Ten youth teams convened at the EmpowerME Hackathon to build AI\u2011powered solutions to real sustainability challenges in Saudi Arabia, with a focus on ideas that can move quickly from prototype to pilot in retail operations and communities.<\/p>\n
Set against the backdrop of Saudi Vision 2030 and the Saudi Green Initiative, the competition, hosted at University of Jeddah, emphasized practical routes to circularity, efficient resource use, and greener cities \u2014 areas where data and AI can accelerate measurable progress. Participants explored how AI can help businesses and customers reduce waste, conserve water, and improve environmental performance, echoing national efforts to scale green innovation and future\u2011ready skills among Saudi youth.<\/p>\n
Winning ideas <\/strong><\/p>\n First place went to Nuqta (\u201cevery drop counts\u201d), an AI\u2011enabled system that captures leftover liquids from unconsumed caf\u00e9 drinks, pre\u2011filters them, and classifies them for safe reuse \u2014 such as floor and table cleaning, humidification, or watering indoor plants \u2014 tracked via a live dashboard. Early estimates suggest stores could reduce freshwater use by up to 40% per month, with applications beyond caf\u00e9s to restaurants, universities, and offices.<\/p>\n The runner-up, My Green Rewards, turns Starbucks Rewards points into real tree-planting in partnership with the National Center for Vegetation Cover, using generative AI to select optimal planting sites and send customers location and photo updates, with contributions logged on a national platform. Third place, MycoLoop, replaces fossil\u2011based protective and secondary packaging with mycelium\u2011grown inserts and trays cultivated from natural fibers, then dried into sturdy, compostable forms \u2014 preserving brand experience while simplifying disposal and cutting single\u2011use waste.<\/p>\n Teams also made progress in other priority areas, including:<\/p>\n Advancing national priorities<\/strong><\/p>\n Designed to engage Saudi youth in solving real-world sustainability challenges, the EmpowerME Hackathon used AI prompting to help teams turn research into viable concepts. The initiative built awareness of local and global environmental issues while equipping students with future-focused skills in teamwork, critical thinking and responsible AI use. Objectives included deepening engagement with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and Saudi Vision 2030, developing practical and scalable ideas with local sustainability impact, and fostering collaboration and ideation.<\/p>\n The EmpowerME Hackathon was organized by the Starbucks Foundation, Alshaya Group, and INJAZ Al-Arab\/JA MENA, in partnership with Barakah. As part of EmpowerME, a USD 6 million, three-year initiative to equip 250,000 youth across MENA and T\u00fcrkiye with entrepreneurship, employability and green innovation skills, the hackathon aimed to help Saudi youth apply AI to measurable sustainability challenges in retail and communities.<\/p>\n \u201cEmpowerME is about more than ideas; it\u2019s about outcomes,\u201d said Mohammad Mahmoud Al Najjar, Senior Vice President, Starbucks at Alshaya Group.<\/strong> \u201cBy giving young people the tools, confidence, and platform they need, we\u2019re seeing complex sustainability challenges turned into practical, testable solutions: reusing caf\u00e9 water, turning loyalty points into trees, and replacing plastic packaging with mycelium. It\u2019s a powerful signal of what youth\u2011led innovation can deliver for Saudi Arabia\u2019s sustainability agenda.\u201d<\/p>\n INJAZ Al-Arab equips youth to drive the economies of the Arab World forward through hands-on learnings and mentorships designed to inspire them to develop ambition, entrepreneurship, and professional skills. Akef Aqrabawi, CEO, INJAZ Al<\/strong>\u2011<\/strong>Arab\/JA MENA,<\/strong> added: \u201cINJAZ Al\u2011Arab brings regional expertise in youth entrepreneurship and work readiness. Hackathons like this are where ideas become prototypes; partnerships like this are how prototypes become jobs and startups. That is how EmpowerME will contribute to the region\u2019s socio\u2011economic future \u2014 by equipping the next generation to build the businesses and careers a sustainable MENA economy needs.\u201d<\/p>\n Barakah, a Saudi recycling and circular-economy company that helps businesses recover materials, reduce landfill, and turn waste into value, supported the program as an industry partner. Barakah offered internship opportunities to selected participants, while team members also mentored students and served on the judging panel. \u201cAt Barakah, we believe that tackling food waste and building food security starts with bold ideas and local action,\u201d said Bader Alheraish, Head of Partnerships at Barakah.<\/strong> \u201cIt\u2019s inspiring to see so many young innovators using technology to address these challenges head\u2011on. Events like EmpowerME are crucial for nurturing the next generation of entrepreneurs who will lead Saudi Arabia toward a more sustainable and resilient future.\u201d<\/p>\n By grounding innovation in national priorities, the EmpowerME Hackathon showed how youth\u2011led concepts can advance Vision 2030 and the Saudi Green Initiative \u2014 from circular water use and biodegradable materials to urban greening and low\u2011waste logistics. Each winning solution embeds clear metrics (such as liters of water reused, trees planted, packaging waste avoided) and uses AI as a practical enabler for smarter classification, site selection, personalization, planning, and monitoring, making the path from prototype to pilot both credible and measurable.<\/p>\n Taking action<\/strong><\/p>\n Organizers are exploring pilot pathways for the top concepts, including in-store water-reuse tests, a points-to-trees integration with the National Center for Vegetation Cover, and packaging trials with delivery partners \u2014 prioritizing measurable impact, customer experience, and scalability.<\/p>\n The EmpowerME Hackathon is just one part of a larger movement to equip underserved youth \u2014 including young women, refugees, and vocational students \u2014 with practical skills and opportunities. In its first year, EmpowerME has already reached over 10,000 youth in five countries, with plans to expand further.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Ten youth teams convened at the EmpowerME Hackathon to build AI\u2011powered solutions to real sustainability challenges in Saudi Arabia, with a focus on ideas that can move quickly from prototype to pilot in retail operations and communities. Set against the backdrop of Saudi Vision 2030 and the Saudi Green Initiative, the competition, hosted at University<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":10422,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-english-news"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/investn24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10424","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/investn24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/investn24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/investn24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/investn24.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10424"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/investn24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10424\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10426,"href":"https:\/\/investn24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10424\/revisions\/10426"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/investn24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10422"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/investn24.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/investn24.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/investn24.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n