Five students from the AUC School of Business won first place in the national 2022 Map the System competition in late April, competing against six other teams comprising 30 undergraduate and graduate students. Their project was also named an Excellent Undergraduate Project in the global competition, which took place in the UK this spring.
Map the System is a global competition of the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship, delivered in partnership with educational institutions around the world, including AUC.
Reem El Saka, Jessica Botros, Alia El Soudany, Hana Hassan and Laila El Gindy took first place with their project, “The Social and Economic Challenges Affecting the Livelihood of Women in the Informal Sector in Cairo".
The competition challenges participants to explore social or environmental issues using systems thinking as a guiding approach.
“Map the System provided us with a mix of thrilling and exceptional learning experiences,” El Saka commented. “We were given the opportunity to research and systematically think of a challenge hindering our environment.”
Systems thinking itself involves analyzing issues by examining the interconnectedness of different factors within an issue, rather than focusing on a single factor.
Examining the experiences and perspectives of Egyptian women participating in the country’s informal sector, the group’s project identifies possible gaps and areas in need of improvement.
With limited data and literature available on the topic, the team was “eager to go the extra mile to grasp the elemental dynamics in the Egyptian system elevating this problem, by connecting with influential stakeholders and governmental entities,” said El Gindy.
“We wanted to approach the problem of the informal sector from an objective standpoint — one that does not antagonize women for causing spillover issues in society,” explained Hassan. “We trusted that digging deeper into the causes of such a problem could be more profound than what general research shows.”
Each group member echoed satisfaction with their experience with Map the System, from conducting research to presenting their findings.
“What was attractive about this specific competition was not the ultimate goal of reaching solutions, but rather interpreting the complexity of a broken system and portraying the absent evidence-based interventions which led to the failure of previous efforts combating the informal sector and inequality,” added Botros.
El Soudany was pleased that the competition prompted her to think deeply and critically about societal problems.
When the winners were announced, the group was overcome with joy. “All the sleepless nights paid off when we won first place,” a team statement read. “It was this moment where we felt like stepping into what a real milestone feels like.”
The team will move on to the global competition in June, where they will compete against 64 other finalist teams at the University of Oxford.
“Winning first place locally does not mean that our learning journey in the competition has ended, because a different, enlightening phase will follow,” said the statement. “We expect to live a remarkable experience under the true sense of responsibility of representing AUC.”
The team encouraged other AUC students to join major competitions such as Map the System.
“Just as we thought we couldn’t make it to where we are now, seizing every chance to grow personally and professionally is always worth the chaotic frustration of stepping out of your comfort zone. One must have the resilience and spirit to explore what is given and hidden — this will give you the key to making any new experience as fruitful as it could be.”
The competition encompasses the efforts of the AUC School of Business to create generations of sustainability-oriented market leaders to instigate change across markets.
This year, it was hosted by the John D. Gerhart Center for Philanthropy, Civic Engagement and Responsible Business of the AUC School of Business in coordination with the Assistant Provost Office for Innovative Learning Experience.
Nearing the end of the semester for many university students is usually accompanied by many challenging prospects and difficulties juggling a multiplicity of academic tasks that need to be attended to. For this reason, we asked several members of our valued School of Business faculty about their personal advice on how students can create a more smooth-sailing experience for themselves during finals week.
Tip One: Do your best and work hard
Academic success does not come easy. Business students must uphold excellence in everything they do, which entails studying and working our hardest to achieve our academic goals.
“Don’t lose your concentration. It’s time to make all your hard work pay off,” emphasized Moataz El Helaly, assistant professor of accounting. Furthermore, Hamed Shamma, associate professor of marketing and BP endowed chair, also highlighted the same principle stating: “One should aim to be the highest and give their 100 percent effort and beyond. Work exceedingly hard and make it happen.”
Tip two: Create a study plan and manage your time to minimize stress
Organization is key to staying on top of our studies and motivates us to get things done, in addition, creating study plans helps alleviate a lot of stress going into finals week.
This was illustrated by several of the School’s professors, for example, Ahmed Abdel Meguid, associate professor of accounting, contended that “if your target is getting an A, don’t stress out, do your best and line up a study plan to avoid cramming.”
