The first edition of Pitch@Palace GCC was held recently, in which 14 entrepreneurs from across the region pitched their business ideas for a chance to be crowned the winner of the competition. The final Pitch@Palace event was held at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, The United Arab Emirates on the 24th of October.
The initiative was organized by His Royal Highness, The Duke of York, Prince Andrew, under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and in collaboration with the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development. After an intensive and thorough boot camp in preparation of Pitch @Palace 1.0, which was held at the Khalifa Innovation Center in Khalifa University, with five startups representing Bahrain at the competition.
Alrawi: A platform that enables the “creation and distribution of Arabic audiobooks,” with the aim of preserving the language and supporting the Arabic sector of the book market, all the while operating with the intention of creating an e-community.
OneGCC: An online employment platform that is focused on the “nationalization of the Gulf Jobs Market,” and matching the individuals to the job that is most suitable to them, all the while with a premier focus on unique talent in the region.
GetBaqala: A mobile platform that connects various retailers and merchants that operate in the food and beverages industry, mainly groceries, to consumers, through a process of ordering online and having the items delivered to your doorstep.
Tamarran: An application that allows the user to book sports venues and recreational facilities digitally, in addition to that, it connects you to other athletes and sports enthusiasts, in turn, making it a one-stop shop for sports-related activities.
The Stories Studio: When addressing The Stories Studio, it is hard not to mention the startup’s mission to “create video games for social impact,” this startup lists itself under “indie game development” that operates with the intention of telling stories, contributing to society and fostering collaboration that helps people in crises.
And while each and every startup listed above managed to make us proud, the top honours of the night went to two Bahrain businesses who left the stage with the most prestigious awards of the night!
For the category of the People’s choice award, the accolade was credited to none other than Alrawii, spearheaded by its Co-Founder and Managing Director, Hala Sulaiman.
And as to the top honor of the night, the first palace went to OneGCC, lead by its Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Alharith Alatawi who said it was an “honour to represent Team Bahrain at Pitch@palace, and wholeheartedly want to thank HRH the Duke of York for hosting, as well as the office of the FDPM, Tamkeen, EDB and Khalifa Fund UAE for making all of this happen and seeing the vision that ONEGCC aims to actualize and turn into a reality”.
The StartUp Bahrain community is proud of all of the startups that participated, and would like to extend its gratitude for the entities that helped facilitate this remarkable feat, bodies such as Tamkeen (Labor fund) and the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) for their relentless support and encouragement when it comes to entrepreneurs pursuing their dreams and innovating the course of their lives.
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