AEIC Dubai AI Academic Hackathon Concludes at the American University in Dubai with High-Impact Student Innovation
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
The American University in Dubai (AUD) successfully concluded the inaugural AEIC Dubai AI Academic Hackathon, a two-day intensive program that brought together nine student-founded startups to develop, refine, and pitch AI-driven solutions to real-world challenges. The event was held in coordination with ABCURR, the first institute in the MENA region specializing in building university-based entrepreneurial ecosystems to support a transition toward a sustainable knowledge economy.
Held entirely online, the hackathon created a fast-paced, mentorship-driven environment where student teams were pushed to translate early-stage ideas into viable solutions under real-world evaluation conditions. Over the two days, participants engaged with mentors, iterated on their business models, and presented final pitches to an international jury. The result was based on transparent and open procedure, all participants are taking certificates of participation, and a survey is distributed for participant for quality reasons.
Key Themes and Focus Areas
The participating startups worked across three core thematic areas reflecting urgent global and regional priorities: Financial inclusion and personal finance innovation, Healthcare and clinical AI applications and Urbanization & societal systems challenges.
Projects included AI-powered financial tools, clinical decision-support systems, education technologies, food redistribution platforms, and misinformation detection solutions. Each team demonstrated adaptability, responsiveness to feedback, and strong entrepreneurial intent.
Program Structure
The hackathon unfolded over two days. The opening day featured remarks from academic leadership and keynote addresses from professionals working across entrepreneurship, AI, and innovation ecosystems.
Ten mentors guided the nine startups through structured feedback sessions, evaluating each team across mindset, go-to-market strategy, MVP development, business model viability, and legal and compliance readiness. On the last day, five jury members assessed final pitches using criteria including feasibility, scalability, market opportunity, competitive positioning, team dynamics, and integration of mentor feedback. Combined mentor and jury scores determined the final rankings.
Key Attendees
Jury Members:
Dr. Maya Abou Zahr, Interim Director of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center (Certified Incubator) and Assistant Professor in the Department of Business Administration, Decision Sciences, and General Business
Mrs. Sherry Tong, Public Relations and Communications Manager, Huawei
Mrs. Adela Alonso Alonso, Director of Open Innovation, Astrolabs
Mr. Salman T. Jaffrey, Managing Director, Stryve
Mr. Lorenzo Campo, Chief Operating Officer, Red Rock Technology
Mentors & Speakers
The program was supported by a diverse group of mentors and speakers from academia, industry, and entrepreneurship, including:
Mentors
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Speakers
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Winners and Recognized Startups
1st Place: Flouss
A solo-founded fintech application already live on the Apple Store, recognised for execution strength and traction. Prize: AED 4,000 + exchange programme at George Washington University
2nd Place: Clipnotes
A Socratic AI learning platform reimagining student engagement and learning workflows. Prize: AED 3,000 + exchange programme at the University of Waterloo
3rd Place: Ortho AI
A clinically focused AI solution driven by a founder’s personal mission to address healthcare challenges. Prize: AED 2,000 + exchange programme at the International University of Monaco
4th Place: VeriFi
A financial misinformation detection startup recognised for strong communication and adaptability. Prize: SPICI Napoli Exchange Programme
Other participating teams included Right Day, Power Nap Pod, Bethlehem Stream, Food Loop, and Bayan AI, all of whom received detailed individual feedback reports from mentors and jury members.
Testimonials and Reflections
The hackathon was widely described as a highly engaging, hands-on learning experience combining innovation, pressure, and real-world evaluation.
Diana Andrade (Mentor) "Great seeing ideas with real value coming to light… even those not in the finals should continue pursuing them. Some projects can start without funding… just start. There is no better way of learning than by doing."
Gustavo A. Montero (Engineer, Founder & Chairman, Carter Capital Advisory / University Incubator Director and Professor) "The event created an engaging environment that encouraged creativity, innovation, teamwork, and problem-solving. It was a valuable opportunity to exchange ideas and gain practical insights into building impactful startup concepts."
Dr. Samar Ibrahim "The event was exceptionally well-organized, fostering innovation, collaboration, creativity, and entrepreneurial thinking. It provided hands-on experience in transforming startup concepts into impactful ideas."
Statement from Dr. Maya Abou Zahr, The strongest teams were not necessarily the most polished, but those that demonstrated clarity of problem understanding, responsiveness to feedback, and the ability to evolve under pressure.
