Paul Barakat Diab and Elie Nahas.
Remember these names because they are definitely worth remembering! The two friends won the 50,000 USD prize at the "2019 Supernova Challenge". This annual competition, held in early May 2019 at the Dubai World Trade Center during the “AI Everything” summit, is the world’s third largest start-up funding competition. Given the fierce competitors Diab and Nahas had to face, winning was not easy. 60 other start-ups from around the world were participating in the competition, but the two still made it to the first place!

Here is the full story: it all began in 2016, when the two friends realized, while studying together for their exams, that they did not understand things in the same way. They thought that a new software was needed, one that would offer personalized learning approaches based on the needs, level, and pace of each student. And so, “Augmental Education” was born!

The small business, which held Lebanon as well as Antonine University’s name up high in the United Arab Emirates, was already known since a few years ago. Lebanon’s leading French-language newspaper, L'Orient-Le Jour, had written an article about the two friends in February 2017. At the time, the software was still in its testing period but had already caught the attention of tech experts and the media because Augmental Education had been selected to be part of BDL’s ‘Accelerate 2016’ conference, among a hundred other start-ups from around the world.

Today, this educational tool – which is a type of 21st century virtual Montessori Method – is now part of the daily lives of 12- to 18-year-old students from several Lebanese schools. It is said to improve the students’ learning capacity by 30%. Diab and Nahas hope to one day see their software being used in public schools and universities.
The impressive cash prize they won will certainly help them achieve their goals by allowing them to fine-tune their product. Who knows, maybe one day, Augmental Education will leave an international mark in the world of education.