Over the past three years, Suleiman’s team at Shalmona has set a shining example of perseverance for other young entrepreneurs. After Suleiman’s fateful moment of inspiration in the university library, he set about turning his vague dream into a concrete reality.
As Suleiman explains, he found roles at Shalmona that were best suited to his colleagues’ professional skill sets. Bara’a came onboard to lead product design, Sajedah handled content writing, and Jenan took responsibility for the company’s public relations. Meanwhile, Suleiman took on Shalmona’s management tasks, including internal task allocations and business meetings.
In 2019, the team designed their first product: the Shalmona water bottle. The new product did not imitate established competitors in the reusable drink container market, as produced by brands like Contigo, 24Bottles, and Root7. Instead, Bara’a spearheaded an innovative prototype with features like Therma Technology (which keeps drinks cold for 24 hours and hot for 12 hours) and the No-Sweat Design (which keeps fingers dry while being comfortable to hold).
Unsurprisingly, Suleiman recalls this breakthrough fondly. “When we held the bottle in our hands for the first time, it was an incredible moment,” he enthused.
