Teams Beta, AMA and Metamorph swept to victory in the Oman finals of Microsoft’s Imagine Cup 2017, a global technology competition that aims to deliver educational, entrepreneurial and employment opportunities for youth by acquiring critical skills.

Held under the patronage of Shaikh Talal Said Marhoon Al Mamari, chief executive officer, Omantel, the competition took place on April 20 at Hormuz Grand Hotel, Seeb, Oman.

Organised in a strategic partnership with Omantel, and supported by the Information Technology Authority (ITA), the competition acted a platform for young developers to showcase innovative, world-changing solutions before industry experts.

Team Beta from the German University of Technology Oman took first place for their project ‘Bee’, an app that is connected with Beacons technology for retail shops. This technology helps the app toward understanding the context of the world around it. The app ‘Bee’ focuses on enhancing the shop visitors experience.
    
Second prize was won Team AMA from the Middle East College with their project Tibi Insurance, a mobile app that provides users with real-time information about insurance companies and all types of insurance deals to make their life easy when they want to insure vehicles when is annual process.

Team Metamorph from the Middle East College, received the third prize for their project GetEXP, a platform that would connect SMEs in need of custom web and mobile apps, with developers that can build these apps for them.

The first place winner, Team Beta will go on to meet the region’s top talent at the Imagine Cup MEA semi-finals in Lebanon in May, on a path to compete with the best young innovators in worldwide finals, in Seattle in July.

Congratulating the winning team that will now head to the regional semi-finals, Shaikh Saif Hilal Al Hosni, SMSP public sector lead, Microsoft Gulf, said: “Imagine Cup represents a stepping stone towards innovation, offering students no-cost access tools and learning resources, enabling them to master new skills and transform their ideas into viable business opportunities. We are honoured to have Omantel and ITA as strategic partners for the 6th and 10th consecutive year respectively, with a shared vision to empower the youth of Oman; unleash their creativity and make an impact on the world through the power of technology.”

Six finalist teams: AMA, Beta, Metamorph, Nova 6, OneCode, and Smaky, were shortlisted to compete in this year’s Imagine Cup Oman. The winning team received a prize of OR2,500, followed by second and third runners up who received OR1,500 and OR1,000, respectively. – TradeArabia News Service