“We came up with the idea while we were thinking about how we could connect the scientific knowledge with a well-established business,” says Safinaz Khogali, one of the members of the Red Sea Flora Team, the only startup representing Sudan at the MIT Entrepreneurship Forum Arab Start-up Competition next April 16.
The project began when Nahla Zaied, a pharmacist with an innate talent for innovation and smart simple solutions, joined forces with Khulood Tawfig and Safinaz Khogali, both Masters in Molecular Biology and Genetics, who bring the scientific background of the seaweeds.
The three Sudanese entrepreneurs share a long-lasting bond which took place as they were studying together at the University of Khartoum. “The 10 years journey our friendship has become stronger and each one of us added something to the others,” they tell BarakaBits.
Their biggest challenge now, says Khogali, is linked to the novelty of seaweeds in Sudan and the Arab region. “It will take a lot of effort to position it within the market and grow bigger, but we are very proud to be the only Sudanese team qualified in the semi-finals at the MIT Enterprise Forum Arab Startup Competition,” she adds. “We empower young women to think big and believe in their abilities to make differences in our country”.
For more information: Follow up with the MIT Entrepreneurship Forum Arab Start-up Competition on Twitter at @MITEFarab
