In 2009 Ahmad Ashkar, Founding CEO of the Hult Prize, had a compelling idea — generate start-up ideas from young people to sustainably solve the world’s most critical social challenges. Today, the Hult Prize Foundation is the world’s biggest engine for the launch of for-good, for-profit start-ups emerging from universities, with over 2,500 staff and volunteers around the world.
The day I was contacted to be the Regional Director for Hult Mumbai Regional Summit was an unforgettable moment in my life. And the Hult Mumbai Regional Summit was an amazing week, full of volunteer-recruiting, organizing, pizza parties, and deciding the theme and menu for final presentations.
The summit went perfectly. There were 11 judges, professionals from various sectors, and a whopping 60+ teams participated across Asia, Australia and parts of Jordan. Callum Porter-Harris, Global Director, Hult Prize foundation (also my Regional Advisor), and Fahim, Regional Director, Malaysia, helped organise the two-day event consisting of training sessions, pitching sessions and final presentations by six teams. My university, SDA Bocconi Asia Centre, supported the event by providing the venue.
Volunteers, who were from Mumbai and Bangalore, put up a great show. The most memorable moment was deciding the event flow for final presentations. The volunteers’ coordination in every room during the pitching sessions was perfect.
Nuggets of Wisdom
The 11 judges who were part of Mumbai regionals gave good feedback to all the teams. The event began with a pitching session, where each team had to pitch in six minutes a business idea related to youth unemployment, followed by a question-answer session with the judges for four minutes. As room manager in one of the pitch rooms, I enjoyed the feedback session that became a great learning experience.
Every business idea proposed by the teams, who were selected through the Hult Prize On-campus programme, was meticulously crafted and was linked to a social cause that they were passionate about.
Ashok Mahbubani, Founder, Mtronics, in his keynote, spoke about his life’s journey and ended his address with a beautiful song, which became the highlight of the evening. Vinod Parameshwar, HR Director, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, and Manish Ranjan, former Hult Prize winner, spoke of their experiences and encouraged the participants to have a long-term vision in their lives.
Takeaways from winning team
The final presentations, which was held on April 13, were nerve-wracking for the attendees as only six teams were selected from the 60 that participated. After a lot of deliberation, , the judges declared Team PrimaCare from AFMC Pune as winners. The room was filled with thunderous applause and it was a moment to celebrate.
The judges announced that the takeaway from the winning team was their synergy. If the team is in synergy with one another, it adds value to the idea presented. The summit concluded with a giant photograph and an after-party at Crafters pub to celebrate the completion of a successful event.
(The writer is a student of PGPB at SDA Bocconi Asia Centre, Mumbai)