The co-founders of EduTech start-up WonderTree are on a mission to help children living with varying disabilities to learn and develop by playing augmented reality and virtual reality games online.
The idea is to channel children's engagement and excitement from playing games into learning in fun and interactive ways while developing their social, emotional, cognitive and motor skills.
Working with occupational therapists, special education teachers and parents, the WonderTree team has developed games that are suitable for children with autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, attention deficit hyperactive disorderand learning difficulties.
“We want to be the Google of special education and development. Our dream is to make special education, and development affordable, accessible and effective for every child of determination in the world,” co-founder and chief executive Muhammad Waqas says.
While video games can provide entertainment, they also have therapeutic benefits for children with cerebral palsy, says Sam John, senior lecturer at the University of Melbourne.
Games that use motion sensors or virtual reality are especially helpful as part of physical therapy, he says. Certain video games can also enhance cognitive skills, including problem-solving, spatial awareness and strategic thinking.
Established in April 2016 in Karachi, Pakistan, WonderTree expanded to the UAE in February last year. It has an office in the Abu Dhabi Global Market and a smaller team in Dubai.
The idea for the business first came to Muhammad Usman, WonderTree's co-founder and chief technology officer, when he saw how his older brother, who is a person of determination, enjoyed playing a video game on his Xbox.
Mr Usman then teamed up with his neighbour, Mr Waqas, to launch the start-up eight years ago with “passion, grit and bootstrapping really hard”.
“We take the existing physiotherapy, educational and cognitive exercises that educators and parents are using in the daily life of children of determination and we gamify them using augmented reality to make them fun, engaging and interactive for the child,” Mr Waqas says.
The games are customised to make them as inclusive as possible and to meet the children's varying needs, he says.
The web-based games, which use artificial intelligence, require a laptop, webcam, an internet connection and a subscription to start playing.
They are developed based on established theories on education, as well as cognitive, socio-emotional and motor skills development, Mr Waqas says.
New and existing games are also developed or improved through feedback from an advisory board of medical experts and a community of users.
Mr Waqas says that WonderTree works with various institutions, including a research and pilot programme with the UAE's Mubadala Health. It has also been certified by Doha-based Mada, a non-profit organisation that aims to improve digital accessibility for people of determination, according to its website.
WonderTree also wrote a research paper with the Institute of Professional Psychology at Bahria University in Pakistan.
The start-up's name comes from the “wow factor or wonder” of being engaged in activities in an augmented reality, while the platform is similar to a “tree” that provides nurture for the children it helps, Mr Waqas says.
Its main customers include special education institutions and organisations that support children of determination, partnering with the likes of the UAE's Zayed Higher Organisation for People of Determination and Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority.
WonderTree “can really shine and make an impact” in children from the ages of four to 14 with mild to moderate conditions, Mr Waqas says.
“Any organisations or individuals dealing with this bracket of children of determination are our market.”
A child plays games developed by EduTech start-up WonderTree. Photo: WonderTree
That includes specialised schools, schools with inclusive programmes, occupational therapy centres and parents of children with determination.
The subscription fee for WonderTree's games varies by market, with a base price of Dh3,000 per child annually in the UAE, Mr Waqas says.
That includes access to unlimited hours of games on the platform, technology support and a customised report on the child's developmental progress as they play the games.
In Pakistan, WonderTree's products are used in 45 schools across the country, with 2,500 active users, says Mr Waqas.
The start-up now has 800 users in seven schools and centres in the UAE, within a year of starting operations, with plans to reach out to more organisations.
The founders are focused on growth in the UAE, followed by an expansion into Saudi Arabia and other markets in the GCC.
They have big ambitions and want to expand their business-to-business reach in the Emirates while focusing on the business-to-consumer market in the US, where it will sell its products online to parents.
WonderTree will start operations in February in the US, where the business is registered in Delaware, followed by an expansion across North America, says Mr Waqas.
Having grown up in Pakistan, Mr Waqas and Mr Usman are also setting their sights on India and Bangladesh.
“We are taking it one step at a time but we want to achieve all this,” Mr Waqas says.
“Your dreams and ambitions should be scary and far-reaching and way bigger than you, but at the same time your feet should be on the ground and this is exactly what we're doing.”
Currently, the start-up's operations in Pakistan are profitable and it aims to break even in the UAE this year, says Mr Waqas.
