INJAZ Bahrain has recently conducted the 12th edition of Young Entrepreneurs Competition that witnessed student entrepreneurs from around the Kingdom competing to obtain the coveted Awards.
British University of Bahrain team- Alia Al Buhamad, Hesa Al Shaikh, Khalifa Showaiter, Reem Al Kooheji, Ali Ajoor, Zain Al Kooheji- won the University Product of the Year Award & NBB Excellence in Marketing Award under the coordination of Fatima Abdulrahman.
The team shares the details of Shield with Bahrain This Week.
Can you introduce Shield for our readers?
Shield is a student-led start-up company from the British University of Bahrain. Shield comprises 13 fully dedicated and enthusiastic employees who worked hard and persevered to develop a company that specializes in protecting and securing users’ critical and confidential information.
Shield is the winner of Injaz’s Product of the year award, and NBB’s excellence in marketing award, in the 2020 Injaz competition.
How did the idea of Shield originate?
One of the members of shield was a victim of cash theft himself while on vacation, and he came up with the idea and after extensive research, we decided to go for it. Our product is a sleeve for contactless credit/debit cards which protects customers from a cash or identity theft. As the Central Bank of Bahrain and the Bahraini retail banks are encouraging contactless cards, we are mindful of potential security breaches that may arise, along with the ongoing developments in the hacking and fraud space. As such, our sleeve aims to reduce the chance of cash or identity theft by proactively shielding the NFS frequency from credit cards in a cost-effective and efficient manner.
How long did it take to develop the product?
The process of coming up with Shield’s idea/product took around 4-5 months of team and supplier negotiations. One of the major struggles Shield went through when dealing with the production process directly is the ups and downs of the current ongoing pandemic. Due to that, Shield had to change the supplier multiple times due to the hardships that came along with communicating with the suppliers. However, thankfully, we overcame the struggle, settled on a perfect supplier, and got the product produced and delivered within 2-4 weeks!
Have you collaborated with any Banks?
Our company’s vision is to create leading sustainable financial security services for customers in the MENA region; and our mission is to protect the financial security of our customers. Throughout the journey of shield, we have approached several of the leading banks in the Kingdom to provide them with our shields. Many of the banks appreciated our idea and its innovation and in turn, we are in the process of signing a deal with a few banks.
What are the guidelines to use this product?
Our sleeve is simple to use, fits all contactless cards, and fits in all wallets. Our sleeve is made up of double-layered aluminum and a glossy paper layer used to prevent the transmission of RFID rays, reducing the risk of pickpocketing and securing our customers — preventing both identity and cash theft. By placing your shield on your contactless card, ensuring the coverage of the RFID chip, your card is now protected and secure.