Wayout, a startup created by 3 university students to make metal strainers to protect sewers, finds its way in the world!
Success often starts with an idea. This was the case with Mohammed Rimeh, Youssef Bouziryata, and Amine Shiri, three young Tunisians who embarked on a distinguished journey in the world of startups thanks to a unique idea that provides a simple and effective solution to the issue of blocked sewers, one of the most common issues in big Tunisian cities and one that can often lead to floods during rain season.
Amine, Mohammed and Youssef were brought together by an idea that they shared while they were students at the National Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology. They created metal strainers that can be inserted in sewage gutters and that can possibly be connected to the internet. These strainers prevent the accumulation of plastic, paper and waste products, which allows a proper disposal by authorities and reduces the risk of floods.
Despite the lack of resources, the three students believed in their idea and came up with an initial prototype. They created their own startup Wayout (ZIGOFILTRE), and participated in several competitions to present their idea in order to get funding to launch their own company.
ZIGOFILTRE succeeded in persuading and winning many important awards in the field of environmental projects, such as winning the best environmental project in Tunisia by “Sprint,” which is an incubator of international institutions, winning the national award Enactus, and winning the Orange Prize for environmental projects.
Many municipalities in Tunisia, such as the municipality of La Marsa, La Goulette and Tunis, responded positively to the idea of ZIGOFILTRE and installed many strainers in their sewage systems. The results were very encouraging, but this experience needs more work and more attention so that all the regions in Tunisia can reap its benefits.
The startup, ZIGOFILTRE, has developed significantly and it has recently changed its name to Wayout as it started to promote its product to other markets with the aim of expanding and exporting globally.
Much support and encouragement to the innovative and creative Tunsian youth, and all the support for Wayout. Hopefully, the Tunisian authorities and municipalities will further endorse this idea, which has proven to be effective in resolving crucial problems facing many, if not most, Tunisian municipalities.
Rania Loghmari
