Moqawalat.com – an online platform that connects customers with contractors, founded by young Kuwaiti entrepreneur Mohammad Al Awadhi – was named the winner of the 2nd KIPCO Tmkeen Award for Young Entrepreneurs. The announcement was made at the closing session of the Fifth Youth Empowerment Symposium (Tmkeen), held under the patronage of H.H. the Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah.
The award is a collaboration between KIPCO – Kuwait Projects Company (Holding) – and Tmkeen. The prize is worth US$ 100,000 in services from the KIPCO Group, including financial, strategic and operational consultation sessions, market studies, insurance coverage and advertising services.
Moqawalat.com offers an online presence to an old school industry, connecting customers with contractors and service providers under one platform. The website aims to provide a hassle-free approach for customers who require a range of contracting solutions and service providers looking for their next project.
Five young entrepreneurs running retail and service businesses in Kuwait had qualified in first judging round. The top five – Easy Shippings, Moqawalat.com, Label KW, Fix It Home Services and Seyaaha Travel Guide – gave their presentations during the ‘Start-Up Battle’ at the Tmkeen Symposium before a live audience.
The final judging panel included the Head of Global Recruitment at Booking.com, Ms Jennifer Boulanger; CEO of KAMCO, Mr Faisal Sarkhou; General Manager of Ghaliah online communications agency, Mr Abdulrazag Al Mutawa; and Founder and CEO of Saveco, Ms Nour Al Qatami.
Ms Eman Al Awadhi, KIPCO’s Group Communications Director, said:
“At KIPCO, we strongly believe that it is Kuwait’s young people who will pave the way for a bright future for our country. Through our collaboration with Tmkeen over the past two years, we have been able to gain insight into Kuwait’s young business community and better understand how we can support these talented people as they strive to set up and manage more sustainable businesses. The past year has been an exciting journey during which we worked with Ajar Online, the winner of our first award, to support the online rent-collection business and work to expand it. We are excited to have the opportunity to do the same for Moqawalt.com this year.”
On his part, Mr Ali Al Ibrahim, CEO of the Youth Empowerment Organization, said:
“Our mission at Tmkeen is to educate, inform and inspire young people. Our partnership with KIPCO, a Group that has experience in diverse sectors, has allowed us to add mentorship to this effort. We have already seen the results of this over the past year, and we look forward to extending our support to yet another winner of the KIPCO Tmkeen Award. All of the young people who competed showed passion to grow their businesses, and we wish everyone all the best in taking their work to the next level.”
KIPCO Group companies – including Burgan Bank, OSN, Gulf Insurance Group, KAMCO Investment Company, United Real Estate, Qurain Petrochemical Industries, AUK, AUS, United Networks and Marina FM – are supporters of the KIPCO Tmkeen Award for Young Entrepreneurs.