Highlighted Projects

At HNT Innovation Studio, every assignment tells a story of progress, where ideas meet structure, and innovation meets evidence.

Our projects span startups, corporates, accelerators, and public institutions across the region. Whether designing national innovation programs, validating new business models, or empowering founders with actionable tools, we focus on one simple goal: turning ambition into validated impact.

Each project reflects our core belief that innovation is not a workshop; it’s a disciplined journey of learning, testing, and proving what truly creates value.

The Bakery Shop – Designing the Happy Toast Experience

Client: The Bakery Shop (TBS Egypt)

Date: 2015

Location: Egypt

Assignment:

To develop a new, differentiated product that reinforces TBS’s reputation for quality and creativity while expanding into a younger, health-conscious customer segment.

What We Did:

Led a four-month innovation sprint combining customer research, ideation, and prototyping.
Conducted consumer insight studies with parents and children to uncover new product opportunities.
Co-created and validated product concepts through iterative testing and design refinement.
Collaborated with TBS’s marketing and production teams to prepare the selected concept for launch.

Impact:

Introduced Happy Toast, a premium, colorful, and healthy toast for children.
Strengthened TBS’s position as a customer-centric and innovation-driven brand.
Showcased the tangible impact of applying design thinking to product development.

Green Competitiveness Launchpad

Client: International Finance Corporation (IFC – World Bank Group)

Date: 2016

Location: Egypt

Assignment:

To support clean-tech entrepreneurs in identifying and overcoming the barriers they face in building and scaling sustainable businesses within Egypt’s emerging green economy. The goal was to uncover ecosystem challenges and translate them into actionable strategies for innovation and growth.

What We Did:

Conducted ethnographic interviews with entrepreneurs to map real-world constraints and opportunities.
Facilitated business model design workshops to reframe sustainability challenges as viable market opportunities.
Led on-site visits to validate assumptions and tailor insights to the Egyptian clean-tech landscape.
Synthesized all findings into a structured report for IFC to inform future program design.

Impact:

Helped participating startups clarify their business directions and identify scalable opportunities.
Equipped IFC with deeper insights into market dynamics and startup ecosystem barriers.
Contributed to shaping IFC’s subsequent clean innovation initiatives in the region.

Youth Empowerment and Economic Development in South Sudan

Client: Orascom TM&T and Gemini Enterprise Africa (coordinated by WPDI)

Date: 2018

Location: South Sudan

Assignment:

To design and deliver a program that empowers South Sudanese youth to build sustainable businesses and drive local economic development through entrepreneurship.

What We Did:

Designed a comprehensive entrepreneurship training program tailored to post-conflict community needs.
Conducted three full-day workshops focused on business model design, customer value, and opportunity recognition.
Trained over 120 young entrepreneurs across three counties, equipping them with practical startup and leadership skills.
Introduced evidence-based entrepreneurship as a framework for turning ideas into actionable ventures.

Impact:

Empowered participants to start and strengthen local businesses with a focus on sustainability and social value.
Built local capacity and entrepreneurial confidence among South Sudanese youth.
Laid the groundwork for ongoing youth-led economic development initiatives in the region.

Empowering Climate KIC – Journey 2018

Client: Climate KIC + RTU Design Factory

Date: 2018

Location: Riga, Latvia

Assignment:

To design and deliver a three-day Evidence-Based Entrepreneurship Bootcamp aimed at helping Climate KIC startup teams design, test, and validate business models that address critical climate challenges across Europe. The goal was to equip participants with practical tools to translate their sustainability-driven ideas into viable, scalable ventures.

What We Did:

Developed and facilitated a 3-day intensive bootcamp focused on evidence-based entrepreneurship principles.
Guided startups through customer discovery, hypothesis testing, and business model design tailored to climate innovation.
Applied hands-on exercises and real-world case reflections to strengthen the connection between climate impact and commercial feasibility.
Mentored teams individually to refine their business models and develop early validation plans.

Impact:

Empowered Climate KIC participants to transform climate ideas into validated business models.
Strengthened their ability to link environmental innovation with market demand and customer value.
The HOOP-IN team won Best Business Model Idea at the program’s regional finals, recognized for their dedicated application of the bootcamp methodologies.

OmanTel Open-Innovation Bootcamp (in Collaboration with BRINC MENA)

Client: Brinc MENA + Omantel

Date: 2024

Location: Muscat, Oman

Assignment:

To equip startups participating in the Omantel acceleration program with the tools, methods, and mindset of evidence-based entrepreneurship, enabling them to refine and validate their business models through real customer insight.

What We Did:

Designed and delivered a six-day innovation bootcamp combining theory with hands-on fieldwork.
Introduced participants to the principles of evidence-based entrepreneurship and experimentation.
Guided teams in business model refinement, customer persona development, and validation planning.
Conducted customer interviews and live experiments to gather direct market feedback.
Mentored teams through iterative improvement cycles for better fit and feasibility.

Impact:

Startups achieved greater clarity on customer needs and value propositions.
Validated key assumptions, improving readiness for investment and scaling.
Empowered entrepreneurs with a structured, repeatable innovation process.
Reinforced Brinc MENA and Omantel’s commitment to building a regional evidence-based innovation culture.

AAIB Fintech Minds Challenge

Client: Arab African International Bank (AAIB) – Digital Factory

Date: 2024

Location: Cairo, Egypt

Assignment:

To design and deliver a fintech innovation challenge that identifies and empowers high-potential regional fintech startups while cultivating a culture of evidence-based innovation.

What We Did:

Structured a six-week bootcamp engaging 25 entrepreneurial teams in hands-on learning.
Guided participants through customer discovery, validation, and low-fidelity prototyping phases.
Integrated the Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) and evidence-based entrepreneurship frameworks for rigorous experimentation.
Organized regular milestone presentations, ensuring accountability and data-driven progress.

Impact:

25 teams trained, 9 finalists selected, and 3 winners recognized at Cairo ICT 2024.
All teams enhanced their customer insight, validation, and communication skills.
Implemented AAIB leading open innovation and fintech strategy in Egypt.

Co-Designing Future-Ready Opportunities with Ajman Chamber of Commerce & Industry

Client: Ajman Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Date: 2025

Location: Ajman, United Arab Emirates

Assignment:

To design and facilitate a hands-on innovation workshop for Ajman Chamber management and decision makers that enables them to generate, refine, and prioritize investment-worthy opportunities aligned with Ajman’s economic vision. The objective was to help participants transform raw ideas into validated business opportunities through a structured, evidence-based approach.

What We Did:

Co-designed and delivered a two-day workshop combining design thinking, evidence-based entrepreneurship, and opportunity mapping.
Applied facilitation to balance short-term feasibility with long-term innovation.
Guided teams through idea screening, value proposition development, and early validation planning.

Impact:

Enabled participants to articulate and test 20+ opportunity statements, with 6 shortlisted for investor fit and further validation.
Reinforced Ajman Chamber’s role as a proactive driver of innovation and private-sector growth in the Emirate.