Ooredoo kick-starts Accelerator Phase for NIRU 2018, its business development program for start-ups.

Ooredoo kick-starts Accelerator Phase for NIRU 2018, its business development program for start-ups.
Ooredoo Maldives has kick-started the next phase for NIRU Accelerator Program, its learning based business accelerator program in the Maldives, for innovative start-ups run by entrepreneurs who are passionately working towards social change.

The four winners that passed through to the accelerator phase after winning NIRU Hackathon 2018 has begun a twelve week long intensive mentorship based learning program today, at their new workspace.The four teams also gained access to seed funding, co-working space, digital tools for building their business and essential technical support from experts.

“It’s a fantastic day, as we welcome the four winners of this year’s NIRU Accelerator Program to their new home for the next year and start offa valuable mentorship program to guide them as they work on building their business over the next few months. We are pleased to be able to support these talented teams in creating life changing digital solutions that can enrich people’s lives.” said Najib Khan, CEO of Ooredoo Maldives.
The winners who received access to the accelerator program include:

• Cowrie, a chatbot which provides simplified recommendations for financial queries.
• Kumbu, a centralised sea transfer management system to locate, book tickets or hire an excursion vessel without any hassle.
• Javaabu Academy, an online tutor service providing a variety of educational courses in Dhivehi, while eliminating geographical boundaries.
• Flobo, a B2B online platform which provides integrated logistics and supply solutions.
At the end of the program, the four start-ups will receive the chance to pitch for further investments. NIRU also connects participants to lifelong partnerships and opportunities even after the end of the accelerator program, making them part of a vibrant community working towards a better world.
Ooredoo remains dedicated to supporting the digital lifestyles and progression of local communities, with initiatives such as NIRU Accelerator, Smart Cities Project, Miyaheli Social Innovation Camp, Digital Literacy Program and more, which promotes digital inclusion and participation in the global digital economy.