The results of the MENA chapter of the MIT Inclusive Innovation Challenge are out. The two regional startups to have been handpicked for the next round of the global competition are Forasna, a platform for blue-collar jobs and Taskty, a next-generation marketplace for home services.
Both Egypt-based startups will now represent MENA in MIT’s global future of work competition. They will be competing against 58 other regional winners from across the world.
“Over 500 judges from across the globe selected 60 exemplary inclusive innovation organizations representing the best future of work solutions on the planet from a field of nearly 1,900 registrations from 116 countries,” said MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy emphasizing on the sheer scale of the competition.
In the next round, the 60 regional champions will be divided into five groups — one each for the regions including Africa, Asia, Canada, Europe, Latin America, and the US. Four finalists will be shortlisted from each of these five regional rounds, making the grand finale an intense competition among 20 of the best startups in the world.
The four finalists from each region will be one each from the following four categories: IIC Skills Development & Opportunity Matching, Financial Inclusion, Growth & Job Creation, and Technology Access.
The final round of the global competition will be held at the MIT Samberg Conference Center on November 21. Four Grand Prize Winners will each take home a prize of $250,000.