Four real-life innovations that would benefit the community were showcased by teams of students from Canadian University Dubai (CUD) at the Demo Day of the University’s pilot ‘Incubator’ project recently.
Among the innovations, ‘Wash-Ride’ is as an app-based platform that provides innovative, professional and customized car wash services. The system has the potential to disrupt the cash wash industry, according to the three-person team that developed the app — Kaveh Gholami, Forough Kamal and Shahin Shehari, from the Faculty of Management.
Another innovation named ‘RFiDrone’ brought together two innovative technologies which are becoming predominant on the market – drones and RFID. Drones using RFID can provide a security service that would enable public and private sector companies to secure their spaces in an optimized manner. The innovation was developed by Saif Mohammed and Osama Tarek from the Faculty of Engineering.
A revolutionary tech-enabled solution for students and professionals in the architecture industry was also highlighted. Named ‘DRStruct’, it allows users to design, calculate and test their creations taking into account technical and engineering aspects of building strong architectural structures. It was developed jointly by Dana Ismail and Mahdia Wazin, from Faculty of Architecture and Steve Otoka from Faculty of Engineering.
The team of Shannaiah Innocencio (Faculty of Communication, Arts & Sciences) and Fatemeh Nesri (Faculty of Management) showcased ‘Prometheus’, a platform that connects teenagers with companies for job opportunities, thus allowing them to develop skills and find their passion and desired careers early on. It is designed to change the mindsets of teenagers, parents and corporate stakeholders in the area of career selection.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Rami El Khatib, Dean of Student Services, CUD, said ‘Incubator’ was conceptualized as a project for fostering entrepreneurship and innovation among students. He complimented the teams for developing some great community-focused projects.
Laura Toma, Pilot Incubator Manager and CEO of Grey Matter Education, said: “Becoming an entrepreneur means practicing not only the capacity and willingness to develop, organize and manage a business venture, but also challenging yourself, taking risks and acquiring a multitude of skills which have lifelong applicability. The focus of the Incubator established at CUD, especially in its pilot edition, was to design and iterate business ideas that could have a positive impact on the users of specific communities, a real-life benefit. It was amazing to see the teams evolve from curious thinkers to leaders who want to bring positive change around them through business.”
Launched in March 2019, the Incubator initiative forms part of the University’s larger strategic agenda of equipping students with real-life skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking, creativity, design thinking and business skills.
The Incubator is an intensive program, structured into bootcamps built around topics such as design thinking, business strategy, branding, and market entry strategies.
