20 aspiring Omani innovators selected for ‘Spur Workout’ phase
Times News Service
MUSCAT: Commemorating Global Entrepreneurship Week, 20 Omani innovators representing six emerging businesses made it to the next stage of the full-cycle incubation programme, “GlassPoint Innovation Spur”.
The programme is set to contribute and sustainably drive innovation within Oman’s renewable energy and water management sectors.
After a rigorous selection process for more than 140 applicants from across the Sultanate, the programme’s steering board comprised GlassPoint, The Research Council (TRC), Innovation Park Muscat (IPM), Public Authority for SME Development (Riyada) and the Fund for Development of Youth Projects (Sharakah) and selected these innovators to participate in the next stage of the programme, the three-month “Spur Workout” phase.
“We are committed to spearheading a culture of innovation across Oman. The 20 finalists share our vision in contributing to the Sultanate’s efforts to be an epicentre of renewable energy and water management solutions. They were selected based on their original ideas, impact on the community, as well as the business viability and potential of sustainable success in the marketplace,” Badar Al Sariri, Country Director Oman at GlassPoint, said.
The majority of the six finalists’ business proposals were created by Omani student-led groups from various universities across the Sultanate.
The Automated Irrigation System is a smart irrigation system for residential and commercial use that saves water by using special sensors to monitor rain, moisture and evaporation levels.
The Global Reliance Line relies on the sun for energy. This technology treats polluted or contaminated water to drinking water for small-scale residential use.
HomTric is the device built to help consumers monitor and control their domestic energy consumption.
Ecotech is a smart greenhouse system that grows plants for domestic use in an environment without the use of soil or an aggregate medium by using energy and water efficient components.
Solid Waste Recycling Unit is a technology, which recycles waste from sewage treatment plants and turns it into energy and other valuable products, such as methane, fertilisers, industrial ash, and steam.
Smart Window is a smart design using passive cooling techniques, sensors, and automatic solar shading controls to provide thermal comfort within the confines of the room.
The “GlassPoint Innovation Spur” provides aspiring Omani innovators with an integrated ecosystem of scientific, technical and business support. The two-year programme equips participants with valuable skill sets through coaching and mentorship, as they transform their innovations into implementable businesses.
The 20 selected innovators will spend three months starting from January 2019 in the “Spur Workout” phase, designed to prepare them for the final pitch by building their entire business plan and to be eligible to enter the one-year “Spur Incubation” phase to establish their inventions.
The final three inventions will be awarded a combined total of up to OMR45,000 in initial seed funding for further development and testing. Upon graduating from the incubation phase, they will be linked to investors for growth and business upscaling.