Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) has announced Reedz smart application as the winner of the Al Quoz Creative Entrepreneurship Pitch that was specially designed to support start-ups and provide them with the basic tools they need to enable them to more easily develop their innovative ideas.
Dr Saeed Mubarak bin Kharbash, CEO of the Arts and Literature Sector at Dubai Culture, honoured Chehir Dhawedi and Haithem Kchaou, the founders of Reedz with a microfund of $3,000 after they successfully presented their idea of a podcast and audiobook smartphone app that provides summaries of the most important English non-fiction books translated into Arabic.
The final pitch was judged by a multi-experienced jury that included Khulood Khoory, Director of the Projects & Events Department at Dubai Culture; Neel Patkar, Founder of theJamJar; Jade Adams, CEO of SMS ME; and Aya Sadder, CEO & Founder of Bolt Consultancy. The jury’s discussions and evaluations of the participating projects selected the winner of the microfund from the five shortlisted projects.
In addition to the winner, Reedz, the other shortlisted projects who presented their projects at the pitch were:
Localkilns where architect Tasnim Tinawi conceptualised a specialised kiln firing and courier service; Leukeather, an idea presented by architect and researcher Nuhayr Zein who created a patent pending, plant-based alternative to exotic leather that can transform the fashion industry; Datecrete by Sara Abu Farha and Khaled Shalkha who co-created a patent pending, biodegradable alternative to traditional concrete which can be used in any small to large home product and installation; and Hakimi Studio by artist Narimene Hakimi who created handmade ceramics with contemporary and eccentric designs alongside exploratory pottery workshops.
Khulood Khoory of Dubai Culture stressed the importance of the role played by Dubai Culture in encouraging entrepreneurs to present their ideas and enabling them to invest and turn them into reality,
Khoory added “The Al Quoz Creative Entrepreneurship Pitch is one of the Authority’s initiatives that seeks to embody Dubai’s cultural vision aimed at cementing the emirate’s position as a global centre for culture, an incubator for creativity, and a thriving hub for talent. The innovative nature of the participating projects affirms the richness of Dubai’s cultural environment.”
