Entrepreneurship competition winner honoured in Jordan

Mohannad Taslaq’s passion for developing computer game tools on Sunday secured him first place in the 4th Queen Rania National Entrepreneurship Competition (QRNEC) in the start-up category. "After graduating from university and getting a job in an IT company, I realised that I have a passion for developing games and never gave up my dream of starting my own business in the field," he told The Jordan Times during yesterday's award ceremony, adding that he and his partner, Bahaa Abu Nojaim, decided to take their ambition to the next level about two years ago. They registered in the iPark - Information and Communications Technology Business Incubator affiliated with the Higher Council for Science and Technology, during which they prepared a business plan to implement their project "Mixed Dimensions" (MXD), which provides tools for gaming companies and develops interactive 3D online applications. "It offers individuals and companies an offline, online or mobile presence using interactive technologies based on market needs," the 29-year-old highlighted, adding that before the end of the year, MXD will have created 10 jobs. Taslaq and Nojaim's project was among 19 others that were successful in the award’s pre-start-up, start-up and university categories. Deputising for Her Majesty Queen Rania, HRH Princess Sumaya, president of El Hassan Science City and chairperson of the Princess Sumaya University for Technology (PSUT) board of trustees, presented the awards yesterday. She stressed the importance of QRNEC in "adding more life to Jordan's innovation ecosystem by providing additional dealflow, investment and incubation opportunities”. Over 400 participants applied for the competition, submitting more than 120 projects. The competition process involved comprehensive training in the area of strategic planning, business plan development, project management and other areas related to starting and developing high-impact technology companies. Thirty teams were short-listed for the final phase of the award, which provides a platform to empower Jordanian entrepreneurs and harness their ideas. Highlighting the significance of the competition, Queen Rania Centre for Entrepreneurship (QRCE) Executive Director Farhan Kalaldeh noted that these projects demonstrate the potential of young Jordanians, in addition to their skills and capabilities. He noted that the focus of this year's competition was to attract investors and raise their awareness of the investment opportunities offered by emerging technology start-ups. "Moreover, the focus was directed at strategic sectors of the Kingdom's economy: ICT, clean technology and life sciences," Kalaldeh said. Ranking first in the university categories were Amer Maraqa and Mohammad Jaber, who initiated Mawdoo3.com, an Arabic website that offers keyword analysis. "Mawdoo3 is considered beneficial for random web users who seek high-quality content as well as for webmasters who plan to use our keyword service to get guaranteed traffic to their websites from search engines," 23-year-old Maraqa told The Jordan Times yesterday. A nonprofit organisation, QRCE was established in 2004 to help develop technology entrepreneurship in Jordan.