JEDDAH — MIT Enterprise Forum Pan Arab announced Thursday the six winners of the 13th edition of MIT Enterprise Forum’s Arab Startup Competition. Among the winners was the Saudi platform Telp, winner of the fourth annual edition of MITEF Saudi Startup Competition. Telp is a tutor marketplace with high quality, vetted tutors, designed for busy parents that seek continuity in tutoring services through weekly lessons; Telp builds lasting relationships. During the pilot launch, over 9,000 hours of tutoring were conducted worth over USD 182,000. Telp is now ready to start its regional expansion and has expanded to Riyadh. The Arab Startup Competition, held in partnership with Main Partner Community Jameel, Innovation Partner King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, and Digital Partner Zain Group, ensured that attendees would benefit from a digitally immersive experience that closely emulates attending a real-life event. The virtual conference was attended by 400 attendees from 40 countries globally, who have all come to network, connect, and learn from the world’s most renowned tech speakers. The conference culminated with the announcement of the six winners (from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Egypt, Palestine, Syria, and Jordan), each going home with a monetary prize and endless opportunities for growth. On the occasion, Hussein Jameel, director, Community Jameel, addressed the entrepreneurs saying: “You are the cornerstone of the world of entrepreneurship, and the real capital is your talents, capabilities and skills that we seek to support through the Arab Startup Competition and other initiatives of Community Jameel. “We have been always striving to turn your creative into startups that have today become one of the main pillars of the Arab world economies of both the developed and developing countries, not only because of their economic impact, but also for their social influence as a tool to tackle unemployment and other challenges.” The Virtual Conference and Awards Ceremony marks this year a new turning point, especially being MITEF Pan Arab’s first fully-digital conference. The virtual event created unforeseen challenges to the organizers and endless opportunities to experiment and innovate. MIT Enterprise Forum Pan Arab is excited to add a new cohort of innovators and brilliant entrepreneurs to its global network of alumni. — SG