Saudi Arabia's Flow Guard Solutions Wins Global Competition for AI-Powered Technology to Detect Water Leaks and Reduce Water Loss

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The EF Hult Prize today announced the results of its Global Finals held Wednesday, September 2 at Ashridge House in the U.K., naming Flow Guard Solutions from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) as the winner of the annual $1 million prize.

Flow Guard Solutions develops affordable, AI-powered smart water meters designed to help address water scarcity by identifying leaks and reducing unnecessary water loss. Using ultrasonic sensing and AI, the system monitors water use in real time, identifies unusual consumption patterns and enables remote monitoring and shut-off, helping utilities, municipalities and property managers prevent costly leaks and better manage water consumption. Flow Guard's technology was developed at KAUST and the company was incubated by Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture. Its participation in the EF Hult Prize was supported by Monsha'at through sponsorship and by Arweqah Alreyadah through mentorship.

"Winning the EF Hult Prize gives us the opportunity to take our early contracts into city-scale deployments," said Omar Khalifa, co-founder and CTO of Flow Guard Solutions. "We started Flow Guard because water scarcity is a global problem, and desalinating and treating water requires enormous amounts of energy. That means a leak nobody sees costs both families and communities, yet there have been few tools to help people protect their homes and their wallets. We've deployed our technology in homes and seen the impact ourselves: preventing leak damage and bringing water bills back in line with actual usage. Now, we want to keep going until that impact is measured in billions of liters of water saved and homes protected around the world."

The Global Finals capped a year-long competition that began with 18,000 registered startups representing more than 55,000 young entrepreneurs from 2,200 universities and 131 countries. Over the course of the year, teams advanced from campus and online Qualifiers to national competitions, a global Digital Incubator and, ultimately, an intensive residential Accelerator that brought the top 21 startups together at Ashridge House. From that group, eight finalists were selected and announced on the Global Finals stage.

The annual EF Hult Prize challenges for-profit student entrepreneurs to build businesses capable of tackling shared global challenges while achieving financial sustainability. Each venture must align with at least one United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) and demonstrate a "triple-bottom-line" focus on people, planet, and profit.

This year's competition also marked the beginning of a new chapter for the Hult Prize, with EF (Education First) becoming title sponsor and expanding its longstanding connection to the competition. Since its founding in 2009, the Hult Prize has been supported by the Hult family, founders and owners of EF, including through funding of its annual $1 million prize. EF's expanded involvement more closely connects two global communities built around a similar idea: that bringing people together across countries, cultures and backgrounds can inspire curiosity, build confidence and equip them to take on challenges in new ways.

"Young people around the world are increasingly looking to entrepreneurship as a way to tackle the challenges they see around them," said Lori van Dam, CEO of the EF Hult Prize. "What makes the Hult Prize special is that we ask them to go beyond a good idea and build something that can work in the real world - a business that can grow, generate revenue and create meaningful impact at the same time. This year, more than 55,000 young entrepreneurs took on that challenge, and Flow Guard Solutions stood out for turning an urgent global problem into a practical, scalable business. I'm thrilled to congratulate the team on this extraordinary achievement and can't wait to see what they do next."

Eight Global Finalists

Flow Guard Solutions was chosen from eight finalist teams that pitched live at Ashridge House, including:

BounceBack Pickle (Florida Gulf Coast University) - The first closed-loop recycling system turning broken pickleballs into new ones to divert landfill waste.

Capynova (Germany, Eastern Bavarian Technical University Amberg - Weiden) - An AI-adaptive platform that teaches 8-16 year-olds life skills like money management and AI literacy through fun, personalized digital modules.

CleanUp MDC (Nigeria, Airforce Institute of Technology Kaduna) - An AI-powered, toll-free voice platform that enables underserved communities to earn income through plastic collection.

Dihadi (India, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani) - AI voice platform connecting informal, daily-wage workers with jobs without requiring a smartphone.

Dymera Biosciences (Germany, University of Cologne) - Fluorescent imaging technology that lets scientists watch how fat is processed inside living cells in real time to aid drug discovery.

PolarDoc (United States, Florida International University) - A device designed to identify preterm birth before it becomes a crisis.

Qalam Health Solutions (Canada, McGill University) - An AI-powered intraoperative diagnostic device designed to help surgeons detect bone cancer margins in real time and reduce recurrence, reoperations, and amputations.

The winner was selected by a panel of global leaders in venture capital, sustainability, and entrepreneurship. The panel included Amal Dokhan, managing partner at 500 Global; Sylvana Quader Sinha, founder and board chair of Praava Health; and Will Pearson, co-founder of Ocean Bottle.

A Global Home at Ashridge House

The Global Accelerator and Finals are held at Ashridge House, a 700-year-old royal estate in the English countryside outside London that is part of the EF ecosystem and typically hosts executive education programs and events. For the competition, it becomes a residential startup accelerator, bringing student-led companies from around the world together for intensive venture development.

A Legacy of Social Impact

Founded in 2009 by students at Hult International Business School, the EF Hult Prize has supported student entrepreneurs for 17 years. Recent $1 million winners include Stick 'Em (2025), which develops affordable STEAM kits and a digital platform to expand access to hands-on learning; Korion Health (2024), creator of an at-home electronic stethoscope and guided health-monitoring platform; and Banofi Leather (2023), which transforms banana crop waste into a sustainable leather alternative.

The EF Hult Prize is a global student entrepreneurship competition supporting young founders building businesses designed to address pressing social challenges. The annual $1 million prize is funded by the Hult family, founders and owners of EF (Education First), which serves as title sponsor. Hult International Business School remains a partner of the competition.

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