Additionally, Ahmed Tolba, chair and, associate professor stated: “My advice is for students to relax by planning how they will organize their work ahead of time.”
Tip three: Allocate enough time for your physical rest
Making sure that you are well-rested and are taking proper breaks enables you to be at peak performance whilst taking your final semester assessments. Therefore, it is necessary for students to recharge and take care of their bodily health. “It is important to sleep well before taking an exam,” stated Abdel Meguid.
“Remember to manage your time effectively and allocate enough time for your physical rest in order to have optimum performance,” highlighted Khaled Dahawy, associate professor of accounting.
Tip four: Know what to expect
For students, having a clear idea of what is expected of them or what they are expected to acquire in terms of knowledge to be ready for final assessments and submissions is essential in helping relieve much of the stress associated with finals week.
Sherwat Elwan, associate professor and director of MBA and Executive MBA programs, elaborated on this matter by stating: “Students should connect personally with professors to communicate clearly with them about final exam or project expectations.” She continued: “In my experience, the vagueness of deliverable requirements is the main cause of anxiety for students during this time.”
Tip five: Consider practical applications of course topics
A helpful tool to allow for better knowledge retention is to think about how one would enact their theoretical knowledge practically. Mohga Badran, associate professor, Department of Management, stated: “For each topic in a course, students need to try and think how it can be applied practically and how each of the topics is related to other ones in the same course.” She further elaborated: “In this way, students will have a whole picture of the course and its practical application in mind.”
Tip six: Cherish present achievements
In order to be mentally prepared for final examinations, it is best to be content with one’s current achievements or progress and avoid setting false future expectations, but rather stay focused on the present. Nellie El Enany, associate professor of management, aligns with this viewpoint. “The future self we imagine may not eventually make us fulfilled. Alternatively, being in the 'present' is much healthier for us,” contended El Enany. She further added: “It is important to avoid the positivity bias about things that may never happen, and which may never make us happy like we imagine they may, is the best way to rewire the brain to think.”
Tip 7: Have an internal drive to learn
The process of learning should be motivated by an internal willingness and enthusiasm to learn and become a more well-rounded individual rather than the extrinsic motivation related to getting good grades. Assistant Professor of Finance Wael Abdallah, touched on this stating: "The way to reach success is through the intrinsic motivation of a person, which is the drive that keeps them going even in times of hardships".
Final notes
In summary, students must exert the maximum possible effort they can and effectively manage their time as well as their mental or physical well-being in the process. You must also make sure that you properly understand what is expected from you in final exams or submissions. Furthermore, you should consider real-life applications of acquired concepts to enhance the learning process. Lastly, continuously focus on being content with your current progress and strive to be motivated by a desire to learn rather than being motivated by grades. And as the final words by Associate Professor and Associate Chair of the Department of Management Randa El Bedawy go: “Don’t just study hard, study smart, and don’t stress!”
In light of the increasing challenges that have been facing startups since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the AUC Venture Lab launched the V-Lab Innovation Fund Award in partnership with Oxfam and the Danish-Arab Partnership Programme to honor its graduate startups that have been creating impact and launching innovative initiatives during difficult times.
Targeting exclusively V-Lab graduates, the award offered up to EGP 120K for nine V-Lab alumni who managed to create innovative solutions and empower the community through job creation and impact, especially in areas of financial inclusion, and green economy, social impact and inclusion, agri-tech, health-tech and ed-tech.
“We really wanted to offer our startups a boost through this fund. These startups are creating a wonderful impact and the award highlights and celebrates their stories and empowers them with funding that would help them expand their operations and provide better support to their communities,” said Ayman Ismail, AUC Venture Lab director and Abdul Latif Jameel endowed chair of entrepreneurship at AUC School of Business.
“Oxfam is very proud of our partnership with AUC Venture Lab with the support of the Danish-Arab Partnership Programme to see the Innovation fund award winners for 2021-2022. Egyptian youth have come up with innovative ideas that will now become reality, supporting more growth and more social inclusion. We have developed the prizes in partnership with AUC V-Lab to provide immediate support to these youth entrepreneurs who can innovatively respond to current market problems and needs,” said Mirjam van Dorssen, director of the North Africa Sub-Region at Oxfam.
