An Exclusive Service to our Graduates
Our commitment at ASB is to provide a cradle-to-investment model of education, and practical mentorship and providing investments to our aspiring entrepreneurs is a vital part of this model. Our educational model is focused on entrepreneurial success through social impact and shared value creation. Providing our graduates with business mentors and investors for their projects does not only greatly enhance our unique academic offering to compliment the theoretical with the practical, but also provides us with an opportunity of social impact to engage with innovative, passionate, and intelligent graduates and become part of their successful entrepreneurial journey.
Research done by the Federation of Small Businesses has shown that 70% of small businesses that receive mentoring survive for five years or more, which is double the rate compared with non-mentored entrepreneurs.
The Investor Lab utilizes mentoring as a way to prepare our graduates for pitching their business ideas to a world-class group of international Investors, Venture Capitalists, and Angel Investors. The Investor Lab holds an annual Investor pitch event, at the conclusion of every academic year where it welcomes both aspiring business ideas as well as existing businesses. The event is open for all qualified projects organized by Agora School of Business graduates.
Advisors & Judges
Abdelhameed Sharara
Fadi Antaki
Lana Sawiris
Nader Iskander
Onsi Sawiris
Ramy Adeeb, M.Sc., E.M.B.A.
Rasha Kamal
Samir El Alaily
The Agora-Malaikah Momentum Program
Program Types
01.Annual Competition Prize
02.Microgrants
03.Ideation-Startup Award
04.Business Support Award
Target Fund Size: $1M
Annual Competition Prize
The Agora-Malaikah Momentum Program AMMP is an annual competition crowning the Capstone component of our MBA program. Upon successful completion of the Capstone project, our graduates have the opportunity to apply to the annual competition in a chance to win prizes to help with their innovative and socially impactful projects. The motto at ASB is “Do Well and Do Good”. This prize is aimed at encouraging projects that embody our motto. This prestigious annual competition is an exciting opportunity which allows our graduates to showcase their ideas, compete for funding, gain input from mentors, exposure to investors, and receiving public recognition for their projects.
Competition Details
01.Number of Teams: 5 to 8 teams are invited to pitch.
02.Eligibility: All ASB graduates.
03.This award offers two prizes: a first-place prize and a second-place prize.
Competition Rules
01.Each team has 3 minutes to pitch their project.
02.Judges have 3 minutes to ask questions.
03.Judges have 3 minutes to provide feedback.
04.At the conclusion of the event, the judges will announce the winners.
05.Scoring Rubric: Teams will be evaluated based on:
01.Strength of team profile
02.Strength of idea
03.Strength of social impact locally, regionally, nationally, or internationally
04.Business model, technology, and target market
05.Market validation
06.Strength of presentation
07.A clearly defined plan for use of the awarded prize, and a post-competition detailed report explaining how the awards, were spent the impact it had on advancing the project, and what the next steps of the project will be.
08.Graduates may be required to setup an LLC to receive the cash prize
Competition Application Process:
01.ASB Graduates interested in the competition must apply using an application form provided by our team.
02.Graduates must submit a 3–5-minute video pitch highlighting:
A.The idea and its current status (ideation, MVP, beta users, traction, revenue generation).
B.Problem and opportunities: evidence-based.
C.Team profile (role and skillset).
D.Future goals and how the prize funds will be used?
E.Social Impact of the project locally, nationally, regionally, or internationally.
For inquiries, please email us at entrepreneurs@agora.edu
Microgrants
We offer one-time microgrants for creative innovators from our School of Business graduates to support their early-stage business ideas.
These microgrants include three types: women-led projects, social impact projects and disabled entrepreneur led-projects.
How to Apply
01.Graduates must submit a 3–5-minute video pitch highlighting:
A.An introduction of your team members: Name, and skillset
B.An introduction to your idea: Opportunity, problem, solution, and market share
C.The current status of your project
D.How will you spend the microgrant and where will it drive your project in the next quarter?
02.Contact information
Microgrant Regulations
01.All microgrant funds must be spent within the same quarter it is issued.
02.After the first quarter, a detailed report must be submitted on how the funds were spent, the impact it had on advancing the project, and what the next steps of the project will be.
03.The microgrant cannot be used for:
A.Website design
B.Rent for co-working or office space
C.Travel expenses
D.Team member salaries
E.Food expenses
E.Equipment or software that is not related to the project development
For inquiries, please email us at entrepreneurs@agora.edu
Ideation-Startup Award
Our MBA graduates in the Ideation phase of their projects have the opportunity to participate in the Ideation-Startup Award. Interested graduates will pitch their business ideas to their classmates at the beginning of the Capstone module. Graduates will vote on the best 3 projects for the Ideation-Startup Award consideration. Selected projects will undergo a feasibility study during the 6-week period of the Capstone module. At the end of the module, the Capstone Instructor and the project mentors will present their findings and decide on which of the projects, if any, warrant award funding.
For inquiries, please email us at entrepreneurs@agora.edu
Business Support Award
Our MBA graduates with existing businesses have the opportunity to participate in the Agora Business Support Award. Interested graduates will pitch their business ideas to their classmates at the beginning of the Capstone module. Graduates will vote on the best 3 projects for the Business Support Award consideration. Selected projects will undergo a feasibility study during the 6-week period of the Capstone module. At the end of the module, the Capstone Instructor and the project mentors will present their findings and decide on which of the projects, if any, warrant award funding.
For inquiries, please email us at entrepreneurs@agora.edu
VC Fund Pitch Guidelines
ASB’s Investor Event offers graduates and graduates an opportunity to pitch their projects to a group of regional and international Investors, Venture Capitalists, and Angel Investors. The pitch event welcomes both aspiring business ideas as well as existing businesses. The event is open for all qualified projects organized by currently enrolled ASB graduates. ASB reserves the right to disqualify any participant who violates the Event rules, engages in conduct unbecoming to ASB, or behaves in any manner that is not aligned with the mission of ASB. ASB reserves the right to take photographs and videos of the event and the pitches for PR and marketing purposes. Participants should carefully consider excluding any proprietary information or materials that the competitor feels are at risk of disclosure. Confidentiality is not guaranteed in any way as this is a public event. Graduates acknowledge that by participating in this event, they agree to the terms and rules mentioned above.
Team Requirements
01. Maximum 5 members per team.
02. Participants can join only one team.
03. Participants can have only one entry.
Submission Requirements and Regulations
Presentation Requirements
01. Presentation and Pitch (3 Minutes)
02. Q&A by the Investors (3 Minutes)
03. Investor Feedback (3 Minutes)
04. Teams exceeding the presentation time of 3 minutes will be interrupted by the moderator and likely disqualified.
Investor Lab Director
Mina Salib
Email: mina@agora.edu
Mina Salib comes with 7+ years of operation & investment experience. Serving as a director & manager at various organizations including New York University, WeWork Labs, Fleeting, and now Curio. He has closely worked with over 200 startups on business development, marketing & fundraising strategy. He is also a former founder himself, having started his own media company (Usspire) in 2014. Mina now serves as Growth & Operations Manager at Curio, the premier NFT platform for entertainment brands.
For Investor Relations
If you are interested in supporting the ASB Investor Lab, and incubator projects, please contact us at businessdevelopment@agora.edu
