Abu Dhabi start-up programme awards Dh2 million to 10 teams

The Ma’an social incubator programme received more than 330 applications in its third cycle

Salama Al Ameemi, director general of Ma’an, speaking during the launch of the Ma'an social incubator Programme in May 2019. Pawan Singh / The National

A start-up programme in Abu Dhabi awarded Dh2 million in seed funding to 10 teams to launch their social enterprise.

The Ma'an social incubator initiative selected the teams from a pool of more than 330 applicants.

The entrepreneurs earned the funding by identifying a problem and coming up with a way to bring about potentially transformative societal change.

The winning projects include a platform that creates interactive online storytelling sessions and helps parents build a stronger emotional bond with their children.

A mobile app that connects married couples with psychologists and marriage experts will also receive funding.

The winning teams will receive mentorship, office space and milestone-based funding and undergo a 90-day training programme to help develop their ideas into business ventures.

This is the third cycle of the programme, which started in May 2019.

Ma’an was established in February 2019 by the Department of Community Development in the capital.

The organisation aims to bring together sections of government, the private sector and civil society to support a culture of social contribution and participation.

Under their initiative, the Ma’an social incubator programme will run two six-month cycles each year, nurturing 10 social start-ups in each cycle.

“We are happy to have received more than 330 applications, all with outstanding ideas and innovations. We are proud to have selected ten teams whose projects we believe will play a vital role in [keeping] families [united] in Abu Dhabi," said Salama Al Ameemi, director general of Ma’an.

“Family is the foundation of every community. For a healthy society, we must ensure that we begin by promoting healthy and solid family ties.”

Applicants must be at least 18 and either live in, or be willing to relocate to, Abu Dhabi. They can apply through, maan.gov.ae.

Full list of the winning teams

Storically – a platform that helps parents create personalised books for their children to enrich storytelling.

Hakawaty – helps boost confidence in children through highly interactive online storytelling sessions.

Tanfees – a mobile app that connects married couples with psychologists and marriage experts.

Kidz Unplugged – a handmade toolkit with materials such as sliding chalkboards and different toys for expressive art.

Al Naqsh – a database with online and physical books that can be filtered based on children's preferences.

Taskeen – works to enhance pre-marital and life skills for newly married couples.

Generation Unpack – provides monthly or on-request dialogue packs to teach family members different techniques of conversation to resolve disputes.

The Family Lounge – works to overcome the communication gap between children and parents through a set of activities and online sessions.

Fitness Experts – a series of physical family exercises and activities designed to build a strong bond between family members and promote a healthy lifestyle.

Our Home Game – provides customised games for children to engage with parents.