Just as the dust started to settle and media attention cooled around the success created by MoCCA, I was in time for a new , even more interesting project that was soon to become a great success story. I was approached by my long-time friend and university colleague, Dr. Kariem Ezzat to help with a start-up project he was working on.

Despite his young age and recent graduation from the Faculty of Pharmacy – Ain Shams University, Kariem had already worked on a couple of patent applications [A gelatin capsule with extra cap for combined therapies and The intra-nasal suppository] and wanted business support for his latest invention to turn it into an innovation. Kariem was able to attract Dr. Mahmoud Assabri to lead the newly formed startup (Novel R&D), pharmacist Hossam Fawzi and eng. Ahmad Mouaz for the research team. Despite having a clear vision, the team felt the need for an execution plan so I was invited to take the role of a partner executive director. I was responsible for writing the first business plan and together with the team managing its execution.

The business discussion and brainstorming took place over the course of multiple meetings at Dr. Mahmoud Assabri’s nice house in Cairo which quickly turned into the focal point for Company activities. Having gained enough experience from MoCCA, I was able to build up the financial model and bring together a convincing roadmap for the project development into a well-written business plan.

Awards

The project recieved a wonderful media recognition and was awarded the First place (and USD 10,000) in the business plan competition organized by the Arab Science and Technology Foundation among competitors from 22 Arab states. The Finals were during the 5th Congress of Scientific Research Outlook in the Arab World in Fez Morocco (26-30 October 2008).  A fantastic award ceremony was held Under the High Patronage of His Majesty The Monarch of Morocco King Mohammed VI during the congress Gala dinner. The congress was well covered by regional media and we were invited to multiple interviews as a result.

We were also qualified as a finalist in the 2008 Intel+ UC Berkeley Technology Entrepreneurship Challenge (18-20 November 2008). A great event by Jerome Engel and David Charon.

In the technical domain, the project was also awarded the best industrial contribution by young Best Industrial contribution for 2009 by Industrial Pharmacy Section of the International pharmaceutical Federation (FIP).