> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://blog.inacademy.eu/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # "I believe that every day is an opportunity to enjoy and experience new things." - URL: https://blog.inacademy.eu/chaimae-el-mahdaoui-aia-2019/ - Published: 2019-12-10T03:27:10.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-02T11:46:22.000Z - Author: adina@inacademy.eu - Tags: AIA, #Migrated-1790941373356, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-10-02 11:43 Despite being only 23 years-old, Chaimae El Mahdaoui has a list full of incredible achievements. Part of the winning team of the [Arab Innovation Academy 2019](https://blog.inacademy.eu/aia-recap-2019/), Chaimae is also a youth activist, speaker at TEDxyouth, and founder of Salamat-e, a mobile application that provides prevention and vaccination tools against communicable diseases for travelers. Chaimae is one of the young minds who are making a positive impact on the planet. In this interview, Chamaie El Mahdaoui shares her experience at the Arab Innovation Academy and the challenges of being a young entrepreneur. ## 1\. Hey Chaimae! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? I am a cancer biologist, entrepreneur, and ballet teacher. I love traveling and sharing positivity on my social media channels. I am passionate about life and believe that every day is an opportunity to enjoy and experience new things. Entrepreneurship is one of my biggest passions in life, as I see it as the best tool to contribute to changing the world. ### 2\. What were the expectations for AIA? When I was selected for AIA, I had three main goals: to learn from a new experience, meet other entrepreneurs, and exchange ideas about my project. While at AIA, I discovered that the program went way beyond that. During the program, not only did I have access to an incredible international team that helped me improve my project, but I had also the chance to meet mentors who were always available to support us. Our mornings were so energizing that we never felt stress during the day. I ended up having a great team, amazing mentors, incredible friends from different parts of the world, and a strong project idea...plus, of course, the first-place prize of the Arab Innovation Academy! ### 3\. What was your biggest challenge? Understanding each team member’s entrepreneurship approach. It’s true that entrepreneurship is a global movement, but each one of us has our own culture and perspective. As CEO and leader of the startup, I had to set a vision and mission to be able to work in harmony with my team members and stay on the same page. Another challenge was the tech part—Salamat-E is a mobile app, so finding a developer was another challenge of the project. ### 4\. What was your best #aiamoment? Every moment was very special. If I have to choose just one that I consider the best, I can’t avoid mentioning when they announced us [the winners of AIA 2019](https://blog.inacademy.eu/top-teams-at-the-arab-innovation-academy-2019/); it was unforgettable. It was such a great achievement for our team, mentors, and the countries we were all representing. The Arab Innovation Academy 2020 is around the corner! [Follow us on Instagram!](https://www.instagram.com/aiainnovation/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu)