uPaint: Champion of Innovation

Winning the Darwazah Startup Accelerate and People's Choice Award at the American University of Beirut

The Samih Darwazah Center for Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship at the Suliman S. Olayan School of Business, American University of Beirut, organized the annual Darwazah Startup Accelerate (DSAccelerate) awards event on December 2, 2022. The event aimed to foster entrepreneurship by supporting and mentoring startup teams.

The winner had been selected in part by the jury evaluations, including Dr. Khater Abi Habib, Chairman and General Manager of Kafalat s.a.l., Dr. Yousif Asfour, Chief Innovation and Transformation Officer at the American University of Beirut and the American University of Beirut Medical Center, Dr. Nabil Fahed, Chief Executive Officer of Fahed Group, Ms. Randa Bdeir, Deputy General Manager and Head of Electronic Payment Solutions & Card Technology at Credit Libanais and Ms. Yusr Sabra, co-founder and CEO of Wakilni.

uPaint Triumphs: First Prize at DSA 2022

Among the eight finalists chosen from fifty applications, uPaint secured the first-place prize. uPaint, a state-of-the-art computer-generated kit allowing people with no painting skill to paint ready-made or customized artwork by numbers. Additionally, Mr. Said Darwazah pledged further investment in the winning venture. The event featured speeches from Mr. Darwazah, Dean Yusuf Sidani, and Dr. Bijan Azad, along with a fireside chat with successful young entrepreneurs. The winners will receive support from the Darwazah Center to launch their businesses.

uPaint: People's Choice Champion

In addition to winning the prestigious Darwazah Startup Accelerate, uPaint achieved another remarkable feat by clinching the people's choice award at the President Innovation Challenge hosted by the American University of Beirut (AUB). The AUB President’s Innovation Challenge, organized by The Talal and Madiha Zein AUB Innovation Park (Zein AUB iPark), is dedicated to recognizing and rewarding the most promising innovative ideas.

This annual competition aims to identify startups within the AUB community that offer viable and scalable solutions to address pressing societal issues. Focused on improving the well-being of individuals amidst environmental hazards and economic challenges, the challenge seeks to foster an inclusive and human-centered future. By triumphing in the people's choice category, uPaint further solidified its position as a beacon of innovation and social impact within the AUB ecosystem.