The University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) organized
the grand finale of DifferenceMaker 2021, a youth entrepreneurship competition
designed for university students, virtually on Saturday (22 January).
ULAB DifferenceMaker programme is organized under the
licensing agreement with the renowned DifferenceMaker Programme of University
of Massachusetts Lowell.
EMK Center provided technical support to organize the event.
DifferenceMaker is a campus-wide programme that helps
students solve problems and pursue their ideas, with a focus on having a
positive impact in the world. The initiative provides students with resources
to solve their problems and make their ideas into realities.
The objective of the programme is to help students develop a
creative mindset and make a difference in their community.
After rounds of assessment, seven finalists presented their
business plans to win the competition on 22 January evening in the presence of
a judge panel.
Team ShapeShifter, consisting of Muhtasin Arif Chowdhury and
Asif Faiyed, became the champion for their idea of introducing lab-grown meat
to Bangladeshi consumers and creating a positive impact on reducing carbon
emissions in the process.
Team FRSHR of Kazi Tawfiq Tazim Tonmoy became the first
runner up for their idea of fish culture using aquaponics, and Team Papyrusify
of Nowsheen Mubashira Rodela became the second runner up for their plan to
recycle used books among students through an app and also have a positive
impact on Bangladesh's carbon footprint.
Comment
After a grueling competition among the top six contenders
from five universities across Bangladesh, team ‘The Dependables’ became the
champions of Unilever’s ‘BizMaestros 2021’.
This is the first time any team from North South University
has won the BizMaestros championship.
The champion team- comprised of Taher Shabbir Mahuwala,
Afnan Sayed, and Abrar Mahir Ahmed, will represent Bangladesh at the Global
Platform of Unilever Future Leaders’ League (FLL 2021) in London, according to
a press release.
Team ‘Code Red’ from the Islamic University of Technology
University became the first runners up while team ‘Leftover Pizza’ from
IBA-Jahangirnagar University has been named the second runner-up.
All these contenders from the top 3 teams will now be provided
the opportunity to avail an internship under Unilever Leadership Internship
Programme (ULIP). Apart from the top 3 teams, those who qualify for the second
round throughout the competition will be in the talent pipeline for future
recruitment opportunities at Unilever Bangladesh, the press release adds.
Following all the Covid-19 guidelines and health safety
protocols, the grand finale was arranged on 30 November at a city hotel, where
the 6 finalist teams were evaluated by a panel of business leaders and industry
experts including Berger Paints Bangladesh Ltd's managing director Rupali
Chowdhury, Apex Footwear Ltd's managing director Syed Nasim Manzur, Unilever
Bangladesh Ltd's chief executive officer and managing director Zaved Akhtar,
and Unilever Consumer Care Ltd's managing director KSM Minhaj.
‘BizMaestros 2021’ kicked off on 17 October with the theme
“Navigating in the New Normal”.
More than 340 students participated in the first round of
‘BizMaestros 2021’, where the three-member teams, only final year
undergraduates, submitted their unique solutions to the real business cases.
Then after a thorough assessment, the top 30 teams were
forwarded to the semi-finale and top 6 teams to the final round. The other 3
teams among the top 6 finalists were: ‘Team Moho’ and team ‘Fan Club’ from
IBA-Dhaka University and ‘Team Sabertooths’ from East-West University.
Comment
After a grueling competition among the top six contenders from five universities across Bangladesh, team ‘The Dependables’ became the champions of Unilever’s ‘BizMaestros 2021’. This is the first time any team from North South University has won the BizMaestros championship. The champion team- comprised of Taher Shabbir Mahuwala, Afnan Sayed, and Abrar Mahir Ahmed, will represent Bangladesh at the Global Platform of Unilever Future Leaders’ League (FLL 2021) in London, according to a press release.