News

Mastercard & Women Choice Launch Social Innovation Incubator

The new partnership will create employment opportunities for 1 million female entrepreneurs and help to drive economic growth across the MENA region.

Published

2 years ago

April 11, 2023

Nour Nasir

Mastercard

Women Choice, an international organization dedicated to female personal and professional development, has partnered with Mastercard to launch a new program called the “Social Innovation Incubator (SII) For Women’s Employment”. The scheme will help to create employment opportunities for women across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) while also boosting economic growth and development in the region.

Over the next five years, the Women Choice and Mastercard partnership will provide comprehensive support and employment opportunities for MENA women through a program of mentorship that will encompass business planning, HR, and recruitment.

“We are excited to launch this program and to have the support of a global organization like Mastercard, which is genuinely committed to bringing change and improving the situation of women in the workplace,” says Nezha Alaoui, Founder & CEO of Women Choice.

Also Read: UAE Digital Technology Spending To Hit $20 Billion By 2026

Nezha Alaoui will also form part of the jury on the second edition of Mastercard’s Women SME Leaders Awards. The card provider has been at the forefront of several equitable and inclusivity-based projects in recent years. The new Woman Choice collaboration will provide substantial employment support for MENA women and directly place at least 1,000 female entrepreneurs in their respective enterprises.

The incubator program will first launch in the UAE and Morocco, with the whole MENA region eventually benefitting from the business initiatives and training. SII for Women Employment also aligns well with Mastercard’s commitment to add 25 million women entrepreneurs to the global digital economy by 2025 as part of a broader push towards a more sustainable and equitable world.

News

Samsung Smart Glasses Teased For January, Software Reveal Imminent

According to Korean sources, the new wearable will launch alongside the Galaxy S25, with the accompanying software platform unveiled this December.

Published

2 days ago

December 4, 2024

Nour Nasir

samsung smart glasses teased for january software reveal imminent

Samsung appears poised to introduce its highly anticipated smart glasses in January 2025, alongside the launch of the Galaxy S25. According to sources in Korea, the company will first reveal the accompanying software platform later this month.

As per a report from Yonhap News, Samsung’s unveiling strategy for the smart glasses echoes its approach with the Galaxy Ring earlier this year. The January showcase won’t constitute a full product launch but will likely feature teaser visuals at the Galaxy S25 event. A more detailed rollout could follow in subsequent months.

Just in: Samsung is set to unveil a prototype of its augmented reality (AR) glasses, currently in development, during the Galaxy S25 Unpacked event early next year, likely in the form of videos or images.

Additionally, prior to revealing the prototype, Samsung plans to introduce…

— Jukanlosreve (@Jukanlosreve) December 3, 2024

The Galaxy Ring, for example, debuted in January via a short presentation during Samsung’s Unpacked event. The full product unveiling came later at MWC in February, and the final release followed in July. Samsung seems to be adopting a similar phased approach with its smart glasses, which are expected to hit the market in the third quarter of 2025.

A Collaborative Software Effort

Samsung’s partnership with Google has played a key role in developing the smart glasses’ software. This collaboration was first announced in February 2023, with the device set to run on an Android-based platform. In July, the companies reiterated their plans to deliver an extended reality (XR) platform by the end of the year. The software specifics for the XR device are expected to be unveiled before the end of December.

Reports suggest that the smart glasses will resemble Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses in functionality. They won’t include a display but will weigh approximately 50 grams, emphasizing a lightweight, user-friendly design.

Feature Set And Compatibility

The glasses are rumored to integrate Google’s Gemini technology, alongside features like gesture recognition and potential payment capabilities. Samsung aims to create a seamless user experience by integrating the glasses with its broader Galaxy ecosystem, starting with the Galaxy S25, slated for release on January 22.