine, Celine Breish, Basma Bou Hadir and Chantal Ismail, with “Organica,” a project which proposes an online platform that provides a link between farmers and consumers
Third Prize: A tie between two teams, the first team members are Natalie Azzam, Ghina Daou, Rayan Abou Dargham and Lea Fleihan, with "ACE" project that offers a smart approach to providing the perfect work/study environment. The second team members are Christina Sarriedine, Lea Sarieddine and Sara Sarieddine, with " Designarly" a project that promotes new fashionable and natural designs.
At the end of the ceremony, the jury members congratulated and thanked the teams for their participation in the YES NDU-SC Competition.