RISE: Student-driven startup career fair connects 700+ students with 600+ opportunities

AUS students didn’t wait for opportunity—they built it. RISE, a fully student-run startup career fair, brought together more than 700 students and 25 emerging startups, generating over 600 internship and job opportunities in fields like technology, marketing, design and operations.

From branding and logistics to outreach and execution, every aspect of RISE was developed by students—a powerful demonstration of what ambition, creativity and collaboration can achieve.

“RISE started as a sketch in a notebook. To see it packed with students and startup founders was unreal,” said Jaafar Al-Shabandar, an economics student and one of the fair’s co-founders. “We wanted to prove that students can build something ambitious, and we did.”

Co-founded by Kareem Tarabichi, a finance student, RISE was designed to help students explore unconventional career paths, connect with the startup ecosystem and collaborate with peers on real-world challenges.

The fair welcomed a vibrant mix of startups, from homegrown ventures launched by AUS students and alumni to regional disruptors offering hands-on roles in fast-growing industries. Among the participants were Prop-ai, Seafood Souq, Evexiya, Spacepoint, Celebreak, Myne, Mind/me, Paci.ai and many others.

“Startups offer something different: volatility, speed and the chance to make real impact early on,” said Tarabichi. “And we want our peers to feel empowered to take that leap, or even start their own.”

Although it was founded by students from the School of Business Administration, RISE drew participation from across AUS, highlighting a campus-wide enthusiasm for entrepreneurship and innovation.

“We were impressed by the response—over 620 students applied,” said Tarabichi. “It showed us just how passionate AUS students are to explore bold, unconventional paths and get involved in something real.”

Following its successful debut, RISE is now evolving into a larger, student-led platform dedicated to helping AUS students discover, apply to and grow within the startup world, whether through internships or by launching ventures of their own.

Ready to rise with them? Visit rise25.framer.ai or follow @rise.aus on Instagram to stay updated.