The Department of Management and Marketing (DMM) at the Faculty of Business Administration and Economics (FBAE), NDU, in collaboration with MakeSense and the NDU Consulting Club, organized on Tuesday, December 13, 2016, a social entrepreneurship competition in Abou Khater Auditorium, NDU main campus.
Prior to the competition, NDU students from all Faculties attended a workshop on November 17, 2016, where they were taught how to come up with and pitch innovative ideas as well as how to develop a viable business plan. Students also learned in the workshop the meaning of social entrepreneurship and the qualities of a good entrepreneur.
On the day of the social entrepreneurship competition (December 13, 2016), 20 participants, divided into 7 teams, presented their work in front of an esteemed jury, comprising of:
1. Dr. Elham Hachem (FBAE).
2. Samer Sfeir (NDU alumnus; active social entrepreneur and Co-founder of the NGO shareQ and the social enterprise Mommy Made).
3. Elias Abi Nakhle (Byblos Bank Branch Manager, Zouk).
4. Krystel Khalil (Communication & Entrepreneurship Specialist, Head of Communication & Outreach at Berytech).
5. Elsa Abi Khalil (MakeSense Community Developer for Lebanon and the Middle East and MakeSense SenseRocket Board Member).
The teams that clinched the top-three positions were:
1. A three-member team, comprising of Biology students Fadlo Ailabouni, Raeh Twouk, and Miriam el-Barhoun, behind the winning idea, “Willingness of Illness.” Their idea was based on people suffering from mental illness or disorders. They collected the first prize (US$2,000) offered by Byblos Bank.
2. A three-member team, comprising of Mayssa Hallak (Advertising and Marketing), Sarah Yammine( Finance), and Yvan el-Adem (Civil Engineering), behind the idea, “Locate Camp.” Their idea was based on an application that helps users find ideal camping sites. They earned the second prize (US$1,250) offered by Byblos Bank.
3. An individual, Georgio Diab (Computer and Communication Engineering), behind the idea, “Plastic Solutions.” His idea was based on upcycling plastic. He took home the third prize (US$750) offered by Byblos Bank.
Following the distribution of prizes, participants were invited to attend a cocktail sponsored by Aruba and M Social Catering.