MDX Dubai Student Triumphs at MDXcelerator 2024 Grand Finale
- Friday, 26 July 2024
This July, Middlesex University (MDX) showcased the exceptional talent and creativity of its students through the highly successful MDXcelerator 2024 event. Organised by the Middlesex Innovation Hub (MIH) and Careers and Employability Services (CES), the competition brought together participants from MDX campuses in Dubai, Mauritius, and Hendon, concluding in an exciting international finale on Tuesday 16 July 2024.
The finale was a testament to the ingenuity and dedication of the participants, who presented innovative business ideas with exceptional creativity and strategic thinking. MDX Dubai emerged victorious, with Vansh Mohan from the BEng Honours Computer Systems Engineering programme winning the top award and seed funding of £3,000 for his project, 'The Skills Forge.'
Vansh, a third-year student at MDX Dubai, came up with the idea for ‘Skill Forge’ while searching for online courses. “When I was looking for courses online to learn in my free time, I spent 15 to 20 minutes just to find a single course that matched my experience level. After starting one course, I discovered it required a paid certificate despite claiming to be free, and it wasn’t worth my time. That’s when I realised there needed to be a solution where I could find courses tailored to my experience and learning goals all in one place.”
Skill Forge is a one-stop solution for anyone looking to learn and take online courses. It’s an aggregator platform that uses top course providers like Coursera and edX, organising courses based on the user’s needs, learning goals, and experiences.
MDXcelerator is a unique business start-up support programme at Middlesex University that helps students and recent graduates turn their business ideas into reality. Organised by the Middlesex Innovation Hub (MIH) and Careers and Employability Services (CES), it offers one-on-one mentoring, workshops, online resources, and the chance to pitch for a cash prize. The programme aims to make students skilled in business, a skill highly valued by modern employers. Students will benefit from masterclasses, networking opportunities, pitching competitions, and personalised guidance from successful entrepreneurs.
The MDXcelerator 2024 launched with masterclasses and workshops, offering a series of workshops designed to boost entrepreneurial skills and innovation. These workshops covered various aspects of starting and managing a business, including ideation, business model development, marketing strategies, and financial planning. Students also received guidance on pitching their ideas effectively and gained insights and practical knowledge from industry experts to transform their entrepreneurial ideas into successful business ventures.
Aspiring entrepreneurs were mentored and supported by experts such as Stephen King, Senior Lecturer in Media at MDX Dubai; Abdurrahman Sagir, founder of Guide, a company that originated from the MDXcelerator programme; Dr Sreejith Balasubramanian, Associate Professor and Chair of Office of Research at MDX Dubai; Tarek Elnagdy, CMI Director at Unilever; Dr Judhi Prasetyo, Senior Lecturer in Computer Engineering and Informatics at MDX Dubai; Rhoderick Romano, Senior Lecturer in International Business at MDX Dubai; and Deena Bhoyroo, Lecturer in Law at MDX Dubai.
The panel of judges for the Dubai final included Akmalia Zain, Chief Specialist at Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), Government of Dubai; Jaya Bhatia, CEO and Founder of Expert Hub Robotics; and Mohammad Ali Meraj, Lecturer in Business and Deputy Director Academic Professional Services and Quality, as well as the judges for the International Grand Final, Dr Judhi Prasetyo, Senior Lecturer in Computer Engineering and Informatics at MDX Dubai; Yip Raymond; and Noor Sheriff.
The Grand Finale featured the winners from the Dubai, Hendon, and Mauritius campuses, showcasing the cross-campus collaboration that enriched this journey. The event was a collective effort of the Middlesex Innovation Hub (MIH) and Careers and Employability Services (CES), ensuring a transformative experience for all involved, supported by Maria Olariu, Project and digital Coordinator from the MDX Hendon campus and Dalilah Kalla, Head of Co-Curricular Support Services at MDX Mauritius campus.
MDXcelerator embodies the University’s commitment to fostering cross-campus collaboration and entrepreneurship. To learn more about the MDXcelerator visit, https://www.mdx.ac.ae/mdx-accelerator
