HPS Innovation Weekend Highlights:
- 2 months of intensive preparation
- Over 100 students submitted AI-based project ideas
- 30 finalists selected to participate, 62% of them women
- 3 winning projects led by 7 students, 6 of whom were women
- 12 industry leaders and experts served as coaches and judges
Finalist breakdown:
- 60% from Engineering Sciences
- 37% from Business Administration
- 3% from Humanities
Ifrane, September 29, 2024 — Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane (AUI) successfully wrapped up the first-ever HPS Innovation Weekend, an event hosted in partnership with HPS, a global leader in payment solutions.
This competition, held from September 27 to 29, was the culmination of two months of hard work. More than 100 AUI students submitted innovative AI projects aimed at revolutionizing payment systems. After a thorough selection process by the HPS Innovation Committee, 30 finalists—62% of whom were women—were chosen to advance to the final round.
Over the course of the weekend, the finalists presented cutting-edge solutions designed to tackle challenges related to accessibility, payment efficiency, and expanding into new markets. By the end of the competition, 3 winning projects led by 7 students, including 6 women, were awarded top honors.
“We are incredibly proud to have won first prize in this competition. Our project, ASKGs, is an AI-powered module that helps HPS employees quickly and intuitively access internal data. With the support of HPS and Al Akhawayn, we’re eager to bring this solution to the Moroccan market and contribute to the growth of AI in the country,” said Mariyem Baddou, who, along with her teammates Aya El Baoudi and Hajar Hssine, developed the winning project.
Second place was awarded to Manal Mkamel, Mohamed Amir, and Hiba Affakir for their project InTech, a software solution designed to help insurance companies reduce costs and speed up claims processing. Third place went to Wissal Dahabi for her project Multi-Lingua-Track, an innovative credit card that consolidates multiple bank accounts and offers geolocation tracking for users.
Amine Bensaid, President of Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, praised the success of the event, emphasizing how it showcased the strength of AUI’s American-style Liberal Arts education.
“I’m incredibly proud of our students and the role our educational approach played in their success. The Liberal Arts model encourages intellectual curiosity and broad thinking, helping our students become not only experts in their fields but also critical thinkers and leaders ready to tackle modern technological and societal challenges,” said Mr. Bensaid.
This educational approach was fully demonstrated during the competition, where finalists represented a diverse range of disciplines: 60% from Engineering, 37% from Business Administration, and 3% from Humanities.
The jury was comprised of distinguished leaders in the field, including Garry Ceaplen, Business Innovation Managing Director at HPS; Aalya Ghouli, Head of Fintech, Green Tech & Startups in Africa at BNP Paribas; Sarah Harrach, Senior Business Innovation Consultant at HPS; Leila Laaroussi, Kluster Program Manager at CFCIM; Kenza Tahiri, Innovation Program Manager at Bank of Africa; and Youssef Zerrari, Head of The SOGÉ Business Unit.
Aalya Ghouli remarked, “The experience at Al Akhawayn University was outstanding. Choosing the winners was no easy task given the high caliber of the projects. We looked closely at the clarity of the ideas, the teams’ understanding of the challenges, and their ability to precisely identify their target customers.”
Deborah Bartlett, Chief Employability and Entrepreneurship Officer at AUI, added, “This first edition was a huge success, and we’re eager to explore new themes in future competitions. This weekend really demonstrated how capable our students are when faced with ambitious challenges, and they came through with truly innovative solutions.”
The HPS Innovation Weekend represents an important milestone in AUI’s ongoing commitment to fostering technological innovation in Morocco while strengthening ties with key industry players. The event offered students the chance to collaborate with top-level experts, expand their professional networks, and contribute to the future of AI-driven payment technologies.
About the Employability & Entrepreneurship Office of AUI
The Employability & Entrepreneurship Office at Al Akhawayn University believes that students have multiple futures. The office’s goal is for every student to have multiple job or investment offers before graduation. Throughout a student's life at AUI, the E&E Office connects them to the Moroccan and MENA markets. Whether students aim to work remotely, start a business, or launch their careers, the E&E Office provides the vital connections needed to succeed.
About HPS
HPS is a global leader in payment solutions, dedicated to empowering financial institutions and businesses through innovative technology. With a strong commitment to excellence, HPS is a multinational company and a leading provider of payment solutions and services for issuers, acquirers, card processors, independent sales organizations (ISOs), retailers, mobile network operators (MNOs), and national & regional switches around the world.
PowerCARD is HPS comprehensive suite of solutions that covers the entire payment value chain by enabling innovative payments through its open platform that allows the processing of any transaction coming from any channel initiated by any means-of-payment. PowerCARD is used by more than 500 users in over 95 countries.
HPS has been listed on the Casablanca Stock Exchange since 2006 and has offices located in major business centers (Africa, Europe, Asia, Middle East). HPS' mission is to create value through collaboration and to shape the future of payments by delivering cutting-edge solutions that meet the evolving needs of customers.