Five finalists from 150 global innovators presented their sustainability solutions at Dubai's Museum of the Future on Monday.
It was part of Dubai Holding's 'Innovate for Tomorrow' challenge, aimed at addressing critical sustainability challenges in the UAE, with a particular emphasis on fostering responsible consumption and production practices in alignment with UN Sustainable Development Goal (“SDG”) 12.
Each finalist had six minutes to present their solutions followed by six minutes of questions from the panel of expert judges.
Frank Cato Lahti from Othalo, Norway, was named the winner for his ‘Upcycling Plastic into Homes’ solution.
He was awarded an exclusive, funded implementation of the award-winning solution through a pilot programme with Dubai Holding, guided by the Group’s top experts.
Rana Hajirasouli from The Surpluss, UAE, was recognised as the runner-up for her ‘Transforming Excess into Equal Access’ solution. The three other finalists were Manhat, UAE; Mi Terro, USA; and Midori, UAE.
The winner and runner-up were granted a one-year access to TECOM Group’s in5 business incubator, the challenge’s execution partner.
Additionally, the five finalists will all benefit from Dubai Holding’s extensive support network and attend a pitch day event featuring a group of potential investors.
"We have a patented technology that allows us today to utilize about 75% of all plastic waste in the world into affordable building materials. So we can mass produce mass manufacture, affordable housing," said Frank Cato Lahti from Othalo, Norway.
The Challenge attracted entrants from across 31 countries, 68 per cent of which were UAE based companies, underlining the wealth of innovation that exists across the Emirates.
"As a socially responsible business, sustainability and philanthropy are the cornerstone of our operations, and we are dedicated to fostering innovation and job creation by empowering SMEs and scale-up companies," said Huda Buhumaid, Chief Impact Officer at Dubai Holding.
"We look forward to reinforcing the winner with mentorship in the next phase of the challenge as they transform their visionary ideas into reality through a pilot programme with the Group, with the goal of driving substantial positive change in the UAE," Buhumaid added.
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