Marhababy was selected as the winner Create@Alibaba Cloud Startup Contest in Dubai
On September 21, 2016, Alibaba Cloud and Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA), the regulatory body for Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO), jointly hosted Dubai session of Create@Alibaba Cloud Startup Contest (CACSC).

Hosted at the Dubai Technology Entrepreneur Centre (DTEC) - DSOA’s wholly owned technology incubation centre and the largest of its kind in the region- ten local technology startups covering multimedia, gaming, e-commerce, online-to-offline (O2O), social media, and Internet of Things participated in the regional finals. Marhababy was selected as the winner for the Middle East regional final and invited to compete in the world final in China later this year.

Marhababy is an online company that provides free boxes to new and expectant mothers with different samples and brochures from relevant companies (detergents, baby creams and shampoo samples, nappies, for instance).

As the winner, Marhababy received USD $50,000 credit that can be used on Alibaba Cloud products and services. Pieter Sleeboom, the managing director of Marhababy, said that the company was delighted with its win.

"It is an amazing feeling, we work every day very hard to build a good business and get some recognition for it makes you feel very happy," he said.

Alibaba Cloud and DSOA Accelerate Innovation in the Middle East by Co-hosting Start-up Contest

Shahla Ahmed Abdul Razak, Deputy CEO of DSOA, said, “We remain dedicated to support the local technology entrepreneurship scene and our collaboration in this startup contest accurately demonstrates our commitment. Since establishment, DTEC has enhanced the status of entrepreneurship in the UAE and the wider region, by providing an ideal environment for start-ups and tech-enterprises. We are excited to work closely with Alibaba Cloud on this initiative and provide entrepreneurs with a great opportunity to interconnect and access global resources.”

Mr Sicheng Yu, Vice President of Alibaba Group and General Manager of Alibaba Cloud Global, said, “We see great potential in the Middle East market and local startups and entrepreneurs are critical in contributing to market growth. Alibaba Cloud supports business of all sizes by empowering global customers with cloud infrastructure and intelligence. As the largest facility of its kind in the region, and the top supporter of technology entrepreneurship, DTEC was the perfect partner to host the Dubai session of this contest.”

With the presence of Alibaba Cloud’s technologies and further engagement with local startups in Dubai, local businesses can overcome operational and technical challenges by optimizing cloud infrastructure and adapting big data solutions with accessibility, security, and flexibility built-in.