AUS students win Product of the Year and Best Business Plan awards at INJAZ UAE finals 2026

American University of Sharjah (AUS) student teams won two University Track awards at the 17th annual INJAZ UAE Company Program Competition 2026, with NAFEES receiving the Product of the Year Award and FALCON receiving the Best Business Plan Award.

Held at InterContinental Dubai Festival City, the national finals brought together senior representatives from government, education and industry to recognize youth entrepreneurship in the UAE. This year’s program engaged more than 800 students across 99 student-led enterprises, including 213 students in 31 teams from nine universities. Finalists completed months of mentorship, business planning and competitive evaluation before presenting their ventures through public showcases, private judging panels and one-on-one interviews.

Winner - Product of the Year: NAFEES

The winner of the Product of the Year Award in the University Track, NAFEES is a sustainability-focused app that connects users with surplus food from licensed local food outlets at reduced prices. 

Developed by an interdisciplinary team of AUS students comprising of Dalia Zein, project CEO and a student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering; Mahmoud AlDaour, project CTO and a student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and Bachelor of Science in Mathematics; Amir Abufasheh, project CCO and a student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering; Heba AlHalawani, project COO and a student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a major in finance; Mohammad Al Shanawani, project CFO and a student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Finance; and Yara Chahal, project CMO and a student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a major in marketing.

The app, designed to help reduce food waste, allows users to purchase high-quality surplus meals that would otherwise be discarded. It includes educational content and gamified milestones to encourage sustained participation and promote more responsible consumption.

To assess viability, the team conducted localized research, interviewed franchise restaurant operators, reviewed relevant food safety requirements and organized consumer awareness activities to address misconceptions associated with surplus food.

“A year ago, NAFEES was just an idea. Today, it is an award-winning product,” said Zein. “This journey taught us that success is never defined by a single moment, but by the courage to begin, the resilience to continue and by the people who stand beside you along the way. No trophy could ever mean more than the lessons, friendships and memories we have gained throughout this experience.”  

Abufasheh added, “Winning this award is something we’re incredibly proud of, but additionally we’ll always remember the journey and privilege of building something meaningful together.”  

The NAFEES team received mentorship and support from Razan Bashiti, CEO of INJAZ UAE; Nadine Saleh, Operations Manager at INJAZ UAE; Mustafa Ammar, Executive Medical Representative at Nestlé UAE and financial planning workshops hosted by Mashreq Bank.  

Looking ahead, the team plans to continue refining the product, strengthening the business model and exploring investment opportunities to develop NAFEES beyond the competition.

Winner - Best Business Plan: FALCON

An enterprise-focused business-to-business technology solution for the food and beverage sector and presented in strategic partnership with MetLife, the winner of the Best Business Plan award, FALCON, was developed by a team comprising of project founder and CEO, Yaseen Sakr; project chief product officer, Nada Fahmi and Kareem Damanhoury, students of Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering.

FALCON aims to improve food and beverage supply chain efficiency by helping distribute near-shelf-life products and automating environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting aligned with UAE requirements. The team’s business plan was evaluated on forecasting, risk mitigation and operational scaling, with a focus on commercial viability and measurable business impact.

“As engineering students, we approached business planning like an optimized industrial system,” said Sakr. “We broke the commercial strategy down into components, stress-tested every financial assumption for failure points and ensured our data architecture was lean, purposeful and built for maximum efficiency.”

He added, “An innovative product without a rigorous, data-backed business plan is just an expensive hobby. The real challenge for technical entrepreneurs is not just building the product; it is proving that the enterprise market actually needs it, structurally fits it and can pay for it.”

The FALCON team refined its operational model with input from corporate mentors from MetLife, Nestlé and EY, under the guidance of industry mentor Amer Harji, Director at Oracle.

Reflecting on the role of AUS in preparing students for the competition, Zein said, “We relied on analytical thinking, structured problem-solving, data-driven decision making and iterative development throughout the process. Whether evaluating technical feasibility, designing solutions or validating assumptions, we approached challenges using the same methodology that we apply in engineering projects.”

The judging panels included regional executives such as Anthony O'Sullivan, Managing Partner at EY UAE; Joel Van Dusen, Senior Executive Vice President at Mashreq; Gregg Pearce, Senior Vice President at du; Matt Weiser, Vice President of Global Resilience at MetLife and, Michele Dagher, Regional CSV and Sustainability Manager at Nestlé.