Check out the winners below and read what their founders had to say.
The ed-tech platform was founded back in 2013 to provide high-quality babysitting and tutoring services for children. After exploring the market with booklets and a Facebook page, Orcas launched its mobile application and acquired more than 20,000 users across Egyptian cities including Cairo, Alexandria, El Gouna and the North Coast.
The Startup Accelerator Cycle Four graduate has set its mission to provide children with defined, enhanced and customized learning experiences through its online marketplace platform that connects tutors with parents and students.
"Our mission is to upgrade the way students learn outside the classroom through an innovative product experience. It is an honor and a great motivation to be recognized by AUC V-Lab’s Innovation Fund Award for it," said Hossam Taher, CEO and head of product at Orcas.
After getting recognized by HolonIQ among the 50 most promising ed-tech startups in MENA, Orcas announced its plans to expand in MENAP with eyes on the Pakistani and Saudi markets.
Having joined V-Lab in 2021, Brandloca’s team was set on a mission to penetrate the fashion, beauty and home decor products, connecting customers with different local producers from every corner of the country through their e-commerce platform.
Founded by Sarah Hegazy and Sarah Abdelsalam, Brandloca is committed to elevating the pains of shoppers when it comes to time, money and effort by enabling them to find a wide variety of products in one place and allowing them to make one order from several vendors and pay a single delivery fee. On the other hand, it empowers local brand owners and factories with an online presence allowing them to access a wider customer base and keep up with the rapid development of the fashion industry.
Since its inception, the platform has also joined several collaborations to help local creators enhance their products, build stronger brands and acquire new customers.
As a graduate of V-Lab’s first Fintech Accelerator cohort, Neqabty has worked tirelessly to avail the services of syndicates to its members through online solutions. They automate transactions for healthcare services, provide user management services and integration with the syndicates’ internal systems, and offer easier communication channels and ease of payments.
"The first steps for NEQABTY were born inside the AUC Venture Lab Fintech Accelerator powered by CIB Egypt. It was an adventure that we believed in from the first moment, and they believed in us as well and the real journey started there,” said Mohammed Gamal, founder and CEO of Neqabty.
The startup currently serves more than 500,000 engineers and has processed more than 120 million operational financial transactions, with plans to expand in Africa.
Skilldi, formerly known as ArabCBT, is an Arabic-speaking e-learning hub that develops Arab talents of different qualifications and enables highly qualified technology calibers to enhance the ICT job market in the region. The platform provides learners with a customized career development plan with integrated localized training and mentoring sessions.
“This award gives us confidence and a push towards realizing our mission of providing effective and accessible skill-building experiences to help individuals lead the life they aspire for,” said Mohamed Abdallah, founder of Skilldi.
Abdallah added that by utilizing modern and proven learning techniques, powered by cutting-edge technologies, they continue to work on revolutionizing the EdTech industry.
Skill has recently expanded its services to the Saudi Arabian market by partnering up with the Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.
The Spring ’20 Fintech Accelerator graduate Logista provides solutions for digitizing the logistics and delivery operations of businesses, allowing them to access crucial insights, optimize routing and improve efficiency.
Committed to streamlining delivery operations Logista has succeeded in creating job opportunities and a social impact.
Science Crafts brings science to life by designing hands-on educational kits and learning scenarios that offer children gamified experiences they can enjoy and learn from. Science Crafts’ solutions indulge children in a fun environment with maximum engagement and learning potential.
“It's exciting and fascinating when we see the children’s faces at their maximum engagement level, using their hands and minds to find that "Eureka moment" when they understand an educational concept while having fun,” said Mahmoud El-Amir, co-founder of Science Crafts and Jaykerz Co.
Throughout their journey, the team has been dedicated and committed to transforming the educational sector and displayed strong agility in the face of COVID-19 challenges.
Science Crafts is now covering a variety of educational subjects through its sister brand Jaykerz and diverse gamification services for schools and teachers to help learners reach their full social, cognitive and physical potential. On the partnerships side, Science Crafts has joined hands with Nahdet Misr and Wataneya Society to widen its impact.
