Zeina Alsawaf
20 years old • Born 01.01.2006
4th Year Computer Scintist Apprenticeship – École des Métiers de
Fribourg
My name is Zeina Alsawaf, and I am currently completing my final year of apprenticeship in computer science at École des Métiers de Fribourg.
Fribourg Export was developed as part of my project for the Prix Fribourg International, combining technical development with real-world economic challenges.
The goal of this platform is to support startup companies in the canton of Fribourg by helping them better understand export risks and make structured international decisions.
Our Origin
Fribourg Export was developed as part of an apprenticeship project at École des Métiers de Fribourg for the Prix Fribourg International. It is designed to support startup companies in the canton of Fribourg by helping them understand and evaluate risks when exporting internationally.
Why This Project Exists
The idea behind this platform comes from a personal observation of global trade inequality and market isolation. Coming from Syria, a country that has experienced long-term trade restrictions, I witnessed how limited import and export activity can slow economic development and reduce access to international markets.
Even when strong local products exist, they often struggle to compete or scale due to the lack of global exchange and competition. This experience highlighted a key reality: no country can sustainably develop in isolation. Trade and cooperation are essential for innovation, quality improvement, and economic growth.
The Problem
In closed or underdeveloped markets, products can become overvalued simply due to the absence of competition. At the same time, businesses miss opportunities to improve and benchmark themselves globally.
Fribourg Export addresses this gap by providing structured, data-driven export risk analysis to help startups and small businesses make informed international decisions.
Risk Intelligence
Structured analysis across 14 export risk categories to support informed decision-making.
Global Market Insights
Evaluation of demand, regulations, and cultural factors across international markets.
Secure Trade Approach
Focus on compliance, logistics planning, and financial risk reduction.
Technical Foundation
Built using structured datasets, APIs, and analytical models tailored for export scenarios.
Project Evolution
Fribourg Export is an evolving platform with strong development potential. The current version already provides structured export risk analysis, but several improvements are planned to significantly enhance its accuracy and usefulness.
In future versions, the platform will move from general product categories to specific product-level analysis, allowing more precise and realistic results. Additional comparison factors will also be introduced to better evaluate markets side by side.
The selection of APIs and data sources will continue to improve, along with the integration of potential project partners to strengthen data reliability. Current analysis accuracy is estimated at around 85–90% and will be refined over time.
Further development will also focus on expanding export strategies, improving the quality of recommendations, and providing more detailed, actionable guidance for businesses entering international markets.
Built in Fribourg
Designed and developed in Switzerland, Fribourg Export combines technical precision with a strong focus on real-world economic challenges. It is built to support startups in expanding internationally with confidence.
Personal Note
This project combines my IT training with my interest in international systems and economic structures. It reflects a belief that access to global trade should be clearer, more structured, and more accessible for small businesses.
Contact Me
Do you have any questions or suggestions? Contact me via:
zeinaalsawafschool@gmail.com
+41 77 963 58 34