AUK Hosts a Talk on Entrepreneurship and Innovation

The Office of Student Affairs at the American University of Kuwait (AUK) invited Nader Sabry, CEO and Founder of TIMEZ5 Global Inc., the world's first Muslim wellness and lifestyle Company to be certified by the NASA Space Foundation, to give a talk at the Library's American Corner. The purpose of his talk, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, was to educate the attendees on how to develop simple ideas into successful endeavors.

Sabry's talk discussed the concept of entrepreneurship and the drivers of innovation. According to Sabry, innovation could be inspired by the simple things around us. He used the example of one of his inventions, the Physiological Prayer Mat, which reduces pain and stiffness experienced during prayers by Muslims who suffer from stiff joints and lower back problems. Following the release of his invention, Sabry published an extended article on the Huffington Post in which he linked the practice of Muslim prayer and its physical prostrations to the general health and wellbeing of the person performing it. "While researching the practice of prayer I discovered that our physical prostrations have many benefits beyond the spiritual, connected to our health and well-being, a common link with other faiths," he wrote.

In terms of entrepreneurship, Sabry walked the attendees through the process of how to turn an idea into a successful enterprise. The subject generated a lot of interaction amongst the audience, who were particularly interested to know how to develop a successful and marketable idea. The key elements of success, according to Sabry, are finding ideas that cater to the needs of many, and conducting extensive market research before going into the implementation stage. He also gave an example on how his own business, TIMEZ5, was born out of his prayer mat idea. "As an innovator and entrepreneur, I instinctively saw an untapped market with a huge social benefit and eventually created TIMEZ5, a company focused on Muslim health and wellbeing, a vastly underserved sector," he wrote in his article. To develop the Physiological Prayer Mat, Sabry went through three years of extensive research on ritual practices, modern science and design. He also collaborated with scientists from different disciplines to verify the validity and success of his invention.

Nader Sabry won the Global Islamic Economy Summit award for creating the world's first physiological prayer mat. He is the former head of innovation & thought leadership at A.T. Kearney, a frequent public speaker, and advocate for youth epreneurship. Sabry has been featured in a number of media outlets, for example, The Huffington Post, FT's Mergermarkets, Al Bayan, and various TV shows.

Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 5th March 2015

Photography by the Office of Public Affairs (C) 2015