The Saudi General Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises, known as ‘Monshaat’, in partnership with the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, has launched an artificial intelligence competition in the Umrah sector, targeting entrepreneurial minds.
The initiative aims to foster solutions for existing challenges within the Umrah sector, covering multiple domains such as multilingual communication for pilgrims, crowd management, sustenance and auxiliary services, and data management and analytics. Additionally, it encourages the creation of other innovative solutions that would improve the experience of the pilgrims performing the Umrah rituals.
Monshaat’s competition will award a total of approximately 500,000 Saudi Riyals (around $133,000) to support the development of business models, product enhancements, and market entry of startup companies.
The contest, aligned with Saudi Vision 2030 objectives, supports entrepreneurs in designing smart solutions, offering innovative tech products, and encourages national talent to innovate and develop, thereby increasing the number of tech startups in the AI field and addressing the challenges in the Umrah sector.
In an effort to spur innovation, the competition will involve various activities including intensive consultations with AI experts, dialogue sessions, meetings, and diverse workshops with contest partners. The monetary prizes will be allocated towards business model preparation, product and service development, and assisting new companies to penetrate the market, along with showcasing numerous investment opportunities for business enthusiasts with technical expertise in artificial intelligence.
