ATHENS, Greece--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Endeavor selected 19 High-Impact Entrepreneurs from Egypt, Greece, Indonesia, Lebanon, Mexico, Turkey and Saudi Arabia at its 47th International Selection Panel. Endeavor now supports 785 High-Impact Entrepreneurs from 489 companies in 14 emerging market countries. The entrepreneurs were chosen at a panel held from March 11-13 in Athens, Greece.
“It’s very exciting to have so many new companies join the Endeavor community,” said Endeavor Co-founder and CEO Linda Rottenberg. “And I’m particularly pleased that the selection panel took place in Greece, where, amidst much economic chaos, we launched an office in September. I often say that when economies turn down, entrepreneurs look up!”
The International Selection Panel (ISP) is the culmination of a rigorous multi-step selection process. At the ISP, top local and international business leaders interview candidates about their businesses and high-impact potential, and then vote on whether or not candidates become Endeavor Entrepreneurs. Post-selection, Endeavor provides entrepreneurs with customized services, including introductions to local and international business mentors and volunteers from Fortune 500 consulting firms. Endeavor Entrepreneurs have had a significant track record of creating thousands of jobs and building sustainable growth models in their home countries.
Endeavor’s next International Selection Panel will be held in Buenos Aires this May.
Selected companies:
Egypt
Entrepreneurs: Gamal El Din Sadek, Mohamed Rafea
Company:
Bey2ollak (www.bey2ollak.com/desktop.html)
Bey2ollak
aims to help individuals in congested cities like Cairo avoid traffic,
ultimately improving people's quality of life by saving them time and
money. As a simple, user-generated traffic tracking system, Bey2ollak's
cross-platform mobile application helps users find the fastest and
safest routes.
Greece
Entrepreneur: George Patsis
Company: Obrela (www.obrela.com/home/)
Obrela
is an IT security outsourcing company that offers comprehensive
“security as a service” packages to enterprise clients and SMEs. Clients
are able to buy the packages that match their needs--anything from a
single software license to a fully-integrated suite of outsourced
services--and Obrela will step in to optimize almost any IT security
environment.
Entrepreneurs: Kerstin Trikalitis, Daphne Loukas
Company: Out
There Media (www.out-there-media.com)
Out
There Media (OTM) offers advertisers and mobile operators the technology
and know-how to execute efficient and highly targeted advertising
campaigns on mobile phones. OTM’s mobile advertising development and
sales unit offers brands convenient and specialized end-to-end solutions
for generating ads best suited to mobile and brands’ core audiences. The
company’s Mobucks platform connects operators, publishers, brands and
their agencies to distribute targeted ads across mobile channels to end
users.
Indonesia
Entrepreneur: Sugianto Tandio
Company: Tirta Marta (www.tirtamarta.com)
Tirta
Marta was established in 1971 as a pioneer in flexible packaging
material. In 2010, Tirta Marta launched two groundbreaking eco-friendly
technologies: OXIUM® (a natural additive to plastic that ensures
rapid degradation) and ECOPLAS® (a biodegradable plastic
polymer made from tapioca). Through these products, Sugianto
hopes to provide a long-term answer to the problem of waste
accumulation and pollution. Today, over 90% of Indonesian modern markets
and convenience stores exclusively stock OXIUM® plastic shopping bags.
Lebanon
Entrepreneur: Omar Onsi
Company: Nymgo (www.nymgo.com)
Nymgo
is making the world smaller by connecting under-privileged immigrants
with their families back home. Nymgo's Voice over Internet Protocol
(VoIP) software offers immigrant communities a low-cost and high-quality
solution for calling landlines and mobile phones in regions where
Internet and broadband infrastructure remain scarce. Nymgo’s VoIP calls
are a fraction of the cost of its competitors. The product can be
downloaded onto computers, mobile phones and tablets and offers a very
simple design to make cheap calls to landlines and mobile phones around
the world.