Founded in 2015, the Startup Accelerator graduate ClickMare started with a mission to bridge the gap for those in need of health insurance. They provide users with microinsurance that makes private healthcare services accessible and breaks financial barriers.
ClickMare has so far helped more than 40,000 Egyptians access quality healthcare services offering up to 80 percent benefit coverage at monthly premiums less than EGP 50 ($3) per family and a network of 2,600+ providers.
“Egypt’s large and growing population will continue to fuel demand for healthcare projects. There is a neglected category of SMEs and families that can’t pay the private sector’s medical insurance and can’t appeal to the national health insurance,” said Dr. Ahmed Yousef, founder and CEO of ClickMare, explaining the pain his team is trying to provide a solution for.
The startup’s growth rate doubled in 2021 due to the rapid increase in syndicates and the expansion of SMEs. ClickMare’s upcoming plans include expanding in Alexandria and enhancing medical records
The Spring ’21 graduate SehaTech has been selected to win among nine V-Lab alumni for their efforts to bridge the communication and financial gaps between the healthcare stakeholders.
“We are very glad that SehaTech won the AUC V-Lab Innovation Fund Award. V-Lab has always been very supportive and played a crucial role in our journey,” commented Mostafa Tarek, founder of SehaTech.
In efforts to make healthcare services more affordable, SehaTech’s customers will soon be able to benefit from vast discounts on the platform and can choose to pay in monthly installments.
When it comes to the automotive industry, the Cycle 13 graduate Turbo One provides every on-demand service a car owner could need.
Turbo One’s team works relentlessly to provide customers with the most convenient services according to their locations and schedules while offering service providers growth opportunities and a scalable demand of orders.
“I’m really proud that I’ve graduated from AUC Venture Lab Startup Accelerator in 2019. The acceleration program is still - as always - pushing all graduate startups with all the support possible. Thank you to all our mentors, the V-Lab team and Professor Ayman Ismail who have helped us access networks for business opportunities and investment,” said Mohammed Sayed, founder of Turbo One. Sayed added that they are currently exploring a new model with wider scalability opportunities.
Just five years after joining the AUC Venture Lab as a budding startup, Swvl has made its debut on the Nasdaq –– the first Egyptian unicorn, first V-Lab graduate and first North African tech startup to list on the U.S. stock exchange.
Entering the exchange next to other tech giants with a valuation of $1.5 billion, the fast-growing transportation company is also the second in the Middle East to list on Nasdaq via a SPAC (Special Purpose Action Committee) merger, following Anghami. The company merged in July of last year with Queen’s Gambit Growth Capital, a SPAC that boasts being 100% female-led.
Founded by Mostafa Kandil '15, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh, Swvl set out to improve public transportation in Egypt through tech-enabled ridesharing services. The company now operates in 115 cities in 18 countries across Latin America, Europe, Africa and Asia.
Kandil rang the Nasdaq Opening Bell on March 31 in a ceremony marking the company’s debut.
"We are very excited to see Swvl's team reach this inspiring milestone,” said Ayman Ismail ’95, ’97, founding director of the V-Lab and associate professor and Abdul Latif Jameel Endowed Chair in Entrepreneurship. “At AUC Venture Lab, we take pride in having been part of Swvl's early journey and continue to be committed to being a catalyst for growth and to empowering more inspiring founders during their journeys. [Swvl is] “an inspiration to many entrepreneurs and one that paves the way for an entire generation of tech startups.”
Kandil began his studies as a petroleum engineering student at AUC but ended up seeking a more dynamic path, as he was always keen on exploring the business world. In 2017, Swvl joined AUC Venture Lab, Egypt’s first University-based accelerator and incubator which offers acceleration programs to high-growth, innovation-driven tech startups.
In August 201, when Swvl announced that it would list on the Nasdaq, Kandil said, "I’m proud to say that being an AUC student was the start of the journey that brought me to this moment in my life."
Accelerated by the V-Lab in Cycle 8, the team was able to launch the application before graduating from the cycle. The startup has seen impressive growth since its launch, crossing Egypt’s borders and establishing roots abroad. Kandil was named — along with co-founders Nouh and Sabbah — among Forbes Middle East’s Top Arab 30 under 30 in 2018.
