Advanced · Hajj & Umrah Tech Challenge 2026 · Stage 2

السلام عليكم

A handshake becomes a conversation.

SalamLink turns the universal Islamic greeting into a private, real-time conversation bridge — so any two pilgrims can speak heart-to-heart in their own language during Umrah and Hajj.

Visit salamlink.noorix.io → Download press kit
Jul 2026

SalamLink has been selected to advance to Stage 2 of the Hajj & Umrah Tech Challenge 2026. Competing in the Language and Communication Technologies track, the team now joins an intensive bootcamp delivered by the Digital Entrepreneurship Center (CODE), with program partners including the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, the Royal Commission for Makkah City and Holy Sites, Replit, Kenko Ventures, OnDemand, and Advanced Centennial.

The opportunity

A vast, unmet need for dignified connection

Every year tens of millions of pilgrims gather in shared sacred spaces from every part of the world. Most cannot hold a real conversation across language barriers. Existing translation tools are transactional — they don't create human connection at the moment it matters most.

30M+
annual Umrah + Hajj visits
180+
countries represented every season
Daily
friction for non-Arabic-speaking pilgrims
What it does

Designed around the natural Islamic greeting

SalamLink fits into the social ritual of meeting a fellow believer — not as another notification app, but as a moment of brotherhood made possible by technology that stays out of the way.

01

Open to connect

A pilgrim signals they are open to meeting fellow Muslims. Off means handshakes stay social only.

02

The handshake

Two people exchange salams. The moment is recognised and a private session opens between them.

03

Speak naturally

Each person speaks their own language. Translated text and audio appear on the other side, in real time.

The wearable

A companion device, quietly present

Hands-on, dignified, and designed for the rhythms of pilgrimage — the wearable stays out of the way until the moment of greeting. Imagery below shows the current lab prototype.

Two pilgrims joining hands, wearing the SalamLink companion
The salam moment
Companion wearable, back-of-hand view
Back-of-hand view
Companion wearable, palm-side view
Palm-side view

Lab-prototype reference imagery. Production form factor, materials, and engineering details are confidential and shared with partners under NDA.

Why now

A communication layer for a safer, more inclusive pilgrimage

As Saudi Arabia scales toward 30 million pilgrims a year, multilingual communication becomes core infrastructure — not just an app feature. SalamLink is aligned with Saudi Vision 2030 across the pilgrim experience.

Capacity expansion

A human-to-human communication layer for pilgrims, guides, volunteers, and service teams at scale.

Digital pilgrim experience

Technology-enabled services that make meeting and helping fellow Muslims effortless.

Spiritual & cultural enrichment

Pilgrimage is also about connecting with Muslims from every part of the world.

Operational readiness

Easing bottlenecks across hotels, transport, medical support, and crowd management.

Roadmap

From working prototype to pilot & scale

May–Jun 2026

Working prototype

Two-phone session flow with translation, validated end-to-end. Companion wearable in active development.

Complete
Now · Jul 2026

Hajj & Umrah Tech Challenge

Selected for Stage 2 — developing the project through an intensive CODE bootcamp spanning AI, investment, customer experience, data governance, visual identity, marketing, and pitching.

Active
Q4 2026 — 2027

Hotel & partner pilot

Partner-first rollout via hotels and tour operators to capture real pilgrim usage at scale.

Targeted
2027 +

Production

Offline-capable models, peer-to-peer fallback, expanded language coverage for the global ummah.

Future
Built by Noorix

A multidisciplinary team

Design, engineering, AI, business, and operations — under one roof, building SalamLink alongside Noorix's other faith-aligned products.

Jawad Mansoor
Design & Engineering
Imaad Mansoor
Business & Operations
Naufil Hassan
AI Specialist
Ateequa Yaqoob
Creative Design
Waneeza Zaheer
Software Engineer
Hamzah Zaheer
Software Engineer
Azm Waheed
Marketing & Growth
Aitezaz Sheikh
Technology Consultant
Press kit

Materials for press & partners

Public-facing materials are available for download. Detailed technical, hardware, and financial briefings are shared on request under NDA — see the request briefing section below.

PDF · One-pager

Executive summary

Company snapshot, market opportunity, product overview, traction, and ask. Best starting point for a 5-minute read.

Download PDF →
PDF · Deck

Pitch deck (public)

Slide deck covering problem, solution, market, traction, team, and partnership ask. Sensitive slides removed.

Download PDF →
PDF · Brief

Value proposition

What SalamLink is, who it's for, and why it differs from generic translation apps and earbuds.

Download PDF →
PDF · Research

Market analysis

Hajj & Umrah pilgrim demographics, language data, and addressable market sizing.

Download PDF →
PDF · Brand

Brand guidelines

Logo usage, colour, typography, voice, and imagery standards for press and partner placements.

Download PDF →
Asset

Logo & imagery

Wordmark, icon, and hero photography for press placements and partner materials. Email for the full kit.

Download logo (PNG) →
For incubators & investors

Request a private briefing

Financial models, hardware design, protocol specifications, and competitive analysis are shared on request under NDA. Tell us a little about your interest and we'll arrange a briefing with the team.

Email hello@noorix.io →

We respond within a few business days. Materials shared under NDA include unit economics, hardware design notes, and product roadmap detail.

Get in touch

How to reach us

SalamLink — product

salam@salamlink.noorix.io

Pilgrim waitlist, partner pilots, hotel & tour operator integrations.

Send an email →

Noorix — parent company

hello@noorix.io

Incubators, investors, press, and broader Noorix partnership inquiries.

Send an email →