Did an idea that is so simple really do so much? Of course it did.
What do you think you get when you bring 300 capable young Arabs together over a challenge? – Some damn cool tech Startups! It’s been two weeks already, and<a href=”http://www.yallastartup.org/startupweekend/”><strong><em>YallaStartup Weekend</em></strong></a>’s liveliness is still pumping through our veins. It’s apparent on the web, in our daily discussions, and across a number of media outlets. We came in, let go of who we were, and began working towards what we might be; Entrepreneurs at large. We all delivered over those two days – some even regarded that weekend to be the best of their lives!
As an organization that seeks to advance early stage entrepreneurship in the MENA region, <a href=”http://www.yallastartup.org/”><strong><em>YallaStartup</em></strong></a><strong><em> </em></strong>(Directed by Habib Haddad, Sami Shalabi, Elie Khoury, &amp; Amir Kabbara) is a genuine initiative that is living up to its name and purpose. The recurring theme over the weekend was the “Power of <strong><em>Yalla!</em></strong>”; a movement to emphasize action and execution over yak and speculation. It is one that invokes change, and a desire to succeed. Coming out of the weekend, it was just confirmed that at least 4 weekend participants had quit their jobs and 1 had dropped out of college to work on their ideas fulltime. For our part of the world, this is absolutely radical – but it is a healthy transformation that we should be proud of. They have the<strong><em>“Yalla!”.</em></strong> Perhaps those individuals needed an opportunity like Startup Weekend for them to prove to themselves that they could do it. We are finally assuming risk and are embarking on more exciting journeys – let’s incite it.
The weekend provided its participants with mentorship, sessions with accomplished entrepreneurs and investors amongst many others. Personally, the most important thing the weekend did for its partakers was simply provide a “Deadline”. Discipline and focus are two of the most important traits an entrepreneur can have, and we had to have those if we were going to finish by Sunday. My team, comprised of Wa’el Farhan, Dina Abu Khader, Waleed Tuffaha, Ibrahim Abu Dhaim, and Ahmad Abdel-Yaman, had locked ourselves in a room and began coding away against time. We built a prototype for a unique product that we believe will play a significant role in the world of digital storage.
<a href=”http://capsu.ly/”>Capsu.ly</a> (<a href=”http://capsu.ly/”>http://Capsu.ly</a> ) is the world’s first infinite and free community based digital storage system. It relies on a distributed methodology where users share their local storage capacities securely and make their files available forever. On a more technical front, each user would download the <a href=”http://capsu.ly/”>Capsu.ly</a> client and assign the size of his/her “Capsule” (a magical location on your disk that can be of any size and will hold your data indefinitely) and begin uploading files to it. Each file is sliced into chunks , then replicated many times over, and encrypted before being distributed across the community. Whatever happens to your files, you now have the power to retrieve them! Check out this cool video for a brief overview:
Hard work always pays off, and we built a working model of our idea in less than 48 hours and emerged as winners, both figuratively and literally. Some of us gained exposure, others gained a team or new friends, but we all certainly acquired another step in the right direction. That is priceless.
In geeky terms, we can say that the “Power of<strong><em> Yalla!</em></strong>” is a StarWars like force inside of all of us. In blunt speak, the critical ingredient is getting off your butt and doing something. It’s as simple as that. A lot of people have ideas, but there are few who decide to do something about them now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. But today. The true entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer. So <strong><em>Yalla</em></strong>, get on with what you are meant to <strong><em>do</em></strong>!
(P.S.: <a href=”http://capsu.ly/”>Capsu.ly</a> is competing for the Global Startup Battle Wild Card &amp; needs your vote!  Visit <a href=”http://globalstartupbattle.com/wildcard/”>http://globalstartupbattle.com/wildcard/</a> to help us out!) –Thanks in advance!