stc group, an engine of digital transformation, and Mohammed Bin Salman Nonprofit City, better known as Misk City, the world’s first nonprofit city, have announced the conclusion of the “Metathon” competition. The competition aimed to discover and nurture promising Saudi talents in the field of technology and to explore innovative horizons in emerging technologies. Metathon was conducted in partnership with iot squared — a joint venture between stc and the Public Investment Fund, the Saudi Cloud Computing Company and community partner Saudi Data Community, a leading enabler and facilitator of data communities in the region.
The competition elicited participation from more than 10,000 Saudi talents, with 70 shortlisted participants across 14 teams, showcasing built immersive use cases and virtual experiences in education, retail, tourism and virtual events/concerts. These immersive virtual experiences were created on the Kingdom’s first national metaverse platform hosted on SCCC. The competition concluded with a Demo Day at The City Hub, a physical co-working space for Misk Foundation beneficiaries to convene in person, collaborate and learn together. A judging committee comprising metaverse experts evaluated the metaverse experiences developed by the participating teams over the past three months.
The Metathon competition reinforced Misk City’s central role as a thriving destination that supports innovation and entrepreneurship, and nurtures future leaders.
stc Group is spearheading the development of a cohesive technology ecosystem and is committed to the continuous growth of the digital and communications sectors. The group supported this competition by empowering teams in multiple ways, from leveraging its digital library to providing access to valuable learning resources, consultations and guidance from emerging technology experts. The group’s subsidiaries, represented by iot squared and SCCC, provided a supportive and inclusive environment to hone the skills and unleash the innovative potential of the participating Saudi talents.
stc and Misk City share a vision to create an enabling environment for innovation and excellence through the Metathon challenge. The event allowed participants to discover the best metaverse experiences through valuable expertise and insights that will contribute to the development of the future of Misk City. The challenge also contributed to discovering a pool of promising talents in emerging technologies, empowering them to play a pivotal role in fostering sustainable growth in the digital field.
