The "Mathaqi App», one of the leading online platforms for ordering home-cooked meals in Saudi Arabia, recently won an award for Tech innovation at the KSA Enterprise Agility Awards 2017, organized by BNC publishing. The event was held at Hotel Marriott in Riyadh. The awards, which were presented by Ghassan Al-Sulaiman, Governor of the General Authority for SMEs, and organized by Entrepreneur MENA, a division of BNC Publishing, celebrate enterprise leaders and individuals who have distinguished themselves by demonstrating innovation and outstanding business conduct. With this award win, Mathaqi has been recognized as an industry innovator, which has made a significant contribution to helping productive families market their food products and increase their income. This in effect, solves one of the problems faced by the country related to unemployment, as the platform encourages production among family members. The award-winning app offers more than 18 different cuisines for lunch and dinner, with details of each dish, along with the chef's profile also provided, to authenticate its home-cooked quality. The well-designed and user-friendly Mathaqi mobile application is available on iOS and Android platforms. Once downloaded, users can register themselves by filling out basic details such as name and contact number. After ordering food from the daily changing menu, customers can also determine the time and place to get their food delivered. Commenting on the award, Nouf Alsaleem, founder of Mathaqi App, said "we are really happy for this recognition and we consider this as an encouragement and furthering our objectives to develop the technology innovation within the entrepreneurship ecosystem in KSA." "It is an honor to receive the Best Mobile App Innovation award from an organization which is a source of inspiration and information for millions and is considered the voice of entrepreneurship around the world. All credit goes to our team, mentors and partners for their role in our success and for helping us achieve this," she added. "Mathaqi is a good opportunity for home chefs, who generally don't get noticed for their culinary skills," she said, adding that it provides "a perfect blend of authentic food with authentic recipes, with a wide variety of cuisines and the expertise of carefully selected home chefs." She further said "all chefs are trained in processes of food safety and they prepare food in limited quantities, as they would for their own households." The objective of Mathaqi is "delivering home-cooked meals right to your door," Alsaleem explained. However, to safeguard the superior quality of food and services, Mathaqi painstakingly selects chefs with a reputable portfolio and record. Thorough medical tests and inspections of the kitchens are also conducted to guarantee that they follow high standards of food quality and hygiene, the founder asserted. — SG
