The Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) with the help of its partners have launched the 12th editionof the Femme Francophone Entrepreneure competition. The competition recognizes and rewards startupsfrom Lebanon and the wider MENA region. This comes as a continuation of its 11 years long efforts dedicatedto supporting female entrepreneurship. The competition is jointly organized by the Middle East branch of AUFand Berytech, in partnership with L’Orient Le Jour.  The results were announced during the final event hosted at the AUF Francophone Employability Center. The competition comprised of 33 initial applications, cut down to 10 participants in the capacity building phase, then to seven in the semi-finals to ultimately leave three winners in the end.The three companies that won the competition were: - “Metle Metlik” which is an educational digital platform developed by two female doctors (an Obstetrician-Gynecologist and a Sexologist Hypnotherapist). The platform is dedicated to women’s reproductive and sexual health. This platform was the grand winner of the 2023 Francophone Women Entrepreneurs Prize. The mission of this project is to offer comprehensive educational support on reproduction and sexuality to Arab women throughout their lives through the usage of pre-recorded online courses, webinars and interactive chats. The initial focus markets include Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.- “Gaio Cosmetics”, a venture created in 2020, offers a curated range of personalized cosmetic products made for all skin types. - “Vietrail” which offers a re-imagination of stained glass, creating personalized souvenirs and art objects that stand as a commitment to innovation and Lebanese cultural heritage. The runner-ups of the competition were: - “Alex-stars” which launched in 2018 from Alexandria and focuses on organizing social events within French-speaking communities and family circles through Facebook and Word-of-Mouth.- “Ata3allam” which is a platform that teaches the Arabic curriculum to children aged four to eight years old.  The teaching is undertaken using interactive technology and playful methods. The platform offers over 400 exercises, 30 educational and entertaining videos and songs to facilitate the learning of the Arabic language for children. - “Rowine” which is taking steps in a bid to revive peach farming in the Bickfaya region. The company transforms peaches into liqueur which can be consumed year around.- “Ta Mabsouta” which specializes in creating educational and therapeutic materials tailored for teachers and speech therapists in the Arabic language. The primary goal of the company is to fill the gap in educational and therapeutic resources in Arabic and promoting evidence-based practices. (ICE BEIRUT)

Fonte notizia: Bank Audi, Lebanon Weekly Monitor, 16 - 22 Ottobre 2023