From March 14th to 16th, 2025, Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane (AUI), through its Employability & Entrepreneurship Office (EEO), hosted a dynamic Hackathon focused on reimagining distribution models in Morocco. Organized in partnership with Silent Believers, a key player in the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) distribution sector, the competition brought together 40 selected students from a pool of over 160 applicants, who worked intensively over three days under the guidance of 15 expert mentors and judges from Silent Believers, CAM Leasing (Crédit Agricole), and Riaya Industries.
Participants were given a unique challenge: Design a tech-driven distribution model that works for small, informal retailers — the backbone of many local economies. Not only did teams have to develop a practical solution, but they also had to sell their idea convincingly, showing how retailers would benefit from adopting it.
Each team tackled this problem through four main thematics: Marketing and Experience Design, Financial Feasibility, Logistics and Operations, and Recruiting and Managing App Users, who would connect retailers to factories.
Winning Solutions That Transform Distribution
Throughout the Hackathon, teams spent the weekend refining their solutions before presenting them to a panel of judges, including Soufiane Badaa, CEO of Silent Believers Group, and Nahid El Massnaoui, Director of CAM Leasing (Crédit Agricole).
The competition revealed fresh ideas to improve distribution in underserved markets with the most outstanding projects receiving recognition for their creativity.
The first-place prize went to Youssef Takieddine, Anass Ben Sliman, Aya Bouchikhi, and Meryem El Ghomari, seniors from the School of Business Administration (SBA) whose concept centered around an innovative mobile application, La Zone, a mobile app that directly links small vendors to factories, eliminating middlemen and creating a structured supply chain. The judges were particularly impressed by the project’s financial feasibility and scalability but also the incorporation of gamification, a referral system, and a culturally resonant marketing strategy.
The second-place prize went to Mohammad Zentari, Oussama Oubahim, Abdelkader El Baioudi, and Majd Lahbiss from the School of Science and Engineering (SSE). And the third-place prize was awarded to SBA seniors Aya Ouahdi, Ahmed Mahjoubi, Youssef Filali, and Ilias Tafjouti. Beyond the top three, several team members received special recognition for their eloquence and exceptional pitching skills.
A Collaborative Success
The winning students were awarded by Silent Believers from a total prize pool of 60,000 MAD. Beyond cash prizes, some participants secured job interviews at Silent Believers, while others were offered internships, further demonstrating the value of such events in providing students with tangible career opportunities and industry exposure.
The Hackathon not only gave students a platform to showcase their problem-solving skills but also reinforced the importance of bridging innovative education with real-world business challenges.