Mexico
Entrepreneurs: Claudio del Conde, Claudia de Heredia, Jennifer Marquard
Company:
Kichink! (www.kichink.com)
Kichink!
is an ecommerce solution that is designed and built to be as simple,
intelligent, personal and safe as possible to allow anyone to start
selling in minutes, without upfront investment.
Entrepreneur: José Luis Cisneros
Company: La Zarza (www.lazarza.com.mx/directorio.php)
La
Zarza makes classic Mexican desserts and pastries from the
highest-quality ingredients and distributes them across Mexican states
through 61 proprietary and franchise stores. The company is planning an
aggressive expansion of both its geographic reach and its portfolio
dessert options.
Entrepreneurs: Manuel Villarreal, Jorge Bouffier
Company: Sin
Secretos (www.frutosdevida.com,
www.holasmoothie.com)
Sin
Secretos produces 100% natural and preservative-free fruit juices and
smoothies under brands Frutos de Vida (Fruits of Life), Frutos de Vida
for Kids, and HOLA Smoothie. The juices are available on the shelves of
most major Mexican supermarkets and price clubs, and will soon be at
convenience stores. The company emphasizes the positive nutritional
benefits of its products for adults and children alike.
Entrepreneur: Manolo Diaz
Company: Yogome (www.yogome.co)
Yogome
develops educational tablet and mobile games to help kids ages 4 -10
learn in a fun way through technology. The multi-lingual games are among
the top 10 in the Apple App Store’s education category, are developed by
pedagogical experts, and cover a range of school subjects taught by
engaging “Yogotar” characters. The company aspires to become a global
kids’ brand.
Saudi Arabia
Entrepreneurs: Ahmed Alrasheed, Abdulmohsin Alrabiah
Company:
Shawarmer (www.shawarmer.com)
Shawarmer
has transformed the way Saudis think about and eat shawarma, the most
popular Arabic sandwich. This chain of fast-casual restaurants, with 28
locations throughout Saudi Arabia, is devoted to serving shawarma and
other Arab foods, freshly prepared with high-quality ingredients and
served with Arab hospitality.
Entrepreneur: Naif Alqahtani
Company: LSS (http://www.lss.com.sa/)
Logistics
Solution Services (LSS) is a leading logistics provider in Saudi Arabia
offering storage, distribution, and supply chain management services.
LSS operates state-of-the-art warehouse technology and has achieved
international logistics standards. LSS prides itself in serving some of
the most significant clients in the region, including Halliburton, DB
Schenker, and Saudi Aramco.
Turkey
Entrepreneur: Murat Özler
Company: KobiMaster (www.kobimaster.com)
KobiMaster
provides small and medium businesses with an integrated software and
services solutions to build and manage their ecommerce presence. The
company also aims to fulfill various integration solution demands such
as supplier integration, inventory management, accounting, and user
traffic integration solutions.
Entrepreneur: Kaan Aykaç
Company: Gezlong (www.gezlong.com)
Gezlong’s
localized hotel bookings platform – the first of its kind for Turkish
travelers-has disrupted the largely untapped online travel and hotel
accommodation market in Turkey. Gezlong offers travelers flash deals as
well as season-long sales to premium and boutique hotels in Turkey and
across Europe.
About Endeavor
Hailed by New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman as “the best anti-poverty program of all,” Endeavor is leading the global movement to catalyze long-term economic growth by selecting, mentoring, and accelerating the best high-impact entrepreneurs around the world. To date, Endeavor has screened more than 30,000 entrepreneurs and selected 785 individuals leading 489 high-impact companies.
With support from Endeavor’s worldwide mentor network, these high-impact entrepreneurs:
-Have created over 200,000 jobs
-Generated over $5 billion in
revenues in 2012
-Inspire future generations to innovate and take
risks
Headquartered in New York City, Endeavor currently operates in 17 countries throughout Latin America, Africa, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. As the high-impact movement expands globally, Endeavor will continue to prove that anyone with a big idea can succeed, from Silicon Valley to Latin America, the Middle East, and beyond.