by arabnews.com — LONDON: A Lebanese startup has bagged a $100,000 prize for inventing a smartphone app to help diabetics to manage blood sugar levels. The “Spike” virtual assistant monitors a patient’s daily behavior, giving timely reminders and tips about insulin and food. It won the GITEX Future Stars competition on the final day of the annual technology gathering in Dubai this week which saw 24 startups from around the world battle it out for the top prize. The app can store the patient’s data for further analysis. Ziad Alame, the 25-year-old founder of Spike, said: “I was very stressed before my pitch as the competition was tough, but I am so happy I made it as the winner. “With the prize money we will invest heavily in advertising, growing the business, making it more solid. We’ll also look at partnerships. Our plan is to go global.” In the Middle East and North Africa in 2017 38.7 million 20 to 79-year-olds were living with diabetes, according to the International Diabetes Federation. Close to half — 49.1 percent — of these cases were undiagnosed. Other category winners at the tech show included “Labyah” from Saudi Arabia, which won the best social impact startup award. It aims to make therapy easier by connecting individuals with psychologists via an app that allows callers to remain anonymous. The best youth startup award was won by Oliv from the UAE, an intern recruitment portal that helps university students and recent graduates in the UAE find internships, part-time jobs and graduate jobs.