Samsung announces ‘Launching People' Campaign winners

Winners in the categories of Education, Invention, Start-Up and Fashion ready to turn their ideas into reality with Samsung’s support

DUBAI, UAE- May 22, 2014 – Samsung’s announced today the winners of its Launching People campaign in each of the four categories - Education, Fashion, Invention and Start–up. The regional public cast their votes over a period of a month to determine the final winners.

Ismail Issa, the mastermind behind the loyalty platform app idea, ‘Ta3rifah’, won in the startup category, while Abrar Ali won in the fashion category with his theatrical costume design idea. In the invention category, Janani Ram, developer of ‘My Visual Companion’ project won and Sarvjit Singh (Monu), was  voted as the winner in the Education category with his ‘learning on the go’ project.

“Since the start of the Launching People campaign we have been literally overwhelmed by the passion and ideas of the individuals who participated in the campaign. We are pleased to announce the four winners that impressed the judges and public with their ideas and I would like to congratulate them for pursuing their dreams. We now, with the help of our mentors, look forward to supporting these individuals to launch their ideas in the coming weeks.” said Mr. Marco Vocale, Head of Corporate Marketing at Samsung Gulf Electronics.

“Although I'm still soaking it all up, I've come to believe that if you try to say or do anything with pure passion, the results can turn out fruitful.” commented Sarvjit Singh (Monu), winner of the Education category thanks to his “Learning on the go” idea - a personalized, creative learning experience for kids on school buses.

Ismail Issa, the mastermind behind the loyalty platform app idea, ‘Ta3rifah’ said, “The journey of competing in Samsung’s Launching People campaign was one of the biggest challenges I faced with ‘Ta3rifah’, given that convincing people to vote for your idea requires exceptional dedication, tactics and plenty of one-to-one discussion on different levels. I’m extremely happy that it ended in the perfect way by winning in the Start –up category. "

Abrar Ali shared his theatrical costume design idea with the public who voted for him as the winner for the fashion category. Abrar, who is very excited about his new career prospect, commented on the announcement, “It is difficult to put in words how I feel right now. Samsung made me believe in dreams again. After my studies I wanted to be a designer like Alexander McQueen but life is sometimes way different from what you dream of. What I have learned during the ‘Launching People ‘campaign is that we should never quit our dreams; we need to have faith and seize the opportunity”.

Winner of the Invention category, Janani Ram, developer of the  “My Visual Companion“ (S-Route) idea added, “Working with the visually impaired has always been something I held close to my heart. My dream is to create a device that will enable the visually impaired to travel with safety on their own. With my mentor’s guidance and Samsung’s support I believe I can now make this happen”

In the following weeks, the winners will team up with their respective mentors and Samsung and work closely to bring their ideas into life. Mentors will be sharing their expertise and experience with the winners to help them activate their ideas and Samsung will be providing the financial and technical support to make sure aspiring ideas are turned into implemented and successful concepts.