Qatar Business Incubation Center (QBIC) has been appointed Qatar country host for the second Arab Mobile App Challenge, enabling it to reach out to talented young entrepreneurs and developers whose great ideas can become viable apps. This year AMAC is opening its doors to the Pan Arab region and encouraging its young people to form teams, put their technical innovation skills to the test, and win big prizes.

Launched in 2013, the Arab Mobile App Challenge invites teams of up to six members under the age of 35 to develop mobile apps designed to make an impact in the education, health, entertainment and employability/entrepreneurship sectors.

The programme aims to educate young Arabs about entrepreneurship and the path to launching a start-up, as well as enhancing business skills and design abilities. Such was the success of the first event that more than 15 percent of participants who reached the semi-final stages now have their own start-up businesses, fuelling economic growth and creating employment.

Aysha Al Mudahka, CEO of QBIC said: "QBIC is positioning itself as the largest MENA mixed business incubator and an entrepreneurial hub. As we are not a specialised or vertical incubator, we rely on building partnerships with speciality programs and partners to create a funnel to attract applicants that match the local and global trends. Mobile applications are the new mainstream for entrepreneurs worldwide because they are scalable, easy to build, and have a rich business model.

For that QBIC was eager to partner with AMAC (Arab Mobile Applications Contest) as the Qatar Country Host and the regional partner along with other players like Ooredoo. We are looking forward to this partnership to give our entrepreneurs the local, regional and international exposure that can be leveraged by participating in AMAC.”

"For 2014, the programme has been expanded to offer a mix of direct and web-based activities for the young teams in the Middle East and North Africa, who will join participants in North America and South East Asia in the challenge. With the combined competitor base of three regions, it will be the largest mobile app challenge in the world this year" Al Mudahka added.

Top prizes include USD 25,000, USD 15,000 and USD 10,000 rewards for first, second and third places, as well as the chance to compete in the Global App Challenge in Barcelona, hosted by the Mobile World Congress.

In addition, participants benefit from on-going support programmes, including mentorship, partner matching and development training, to enable them to realise their start-up goals. In Qatar, the programme will be supported by QBIC and Ooredoo.

Partners on the programme include Pearson, IE Business School, Mada, Oasis500, Wamda, MIT Enterprise Forum Pan Arab Region, Potential, In5, Supcom, Ooredoo, Bader Lebanon, Coworking+961, the Queen Rania Centre for Entrepreneurship, and Int@j Jordan.

Young people wishing to take part in the Challenge can register until 15^th October 2014. Once registered, they will receive regular updates via email and social media, with training beginning in September, both online and in major cities across the Arab world.

For more information about the Arab Mobile App Challenge, see www.arabmobilechallenge.com.

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