AUS students compete in Skill Up final

A team of students from American University of Sharjah (AUS) have been selected to participate in the final of Skill Up Compete, a competition held by MIT Enterprise Forum Pan Arab and the Skill Up Academy. The inaugural competition aimed to find university students and recent graduates who had innovative start-up ideas with the potential to join a global ecosystem of innovations.

Of the more than 380 applications from across the UAE, 10 teams were selected to take part in the finals held in January. The three winning teams each received AED 50,000 to help take their idea to market. The panel of judges evaluated entries based on their innovation, financial sustainability, scalability and team criteria. 

Students Sherif Khalid and Mohammed Kharroub competed on behalf of AUS, submitting their idea Azure3DP, which made it through to the finals round. Azure3DP is a marketplace where users can create, share and make functional 3D prints that can be used every day. Users can request their own custom design from a designer’s network or search for an available design from thousands of available models. Artificial intelligence is employed to help users find the best match for their needs. Through the competition, Azure3DP was recognized by the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa), who is now assisting the students as the look to grow the marketability of their concept. The students also cite media exposure as an important benefit that came with taking part in the competition.

"I'm grateful that I got to meet wonderful, like-minded, entrepreneurs and to hear about their interesting journeys. Also, getting connected to people from the government and Sheraa was a huge bonus, which will definitely help our growth. Without a doubt, AUS continues to help significantly in my entrepreneurial pursuit. I was first introduced to entrepreneurship through a course offered at AUS, and it changed my view of the world completely," Kharroub, who recently graduated from electrical engineering, said.

Khalid, who is currently studying mechanical engineering, said he is grateful for the business knowledge he developed during the competition. "Coming from an engineering background, entrepreneurship seemed a little odd as we had no background in business, but participating in this competition was a very beneficial experience for us as it helped develop our skills significantly. Even though we did not win the cash prize, we have learned a plethora of skills from presenting our first pitch deck to an esteemed panel of judges, and we will make sure to consider all their insights for the next stage," he said.