Yaqoob Al Merbati and Hussain Al Rowaie’s revolutionary invention O’Lina makes it easy for everyone to cook healthy meals even without cooking knowledge. Join Bahrain This Week as we sit down to know more about the duo and their exciting new invention
Tell us briefly about yourself and your team
Our team consists of two students; one being IT student Yaqoob Al Merbati and the other marketing student Hussain Al Rowaie, and both of us are interested in cooking.
Give us a brief summary about your educational and professional background.
We are fresh graduates from University of Bahrain.
What are your guys doing for a day job? Where do you work?
Finalizing our new innovation O’Lina.
When and how did you get around to developing O’Lina?
We noticed that most people nowadays eat from outside which is costly and unhealthy sometimes. Also, many people they don’t cook in their homes due to lack of cooking knowledge. Nevertheless, there is absolutely no national cooking institution or an affordable cooking academy here in Bahrain. So, O’Lina will solve this issue.
O’Lina is an interesting solution. Tell us more about the application and how did this idea strike you?
In short words, O’Lina will be an instructor to users to cook their meals perfectly and prevent any accidents in the kitchen. With O’Lina all homes will turn their oven on to cook healthy meals for cheap.
What have been the initial challenges and how did you overcome them?
Our major challenge is 2D digital drawing for our app, because everything in O’lina is original. We overcame this issue by finding a Digital artist company to be sponsor to O’Lina.
How is O’Lina unique?
O’lina has many unique features (software-side) and functions (hardware-side) because there is no innovation that will be like a big cooking academy to the users.
Where do you see O’Lina in the next 3 years?
O’Lina will be a global product that will have ‘Made in Bahrain’ written on it.
If you were to list 5 essential qualities of a successful entrepreneur, what would they be?
Confidence, teamwork, strength, patience and creativity.
How has O’Lina developed so far?
We are adding some design touches and it will be ready for manufacturing once that’s done.
How did you find Ch9 Bahrain?
We are proud that CH9 has had a positive effect in our product. We are very thankful for them.
Being the second winner of Microsoft Imagine Cup, how do you feel?
Give us a powerful inspiration that we are now ready to bring another global cup innovation to Bahrain.
List us three things you have learned.
1- Prepare a business model.
2- Technical courses with Tamkeen
3- Develop and test our performance
What is your message to aspiring entrepreneurs in and around GCC?
Always stay strong.