RIYADH, September 29th, 2026: Alfaisal University’s Dimensions Startup Studios celebrated six winning teams at the INNOVATHON 2.0 award ceremony on Tuesday, September 29, 2026. The event brought together university leadership and external stakeholders from healthcare, industry, and government to recognize emerging entrepreneurial ventures.
Dr. Tarek H. Mokhtar, Director of Dimensions Startup Studios, presented the studio’s integrated ecosystem for innovation, entrepreneurship, and design thinking. The presentation detailed the structural framework that supports student and faculty ventures from early-stage problem-solving through commercialization, highlighting progress achieved by existing Dimensions spin-offs.
INNOVATHON 2.0 Winning Teams
As the university’s flagship venture development competition, INNOVATHON focuses on intellectual property protection, commercialization readiness, and scalable problem-solving. The six winning teams secured a two-year placement in the SparkTank Incubation Program, gaining access to structured mentorship, venture resources, and funding pathways:
- Fitco (Fahad Waleed AlShehri): An AI-powered calorie-tracking and fitness application tailored for the Saudi market, featuring a personalized AI coach (FitBot) that adapts to user habits and goals.
- SoleSight (Mohab Sameh Shanash): An AI-driven early-detection platform utilizing smartphone-compatible thermal imaging to identify abnormal foot temperature patterns in diabetic patients for ulcer prevention.
- Living Systems (Faris Ali Benhaddou, AlHanoof Naji Yahya, Mohamed Said Sheikh Noor): A modular, fully autonomous decorative hydroponic platform utilizing closed-loop control and multi-parameter sensing for optimized plant growth with minimal intervention.
- SmartTear (Mohammed Abdullah Bawazir, Saad Khaled Alkeridis, Zakariya Ba Alawi, Ahmed Gumaan Bin Halabi, Mohammed Haytham Abujubara): A portable MedTech solution enabling non-invasive monitoring of key tear biomarkers, including glucose, electrolytes, and cholesterol.
- Desert Carbon Intelligence (Mohammed Aidh Al Qarni, Nouf Aidh Al Qarni): An AI-based monitoring system combining drones, remote sensing, and environmental data analysis to estimate and track carbon sequestration in arid environments.
- Care4Carer (Huda Saad Syed, Salsabil Haque, Samanta Mohammed Shahin, Noor Al Eman): A mobile platform connecting informal caregivers of elderly or chronically ill individuals with trained volunteers to provide short-term respite care.
Institutional Attendance
The ceremony was attended by Professor Khaled AlKattan, Vice President for Administration and Finance and Dean of the College of Medicine, and Dr. Mohammed Anan, Dean of the College of Engineering and Advanced Computing. Distinguished external guests included Dr. Abdulrahman Saeed AlMohammedi (Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group), Dr. Ayman Karam (SEQUENCIVE), and Dr. Waleed AlShamimary (Ministry of Health).
Through Dimensions and SparkTank, the university continues to provide a structured pathway for translating academic research and student innovation into practical operational enterprises within the Kingdom.