To date, the V-Lab has graduated over 300 graduate startups that have gained EGP 3 billion in investments and created 10,000 jobs, leaving a lasting impact on the greater community and regional development ecosystem. In 2021, the lab was recognized as the Best Accelerator/Incubator Program in North Africa by the Global Startup Awards.
The realm of business around the globe is becoming increasingly dynamic and complex. This requires persons in business to be agile critical thinkers that take initiative in solving organizational problems that arise due to the dynamic nature of the industry. This makes the use of case studies in academia of utmost importance because they engage university students’ problem-solving skills and create a culture of active learning, critical thinking, and proactivity.
With this in mind, El-Khazindar Business Research and Case Center (KCC) at the AUC School of Business, in partnership with Emerald Publishing, launched the Emerald - AUC School of Business Case Writing Competition in 2020. The competition primarily aims to inspire a culture of proficient business case writing in and about the MENA region, leading to the creation of excellent case studies to be used by students in the region and elsewhere.
"Launching this case writing competition with such a prominent publisher as Emerald comes in line with KCC’s mission and vision of fostering the culture and promoting the development of high-quality case studies within the MENA region," stated Engy Magdy, director of KCC.
In its second run, a total number of 13 case studies from five countries (Egypt, Pakistan, Qatar, Turkey and United Arab Emirates) were submitted for the competition. The judges selected short-listed cases, reviewed them, and evaluated them based on the competition criteria.
Winners were announced on March 29, 2022 during a webinar featuring competition judge Virginia Bodolica, Said T. Khoury chair of leadership studies and professor at the School of Business Administration at the American University of Sharjah, and Emerald Cases Publisher James Hobbs. In addition, the speakers showcased the highlights of the 2021 case writing competition and explained the facets of a well-written case study. The webinar was moderated by Nadine Salah, marketing manager for MENA, Pakistan, and Turkey at Emerald Publishing.
Two cases by the AUC School of Business won the first and second places, respectively. The winning case entitled Scarabaeus Sacer: An Iconic Green Brand Advocating Sustainability in the Era of Digital Economy and Connectivity was written by Ayman Ismail, associate professor, Abdul Latif Jameel endowed chair of entrepreneurship and founding director of the AUC Venture Lab, Seham Ghalwash, doctoral researcher at the Technical University in Denmark and senior researcher at AUC, and Mohit Maurya, associate professor at Sharda University in India.
“In this case study we discuss an Egyptian sustainable fashion enterprise called Scarabaeus Sacer,” remarked Ghalwash. “The core mission of Scarabaeus is promoting Egyptian organic cotton textiles with a premium quality globally and their main dilemma, which is what the case revolves around, involves marketing-related challenges faced by the founders at the beginning of 2020 when trying to build their global brand awareness and penetrate new markets,” she explained.
The second winning case by the School and the first runner-up was a case titled The Pharaoh Rises: Z-Generation Startup PIK written by Randa El Bedawy, associate professor and associate chair at the AUC School of Business, and Mayar Farrag El Sayed, assistant professor and head of the marketing department at the Egyptian Chinese University. Their case, as El Bedawy explained, “traces the development of an Egyptian software startup and the challenges faced regarding the entrepreneurship ecosystem in Egypt.”
El Sayed further elaborated on what the case entails by stating that “for many startups, financing is an everlasting struggle, the founder of PIK dealt with this struggle.” El Sayed also added that “another issue faced by PIK was the need to create market awareness for a price-sensitive market and whether the ecosystem of this emerging market was going to support their business, or if they needed to look into other markets to explore instead.”
The second runner-up case entitled The Pandemic: Learning the Way of Continuous Communication with Customers was written by Nilsah Cavdar Aksoy at the Galatasaray University in Turkey and Alev Kocak Alev at Albeka Consulting in Turkey. The case tackles marketing communication challenges faced by businesses in Turkey during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pro-tip: Writing a successful case study
During the event, Bodolica explained the criteria for successful case study writing. She emphasized the importance of the “five Ps” of effective case writing.
Click here to watch the full webinar and here to watch the winners’ remarks.
For more information about the entry criteria for the 2022 round of the Emerald - AUC School of Business Case Writing Competition as well as the deadline, click here.
