‘Engineering with Kids’ winner of entrepreneur conclave in Oman

Muscat: Saif Al Manji, founder of Engineering with Kids, was selected as the winner of the fifth edition of the Entrepreneur’s Conclave 2016.
Engineering for Kids is located at Panorama Mall in Muscat, teaching math, science, technology and engineering to youngsters in a fun environment.
The grand finale was held under the auspices of Talal Sulaiman Al Rahbi, Deputy Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Planning and Deputy Chairman of Riyada.
Additionally, the title for the group case study was won by Baida Al Zadjali, founder of Riyam Muscat, and Saif Al Manji, mentored by Nikhil Sampat from Naranjee Hirjee and Company, for their innovative ideas on starting and running a coffee shop, entitled “Qahwa”.
“Entrepreneur’s Conclave was formed in 2014 to support Young Entrepreneurs in Oman by providing them with a platform to build relationships and do business,” said Zameel Ameen, founder and director of Experiment Events, which organised the conclave.
“It offers a networking arena for individuals and organisations involved in all types of SMEs,” he added.
A large number of young entrepreneurs had applied to participate in the event. They were then whittled down to the nine who stood before the judges to make a five-minute presentation about their businesses at the Public Aviation of Civil Authority’s Multi Purpose Hall on Monday.
The nine finalists presented their businesses to a panel of critics, which consisted of Said Al Shanfari, Head of Ooredoo Business, His Highness Adam Al Said, partner at The Firm for Business and Economic Consulting, Eyhab Al Hajj, founder and director of Al Hajj Investments, Dr Jalal Al Hadhrami, founder and chairman of Celebrity Global Holdings, and Sherry Colbourne, co-founder of Startup Oman.
“It was a close call and tough decision for the judges. But in the end, the verdict was unanimous,” Ameen said.
The Grand Finale was the final phase of the competition, entitled “Grow”.
The first phase, “Learn”, included a case study where the young entrepreneurs were being coached by established entrepreneurs on how to start and manage a company, while facing critical issues in high pressure situations.
The second phase, “Survive”, saw the entrepreneurs taking part in a challenging diving exercise, which represents the frequent difficulties entrepreneurs regularly face. The audience also enjoyed a motivational speech by founder and CEO at Glowork, Khalid Al Khudhair.
According to Ameen, the winner, Saif Al Manji, will be one of the ambassadors for next year’s conclave.
The other finalists were Aisha Alawi Baabood, who runs White Hands Centre for Assistive Technology and Rehabilitation centre, Ruba Al Shaikh, who owns Nutrilife Oman, Nabila Al Amri of Cake Heaven, Najah Al Abdulsalam from I Communicate, Sami Salim Al Siyabi from Moment of Creativity and Contracting, Adel Al Abri of National High Tide Enterprises and Yasser Shaban Al Abdullah of Dana Middle East.
Speaking about his plan for next year’s conclave, Ameen said, “We are looking for new adventures and also to open up the competition to the Middle East, and we are talking to SME organizations in Dubai, Kuwait and Qatar.”