Saudi Arabia's MiSK Foundation has announced that a new invention by Team Limitless that is describing itself as the “LinkedIn (News - Alert) of blood banks” has won first prize at the first-ever UK/Saudi Medical Internet Of Things Hackathon. The event took place from November 25 to 27 in London and Riyadh.
The invention was designed to revolutionize blood bank donation by connecting data profiles of donors to streamline supply while making it safer for hospitals. Team Limitless, a team of eight based in Saudi Arabia, has won an investment of $100,000 and professional mentoring that will guide them in starting a company and taking the idea to the proof of concept stage.
The members are: Tareq Sangorah, Salman Alarifi, Monira Alhasan, Ibrahim Khalifa, Mazen Rukayni, Ahmed Isam, Faten Bader and Riham Alobeidan.
“We're ecstatic and can hardly believe it,” said Sangorah. “It's brilliant to win, but it's also been an amazing experience working collaboratively across two countries in this way and is such a life-changing opportunity for all of us. We're all passionate about this idea which will revolutionize the current channel inefficiencies in blood donation - and we can't wait to take it to the next level to make a real difference and meet this need.”
Hundreds of inventors took part in the 48 hour hackathon in London and Riyadh, joined by live broadcast satellite. Cross-cultural teams collaborated to compete for investment in their health tech invention, which was awarded by an expert dual-nation judging panel. Judges included representatives from the British Council, international network HealthTech Women, Microsoft (News - Alert), Cisco, and a Professor and Robotics Surgeon at King Khaled Hospital, Riyadh.
“I'm really impressed with the quality of the ideas and the people behind them. These are ideas that can genuinely save lives,” said Dr. Tawfiq Al Rabiah, Minister of Health, Saudi Arabia. “Vision 2030 is all about building a diversified economy that depends on knowledge. This first-of-its-kind UK/ Saudi hackathon from the MiSK Foundation demonstrates the caliber and innovation talent of our youth, who can help transform the whole country.”
The second and third prizes were $50,000 and $35,000, and were awarded to the inventors of a medical drug vending machine and a medical health device to score and track anxiety levels, respectively. Those teams will also receive mentoring to take their innovative health tech inventions forward.
Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, Deputy Crown Prince, Saudi Arabia, founded MiSK with the goal of driving transformative change in Saudi Arabia. A key focus is on youth enterprise and unlocking solutions in health technology innovation. More information is at miskhackathon.com.