Cairo: – ExxonMobil Egypt and Misr El Kheir Foundation (MEK) celebrated the graduation of four finalist teams in the Energy and Environment Social Challenge. The social challenge, held in cooperation with the business incubator "GESR", affiliated to MEK and promoting innovation and entrepreneurship,  aims to transform viable and socially impactful ideas into tangible prototypes ready to be made available in the market, to create innovative solutions to social challenges across the environment and energy sectors.

The collaboration comes as part of ExxonMobil Egypt's community investment, which focuses on youth, developing their innovation and entrepreneurship skills, specifically to address challenges related to energy and environment, in line with Egypt’s 2030 sustainable development vision.

The Social Challenge provides participating teams with an integrated ecosystem that ensures the transformation of entrepreneurial technology-based ideas into tangible prototypes that provide innovative products or solutions, by offering all forms of essential support whether technical, training and mentoring through the transfer of expertise and knowledge, as well as financial support to fund the projects.

Upon receiving various entrepreneurial ideas from the applicants, some ideas that met the criteria set for the program were selected. The applicants attended training sessions that covered technical and commercial aspects including; marketing, business model design, financing, and others. At the end of the sessions, the four best teams were selected to develop their ideas into prototypes and marketable products.

Expressing delight for the successful ending of the program’s first round, Eng. Youssef Hafez, Board Member, Public & Government Affairs Manager of ExxonMobil Egypt, said “We pride ourselves as we join forces with GESR Misr El Kheir program to celebrate the graduation of four finalist teams that provided effective solutions, in energy and environment sectors, based on entrepreneurial knowledge and innovation. As a result of this success, we look forward to extending our cooperation in this program to launch a new round of the competition in the coming period. This cooperation fulfills our vision in community investment, focusing on youth development by promoting innovation and building entrepreneurship skills and providing solutions to environment and energy challenges.”

On the other hand, Eng. Amal Mobadda, CEO – Fundraising Sector – Misr El Kheir Foundation, said “We are extremely proud of what we have achieved in the social challenge program (environment and energy) and filled with high hopes that the four winning prototypes will contribute to achieving the desired impact and solving the challenges facing society. We are also delighted to cooperate with ExxonMobil Egypt and look forward to furthering this cooperation in the coming period to achieve Misr El-Kheir Foundation’s strategy, which targets creating a generation of innovators, entrepreneurs and startups in building an economy based on knowledge and technology. Thus, a positive impact on solving societal problems, especially the problems of the neediest groups in Egypt, will be achieved.”

The four winning teams included: "ASU Wind" team, who developed the first locally-manufactured small-scale wind turbine at an affordable price that can light up a small farm. In addition, "Tilestic" team aims to produce low-cost, recyclable interlocking tiles from single-use plastic waste. "Valoria" innovatively used the waste of banana trees to extract fibers that are used in the manufacture of plastic products alternatives. "Eco-woven packaging" team strived to produce sustainable food bags/packages from corn that decomposes in a safe and sustainable way, turning into compost when buried in the soil.

-Ends-

About ExxonMobil Egypt:

ExxonMobil Egypt is a leading provider of high-quality lubricants and fuels and has a wide network of convenience retail shops. ExxonMobil Egypt has more than 350 service centers under “Mobil” name, more than 110 service centers for Mobil 1 and Mobil Autocare, in addition to 28 “On the Run” branches, and an increasing number of “Way to Go” branches that reached 16 branches. Supported by two lubricant blending manufacturers in Alexandria and the 10th of Ramadan, ExxonMobil Egypt offers a diversified range of industrial products, lubricant solutions and services, in Egypt and more than 40 countries in Africa, the Middle East, Europe, America and the Far East. Since 2019, ExxonMobil Egypt has resumed its interest in exploration and drilling in Egypt and in the Eastern Mediterranean, by owning a franchise for gas exploration and drilling. ExxonMobil Egypt builds on a rich history that began about 120 years ago, starting with the registration of Vacuum Oil Company (Mobil) in 1902. ExxonMobil Egypt is committed to participate in many community initiatives related to education, development and women, serving different sectors and groups in Egyptian society

About Misr El Kheir:

Misr El Kheir Foundation (MEK) is a non-profit development institution established in 2007 with the objective of developing the Egyptian individual in a comprehensive manner. Seven key areas have been selected for human development namely: Health, Education, Scientific Research, Social Solidarity, Aspects of Life, Civil Associations development, and Integrated Developments. Our vision is to become a pioneering sustainable development organization to be heeded internationally; our mission is to contribute to the development of individuals and to serve them in the hope of eliminating unemployment, illiteracy, poverty, and disease. Our mission is to participate in building people and serving them in the fields of social solidarity, education, health, scientific research and innovation, aspects of life, Civil Associations, and integrated development with the hope of eliminating unemployment, illiteracy, poverty, and disease. Our vision is pioneering institution, as a global example, to reach the development of a self-developing, symbiotic society. Our goal is to take care of the citizen and raising him from a state of nothingness to subsistence and from subsistence to sufficiency and from sufficiency to competence. Our Values is: Transparency - Respect - Excellence - Responsibility - Credibility - Equality.

About GESR:

GESR Misr El Kheir is a technological business incubator affiliated to the Scientific Research and Innovation Sector of the Misr El-Kheir Foundation. It aims to solve Egypt's social challenges in the field of energy, water, health, food and agricultural crops, and education, by supporting entrepreneurs, innovators, and startup companies through three pillars:

- Helping entrepreneurs transform initial ideas into prototypes.

- Helping startups turn prototypes into finished products.

- Connecting incubated companies with investors.

The Gesr Misr El Kheir Incubator succeeded in providing 6 pre-incubation program, through which more than 1,500 applicants from 13 governorates applied, and 32 startups were incubated, including 10 startups that obtained investments and provided more than 400 job opportunities. It also succeeded in providing five pre-incubation courses and seven social challenges in which more than 1,100 applicants took part, and more than 55 innovative product prototypes were reached.