The second edition of the “Maroun N. Chammas Recognition Award” ceremony took place on Monday, April 22, 2024, at the Social Sciences Campus, Huvelin Street, in the presence of Professor Salim Daccache s.j., Rector of Saint Joseph University of Beirut, President and Executive Director of Berytech Mr. Maroun N. Chammas, Dean of the Faculty of Management Professor Fouad Zmokhol, Director of the Entrepreneurship and Competencies Center (EC²) Dr. Ursula El Hage, Mrs. Cynthia-Maria Ghobril Andréa Director of the USJ Foundation, Vice-Rector Professor Salah Abou Jaoude s.j., Vice-Rector for Research, Professor Richard Maroun, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs, Professor Toufic Rizk and Professor Dina Sidani, Director of the USJ South Lebanon Campus.

The "Maroun N. Chammas Recognition Award" is a program designed to stimulate, recognize, and reward revolutionary innovation, entrepreneurship, and excellence. It is open to all disciplines at USJ and managed by Berytech. It aims to inspire talented individuals to pursue their ambitions.

Thirteen teams were initially registered from the following Faculties and Institutes, USJ School of Business (FGM) - Faculty of Engineering (ESIB) - South Lebanon Campus (CLS) - National Institute of Telecommunications and Informatics (INCI) - Faculty of Economics (FSE) - Faculty of Medicine (FM) - Faculty of Sciences (FS) - Lebanese Institute of Educators (ILE) - Institute of Business Management (IGE), participated in this entrepreneurial competition launched by EC² in partnership with the School of Business, for the best idea of innovative and sustainable business.

The teams benefited from coaching and support sessions throughout the development of their projects in various fields with coaches from EC² and experts from Berytech.

Nine teams made it as finalists and presented their innovative ideas in front of a panel of jury members which consisted of the following members:

• Mrs. Rouba Hélou: Regional General Director – Feetness
• Mrs. Carla Saba: Deputy General Director – Berytech
• Mrs. Ingrid Salloum: Program Manager – Berytech
• Prof. Eliane Bou Khalil: Professor at USJ School of Business

Various speeches were delivered in turn, starting with Dr. Ursula El Hage who began by addressing Mr. Chammas, “Today, we celebrate the innovative spirit and we pay tribute to M. Maroun Chammas, whose vision and generosity made this entire competition possible. Your decision to donate an annual fund is a striking example on how innovation is valued. It is an investment in the potential of students and in their abilities. This year, the base is diversified thanks to participants from seven institutions of our university, fostering a dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem at USJ." Dr. El Hage concluded by congratulating the winners. She also emphasized on how innovation is not a matter of technical genius, but the audacity of the human spirit to try new things while developing their skills, as " This is the springboard that propels you forward." She then urged participants to face challenges with perseverance because Lebanon needs their innovations.

In his speech, Dr. Fouad Zmokhol talked about the four central pillars of the entrepreneur. He started by addressing his character, motivations, resilience, sacrifices, ability to fall, rise, and persist. Then, he discussed the idea and its key factors as well as their development over time to maintain market presence. He also emphasized implementation; A good project does not guarantee good application, it is crucial to implement it meticulously while ensuring working capital and positive cash flow. Finally, the fourth pillar is development: creating and launching a business is 50% of the work, developing it over time represents the remaining 50% for its survival and medium-term sustainability. Dr. Zmokhol concluded by wishing courage and luck to all the winners!

Next, Mrs. Cynthia Maria Ghobril Andréa took the floor on behalf of the USJ Foundation and its Board of Directors to once again salute this wonderful initiative, marking the ongoing collaboration with Mr. Chammas, a member of the USJ Foundation's Board of Directors, and with Berytech, a privileged partner of USJ. "It is true that the success of this competition aims to cultivate and stimulate the creative and entrepreneurial spirit of our students and to motivate their innovative talent, but it is mainly due to the personal commitment of our dear deans and directors whom I warmly greet, as well as Dr. Ursula El Hage and her team from the Professional Integration Service (SIP) and the Entrepreneurship and Skills Center (EC²). I also thank the jury members and coaches who accompanied our students." Mrs. Andréa continued by addressing Mr. Chammas: "Since you established a scholarship fund in 2019, you have never missed an opportunity to encourage our students. Neither it is the first nor the last time we gather around you. You are a model of success and a source of inspiration for our youth." She concluded, "We salute your commitment and congratulate the winners for their perseverance and determination!"

