Pakistan is up and about to Make Wave: Startup and the Idea Got into GIST Tech-I Finalists
So here come our stars ready to make Pakistani flag shine with all glitters. Just now, GIST Network has announced finalist for 2016 who will be participating in Global Entrepreneurship Summit in June in the Silicon Valley.
Global Innovation through Science and Technology (GIST) is a program by the US State Department intended to empower young innovators through networking, skills-building, mentoring, and access to financing to develop startup, available in 135 emerging economies worldwide. However, the GIST Tech-I, a part of GIST, is an annual competition that invites entrepreneurs from all over the world.
So now, under the list, Waqas Muhammad from the WonderTree and Saima Hanif for Carespare tool idea, have greatly made to the 2016 GIST Tech-I Finalists representing 24 countries.
Wonder Tree is a startup endeavor that is developing interactive games for children with special needs. Simply, these games make education and therapy pleasant and effectual. These games also feature a reporting system to monitor the progress of the children. Also, recently, Wonder Tree has successfully made it to the top 25 Finalists from the Karachi Chapter of #PakistanStartUpCup which included 100 startups from Karachi.
Fundamentally, these games use the concept of augmented reality. The child interacts with the games using movements and gestures. The games provide an interactive world to the child, which boost the child’s attention span, motivation, alongside improving and developing specific skills by specific games.
The games require a kinect v2 sensor, laptop and a TV screen. However, it is worth to mention that WonderTree is an alumni of The Nest i/o and has been selected as one of the top 15 startups who will pitch at GIST 2016 in Silicon Valley.
Other than Waqas Muhammad, a brilliant idea of Carespare tool by Saima Hanif has made to the GIST Tech-I finalist. Basically, the Carespare tool is an innovative diagnosis test tool for Hepatitis C, a chronic liver disease, providing 300 percent less expensive and more accurate test results. However, it is reusable and time proficient.
Among thousands recorded number of votes, applications, and expert reviews, the GIST initiative and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has announced the 2016 GIST Tech-I Finalists in which our startup and idea has gotten a prominent place.
Here is a complete GIST Tech-I Finalists (2016) representing 24 countries are:
Top 15 Idea Stage Finalists
Omesmus Emeka, Kenya
Nikoloz Gachechiladze, Georgia
Layth Hamad, Jordan
Saima Hanif, Pakistan
Sana Hawasly, Syria
Sabina Ismailova, Kazakhstan
Ivan Jovanov, Serbia
Diego López Olivares, Ecuador
Maher Yousef Maymoun, Jordan
Musawwir Muhtar, Indonesia
Nnenna Chioma Okoye, Nigeria
Mary Christine Ong-Reyes, Philippines
Samina Sarwat, Bangladesh
Leyla Taghizade, Azerbaijan
Clarisse Uwineza, Rwanda
Top 15 Startup Stage Finalists
Levon Aramyan, Armenia
Tania Lorena Cabrera Sanzon, Colombia
Jorge Daniel Cespedes Vega, Paraguay
Yap Chee Wei, Malaysia
Hoang Dao, Vietnam
Destiny Frederick, Nigeria
Amr Hussein Mohamed Hussein, Egypt
Ricardo Jaramillo Gaviria, Colombia
Yessica López Coyotzi, Mexico
Mykhailo Lytovchenko, Ukraine
Waqas Muhammad, Pakistan
Alexander Pizarro, Peru
Samid Razzak, Bangladesh
Jigme Tenzin, Bhutan
Charity Wanjiku, Kenya
GIST Tech-I Competition, this year has massively received a record 1,075 applications from 104 countries and territories. However, over 140 regional, scientific, and entrepreneurship experts from around the globe got participated to review all the applications.
By taking in view all the aspects of each startup idea and their technical viability, market potential, and significance, there were 102 impressive innovators from 51 budding economies emerged as the 2016 GIST Tech-I Semifinalists.
However, from April 1 through May 1, the 102 semifinalists got their vast marketing campaign turned on to advertise their projects and encourage people to vote on the GIST Tech-I Competition. Thus, on a whole, GIST Tech-I Semifinalists received an amazing 431,655 votes. Moreover, throughout the month of voting, semifinalists were identified by government officials and business leaders and appeared on national and international television, in newspapers, in radio broadcasts, and on Voice of America. These are all the result of efforts they have put in to show how these ideas can just not get benefits to only individual but different communities and countries overall.
It merits mentioning here that the thirty GIST Tech-I Finalists (fifteen Idea stage and fifteen Startup stage) will now go through web-based training prior to flying to Silicon Valley to participate in the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in June. However, throughout this internationally esteemed event, these incredible innovators will receive two days of intensive entrepreneurial skills training, mentorship, and networking access to the spectacular global leaders in their fields.
Above all, The GIST Tech-I Finals will conclude with an exciting live pitching event which will decide who will head to home with capital seed prizes to help raise their businesses.
Here we wish both startup Wonder Tree and the idea of The Carespare, all the very best to head and lead and make Pakistan proud.
Credits: GIST Network
