Shereen Dawoud: “Jadeed” Solves Fuel Consumption Problems with a Smart Hydrogen Cell

Amid rising fuel consumption and increasing carbon emissions, innovators around the world are working to develop solutions and inventions to address this challenge. In Egypt, a group of entrepreneurs decided to contribute to reducing fuel consumption and carbon emissions through their company, Jadeed.

By developing a smart hydrogen cell that can be installed on any internal combustion engine. Their success has earned them several awards and grants, as well as opportunities to represent Egypt at international events.

The Negative Impact of Traditional Energy Sources

In October 2020, Ahmed Tarek and Mohamed Amr met to discuss solutions for small and medium-sized enterprises and organizations they had worked with to cope with the effects of inflation and the COVID-19 pandemic. Environmental issues were a major concern during their discussions, and they were worried about the negative environmental impact of traditional energy sources.

At that point, Mohamed recalled a project idea he had worked on 13 years earlier during his engineering studies, an invention related to energy and emissions reduction. As they discussed the project, Ahmed suggested finding someone who could turn it into a real product. From there came the idea of establishing a company focused on delivering smart, eco-friendly solutions that reduce high energy costs and carbon emissions contributing to climate change.

An Eco-Friendly Device

After a month of discussions, they met with Rami Anwar and began exploring the project idea together. They discovered that Rami had already been working for eight years on developing an eco-friendly device to improve energy efficiency. They decided to collaborate to develop both ideas and initially named the project “Gohd,” which was later rebranded as “Jadeed.”

They began research and laboratory testing, spending long hours in labs and workshops under their direct supervision. They were determined to realize their vision and contribute to the clean energy sector.

Despite facing significant financial and technical challenges, they persisted. After two years of research and experimentation, they successfully developed Rami’s device, which can be installed on engines to improve efficiency, reduce fuel consumption, and lower carbon emissions, among other benefits. They tested it on 1,100 car engines and 10 electricity generators, achieving impressive results.

Reducing Fuel Consumption

The team brings together expertise in multiple fields, including chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, telecommunications engineering, hydrogen technologies, business administration, and international legal consulting.

According to co-founder Sherine Dawoud, the idea began years ago with the goal of reducing fuel consumption and carbon emissions. She says the final product model was completed two years ago after extensive testing and installation on around 1,000 engines.

The founding team, Ahmed Tarek, Sherine Dawoud, Rami Anwar, and Mohamed Amr, operates in the climate technology sector. They recognized growing global demand for energy, which leads to increased emissions and global warming. Internal combustion engines worldwide produce about 30 million tons of carbon daily, which motivated them to develop a product that helps address this problem.

A Smart Hydrogen Cell

The team’s first solution is the Green Turbo device, a smart hydrogen cell that can be installed on any internal combustion engine. It is supported by a mobile application that provides customers with maintenance information and service schedules.

Sherine adds that the company has filed a patent application in Egypt as well as an international patent application. The innovation reduces fuel consumption by up to 40%, increases engine efficiency and lifespan, preserves spare parts, and lowers maintenance costs.

Global Competition

Sherine explains that the concept itself is not entirely new and exists in some countries with different technological applications and components, but many of those solutions are impractical, inefficient, or costly.

She notes that existing products differ from what Jadeed offers in terms of features and usability, often requiring long installation times and large space. In contrast, their device is 70% smaller and 70% less expensive than comparable products. It also delivers better performance, safety, and effectiveness thanks to their development work. Additionally, 85% of their device components are available in the Egyptian market, which minimizes import challenges.

Challenges Faced by the Team

Ahmed Tarek says the team initially struggled with deciding whether to target the Egyptian market or expand globally. Adapting the product to market needs required significant time and effort, but they managed to overcome these challenges. Their appearance in the second season of Shark Tank generated strong visibility and credibility, leading to investment offers and sales opportunities outside Egypt, along with international grants.

Achievements

Jadeed has achieved several milestones in a short period. According to co-founder Ahmed Tarek, the company won third place nationwide in the National Initiative for Smart Green Projects and received technical support from the Ministry of Planning along with a financial award of EGP 250,000. The company represented Egypt at the COP28 Climate Conference in the UAE and received the Industrial Innovation Award from the German development agency GIZ.

Jadeed also won the awards for Best Startup in North Africa and Best Mobility & Logistics Services at the GSA Africa 2024 competition, in addition to another award from one of Japan’s leading business accelerators. The company earned two awards in the Rally competition at the Arab Academy for Science, Technology & Maritime Transport, was selected among leading climate and energy solution startups in the ClimaTech accelerator at Nile University, received a grant from China, and most recently won the Egypt Entrepreneurs Award in the Green Innovation category.