Professor Salim Daccache s.j. expressed his joy at the "Maroun N. Chammas Recognition Award" ceremony, named after a great friend of USJ; An experienced entrepreneur, a pioneering model for young generations. "Thank you, Maroun" he said, "for offering our students this competition and this opportunity to prepare future entrepreneurs for their professional lives. How will the competition be for the 150^th anniversary of the USJ, if not an exceptional event with exceptional projects and people? I stand before you to congratulate the students who participated in this competition and developed the creativity of this initiative, the event organizers, the director of SIP Dr. El Hage and her team, the group of trainers and mentors from USJ and Berytech. It shows that this award has been through a long road and the aspiring entrepreneurs endured many struggles to reach their goals considering all technical and budgetary aspects." The Rector finally congratulated the winners.

Mr. Maroun N. Chammas thanked Professor Salim Daccache s.j., who, he said, "Over the years, has given me his trust." He also thanked Dr. El Hage, Mrs. Andréa, Dr. Zmokhol, Mrs. Saba, and the jury members, "A big thank you to the Dean and the Vice-Rector for always holding the USJ flag high. This institution, which will soon celebrate its 150th anniversary. It's impressive to have gone through a journey and to have graduated so many students who are still dedicated to this University and rooted in this country. In turn, I say a big thank you to the students, to the people who wanted to participate in the competition and to those who pitched. I also want to congratulate not only the winners but also all the people who submitted their applications. I think today it is very important to continue the mission USJ holds. For my part, I will do everything I can to ensure that this organization and Berytech shine not only in Lebanon but worldwide. I say to the winners and future entrepreneurs, it is more important to give because you will be 10 times more satisfied than when you receive. Personally, it is my source of satisfaction because by giving, you reap the fruit of what you were given one day." He concluded by wishing good luck and courage to all participants.

In his testimony, Hussein El Hajj, a 3^rd year computer science student at USJ described the journey he began with several failures. However, with a lot of determination and perseverance he finally succeeded. Thanks to the EC² entrepreneurship center at USJ, Hussein got in touch with Mrs. Carla Saba at Berytech in June 2023, along with his partner Jalal Harb - also a 3rd-year computer science student - to rent offices and work on developing a startup; both received advice and full support. With relentless hard work, " We created a company called Htech, which aims to develop mobile applications and websites for clients. From small projects, we have built a portfolio of local and global clients for large projects. We have just moved to a large private office at Berytech with a team of six developers. Additionally, aiming to help Lebanese citizens, we developed a startup for the Lebanese citizen, Awfarli, a free mobile application. Our most optimistic speculation was to get 500 downloads. Today, we have over 50,000 downloads! The achievements Jalal and I have made at such a young age would not have been possible without the help of our University, USJ, especially Dr. Ursula Hage, Nour Sardouk, Mrs. Nada Ghandour, through their advice, daily monitoring, constant coaching sessions with experts, connections, networking opportunities, and much more... We are very grateful because this advice structured our success and allowed us to be here today.  The message I want to convey is, “Don't give up and keep trying!"

The three selected winners were as follows:

• In 1st place, AskMelano by Melica El Murr - a student at the Faculty of Medicine who will receive an academic scholarship of $2500.

AskMelano is an application that uses AI to detect skin lesions with a simple photo and a few questions (currently focusing on skin cancers). This application also offers teleconsultation opportunities, a Q&A forum, and personalized follow-up to users.

• In 2nd place: Unbelievabowl by Ghinwa Farha and Elyane Saab - students at the Faculty of Sciences

UnbelievaBowl: your ideal healthy breakfast! Full of protein, sugar-free, and perfect for vegans and gluten intolerants. With four delicious flavors: peanut chocolate, cinnamon, chocolate, and oriental flavors, starting with anise seeds.

• In 3rd place: Awfarli by Hussein El Hajj and Jalal Harb - students at INCI

Awfarli is a mobile application, available for download on the Play Store and App Store. It helps Lebanese citizens to save money on their groceries by selecting products and instantly receiving a price comparison between different supermarkets, thus identifying the cheapest options.

All winners also received an incubation opportunity at Berytech to further develop their innovative projects.

The ceremony was followed by a friendly cocktail.

Congratulations to all the winners! See you next year for the third edition!