Saudi Arabian Young Innovators Win People’s Choice Award for 2020 Purina BetterwithPets Prize

Pet Me, a mobile App project developed by a team of six young Saudi Arabian innovators which aims to facilitate free pet adoption and foster pet relationships and empathy in Saudi Arabia, has won the People’s Choice category of the 2020 Purina BetterwithPets Prize, announced in a virtual forum streamed live on YouTube.

Organized in collaboration with Ashoka, a pioneer in the field of social entrepreneurship, this year’s second edition of the prize drew more than 150 applicants from across 23 countries in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, reaping eight finalists stemming from the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia. Entrants were welcomed across two streams: Early-stage ideas for innovations, and Fully piloted/implemented innovations.

Pet Me was voted by Purina and Ashoka employees as their favourite idea-stage innovation. It also came in third in the category, garnering a total of CHF 4,000 (Saudi Riyals 15,500). 

“We are proud of the achievement of these young Saudi Arabian entrepreneurs and are happy to support them as they grow their impact,” said Sergej Pracevic, Business Executive Officer, Nestlé Purina for the Middle East and North Africa region. “We congratulate the Pet Me App team on their creativity and ingenuity in promoting the mutual power of the pet-human bond and the importance of working towards a future where solutions override problems.”

“We are very proud and honored to have won the People’s Choice Award in the 2020 Purina BetterwithPets Prize, representing our country Saudi Arabia among other participants from Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa,” said Maram Alghamdi, one of six young Saudi pet enthusiasts behind the Pet Me App. “We are a group of six students and graduates from different majors at the College of Business Administration at Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, with the team also including Reem AlSubait, Jawaher Alkhalifah, Joud AlOtaibi, Ebtihal Albarjas, and Manal Alshehri.” 

Both the prize winners and finalists will be eligible to access additional programs designed to support further development of their ventures. Select piloted innovators will also be invited to participate in Purina and Ashoka’s Scaling Social Impact Program, while select idea-stage young changemakers will be eligible for a mentoring program.