IMI New Delhi is all set to participate in the national finals of the Hult Prize, which is a part of the global social entrepreneurship competition conducted by Clinton Global Initiative. The Hult Prize is a start-up accelerator for social entrepreneurships which brings together the brightest college and university students from around the globe to solve the world’s most pressing issues. The final round is scheduled to happen in Gurugram on January 15.
As this year’s host school, IMI New Delhi also conducted the quarterfinal rounds on December 12 at its campus. The event witnessed participation from 10 teams, which were shortlisted from the initial 25 teams comprising 93 students from the institute. The event also witnessed industry veterans from different fields such as global investment banking, social entrepreneurship and social development.
The judges were Vikas Agarwal, Founder and CEO, Anchorage Advisors; Smita Mohanty, National Integrator-Resource Mobilisation, Partnerships and Communication, PRADAN; Atul Kumar, Co-Founder, Bharat Entrepreneurs Network and Anand Mohan Jha, CEO, Pristine Mega Food Park Pvt Ltd.
On the importance of such competitions, Pradip K Bhaumik, professor and Acting Director, IMI New Delhi, said, “Such activities engage students and provide them an opportunity to interact with other global students on a large platform.”
The top 10 teams from the national finals will advance to regional finals which will be conducted simultaneously across five locations — San Francisco, Boston, London, Shanghai and Dubai. Also referred as the ‘Nobel Prize for students’, the winner of the Hult Prize will get an award of $1million as seed capital and an all-expense paid trip to Regional Winners for Global Accelerator Programme in US and Global Finals in Washington DC.
The topic for the Hult Prize “President’s Challenge” is ‘Refugees — reawakening human potential’. It will focus on restoring the rights and dignity of people and societies who may be, or are forced into motion due to social injustices, politics, economic pressures, climate change and war. This challenge was selected by the former US President Bill Clinton and announced at the 2016 Hult Prize Finals and awards programme in New York.