WonderTree also plans to woo investors later this year to raise funds after it solidifies its position in the local market, he says.
WonderTree co-founder and chief executive Muhammad Waqas watches a demonstration of the start-up's online gaming products. Photo: WonderTree
Q&A with Muhammad Waqas, co-founder of WonderTree
Why is establishing a social impact business important to you?
This is an internal principle deeply ingrained in the ethos of our company. We believe in the concept of “good business”, where we operate and grow like any other ambitious business, generating revenue, raising funding and expanding.
However, simultaneously, we strive to create a positive impact on society, the economy and the world through our operations and products.
We aspire not only to practise good business but also to serve as a role model for this approach.
What new skills have you learnt in the process of operating your start-up?
The list could span 10 pages, but to summarise: Your company's success is tied to your personal growth. Investing in yourself (through personal development and learning new skills) is crucial.
Maintain the mindset of a lifelong learner. Cultivate a childlike curiosity as it is the best way to learn and stay motivated.
Self-improvement can be categorised into four key areas that essential for growth: Physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.
Additionally, I have acquired functional skills such as accounting, project management, public speaking, communication and basic coding, among others. I am also currently learning Arabic to aid my business in the GCC.
How does your business differ from other game-based learning for children with disability?
What sets us apart from others is that we are one of the few solutions using augmented reality, body movement and facial interactions as input.
Among our competitors, we are the only product offering an online (browser-based) solution that is plug-and-play, meaning it requires no additional software or installation.
We operate games without the need for additional hardware, making us cost-effective and easy to use. This is achieved through our unique use of patent-pending artificial intelligence.
A provisional patent for this has been filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office.
If you had the chance to do it all over again, what would you do differently?
I would not make the mistakes I made and I would take advantage of the lessons I learnt earlier in my start-up journey, thus reducing the time it took me to reach this point.
However, it is paradoxical because I would not have learnt those things in the first place if I had not made the mistakes.
Did you set up the business at the right time for the market?
No, we set it up very early, when people did not even know the term augmented reality and the technology was very challenging and full of bugs. But now, I feel that the market is becoming more ready to adopt augmented reality, even treating it as a necessity.
Where do you see yourself and your business in five years?
In five years, we envision ourselves as one of the leaders in AR-based assistive technology worldwide.
We aim to be present in every school in the UAE and expand across the GCC market. Additionally, we aim to expand into the North American market, including the US and Canada.
We plan to establish a presence in every inclusive and special education school in Pakistan. Ultimately, we aim to affect the lives of at least 500,000 children of determination and their families.
If you could wave a magic wand and give yourself three wishes to ensure you attain Uber-like success what would those three things be?
We wish to learn and gain experience now that will guide us throughout our journey. We hope to always have sufficient funds to continue expanding and operating our business. And may everyone quickly become aware of the effectiveness of the work we are doing.
Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.
Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."
Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.
In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love".
There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.
While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."
Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The Cairo Statement
1: Commit to countering all types of terrorism and extremism in all their manifestations
2: Denounce violence and the rhetoric of hatred
3: Adhere to the full compliance with the Riyadh accord of 2014 and the subsequent meeting and executive procedures approved in 2014 by the GCC
4: Comply with all recommendations of the Summit between the US and Muslim countries held in May 2017 in Saudi Arabia.
5: Refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of countries and of supporting rogue entities.
6: Carry out the responsibility of all the countries with the international community to counter all manifestations of extremism and terrorism that threaten international peace and security
Recent winners
2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)
2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)
2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)
2007 Grace Bijjani (Mexico)
2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)
2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)
2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)
2011 Maria Farah (Canada)
2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)
2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)
2014 Lia Saad (UAE)
2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)
2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)
2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)
2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)
What is the definition of an SME?
SMEs in the UAE are defined by the number of employees, annual turnover and sector. For example, a “small company” in the services industry has six to 50 employees with a turnover of more than Dh2 million up to Dh20m, while in the manufacturing industry the requirements are 10 to 100 employees with a turnover of more than Dh3m up to Dh50m, according to Dubai SME, an agency of the Department of Economic Development.
A “medium-sized company” can either have staff of 51 to 200 employees or 101 to 250 employees, and a turnover less than or equal to Dh200m or Dh250m, again depending on whether the business is in the trading, manufacturing or services sectors.
