Loading ...5 Innovative Arabs under 30
By: Sarah Chaudhry/Arab America Contributing Writer
The Arab youth are making their mark in various landscapes across the world. From art to technology, their innovation has benefited millions and at such a young age! The following Arabs are from all walks of life and are becoming household names because of their impacts.
Ali Mohamed, 23
Originally from Egypt, Ali Mohamed has created a technology that will allow deaf people to visualize sound, along with founding Vound technology. This advanced technology will transform sound waves into images and words while projecting them in real-time through glasses. Rather than virtual reality, Mohamed decided to test augmented reality where the words and images are projected over natural eyesight, hence the “augmented” reality. Mohamed actually designed this technology at 21 years old and decided to immerse himself in coding and prototyping rather than go to university. He originally came up with the idea of these glasses because he would get tunnel vision and not hear the doorbell ring, or other noises. He didn’t realize his invention will potentially help millions upon millions of deaf and speech-impaired individuals to understand and communicate with others.
Charif Hamidi, 28
Founder of Education 4.0, Charif Hamidi has dedicated his life to aiding underprivileged children with education through technology. From a Moroccan background, Hamidi headquarters this organization in Morocco with offices in Dubai. He comes from a strategic consulting and banking background, giving him the tools to develop programs and educational reform to lower class areas. He utilizes “fourth industrial revolution technologies,” which implicates the combination of digital, biological, and physical realms. He sits on the board of directors for various companies such as People to People International, Togenit, and NGOs. His commitment to bettering the world has been recognized at a young age, and give him a place on the top 5 innovative Arabs under 30.
Hussein Bazaza, 27
From Beirut, Lebanon, Hussein Bazaza has created masterful fashion designs that have left a mark on the runway. However, his passion for fashion wasn’t immediate, in fact, in an interview with aeworld, he says, “I didn’t want to be a fashion designer. I dreamt of becoming a filmmaker or an interior designer. But my mother always saw me sketching and playing with fabric ever since I was a kid, so she encouraged me to give fashion design a try.” His natural talent for designing became apparent once he interned at ESMOD, then Maison Rabih Keyrouz, and later for Elie Saab. Bazaza created his own company and brand after he joined the foundation Starch in 2012, where he showed in three fashion shows and kept designing every season. Bazaza comments that his main inspiration for his works derives from his passion for filmmaking. According to aeworld he states, “All my collections fall under girls’ names; and this girl is the main character for each movie I create in my head. I transform the whole atelier, I go through each and every detail of my fictional movie; the music, the clothing… I even talk to my characters!” Bazaza has used this inspiration to make a name for himself in fashion, and he is continuing to evolve and show his designs worldwide!
Maher Damak and Karim Khalil, 27
This dynamic duo hail from Tunisia and Jordan. Co-founding Infinite Cooling, a company focusing on conserving freshwater through sustainable thermoelectric power. According to infinite cooling’s website, their technology helps to, “reduce water consumption in evaporative cooling tower systems by over 20% by capturing water from cooling tower plumes.” The website comments that there has been a 20-30% minimization in total plant water consumption, savings in water sourcing and water treatment costs of up to $1 million, and the complete, 100% eradication of plume on cooling towers with the Infinite Cooling technology. They have around 7,000 plants in the United State, and this could aid the environment substantially. The enablement of power plants to recycle water will contribute to the current global struggle to keep a cleaner environment.
Moufeed Kaddoura, 25
Interested in creating more innovative medical diagnostic tools, Moufeed Kaddoura, of Palestinian descent, has co-founded ExVivo Labs. ExVivo Labs focuses on dealing with the current approach to allergy testing, so Kaddoura and his team developed an alternative non-invasive skin patch that can test for allergies. Rather than being pricked numerous times to test for allergies, this technology makes the process seamless, and with so many people suffering from allergies, beneficial to many. For both the patient and doctor, this method of testing allergies is much quicker, and less scary for patients. Moufeed Kaddoura’s passion for medical tech has helped many patients, and will help many more in the future!
These bright, young minds have already left a positive impact on many, whether it be through education, medicine, or even fashion. The creativity and ambition of these young Arabs have affected millions, and hopefully more is to come from these innovative minds in the future!
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