Schulich Team Advances to $1 Million Finals in Hult Prize
Four Schulich undergraduate students travelled to Shanghai for the opportunity to present an idea as a part of the 2017 Hult Prize Regional Finals.
It was worth the trip.
Vasiliki Belegrinis (2018 BBA Candidate), Amal Naufer (2018 BBA Candidate), Akash Sidhu (2017 BBA Candidate) and Joseph Truong (2017 BBA Candidate) presented Empower, winning the Regional Finals against 54 other teams.
Empower is a social enterprise focused on empowering refugees around the world through connectivity. Their mission is to reach 10 million refugees by 2022.
“Connectivity is an overlooked right when it comes to refugees, but for people fleeing their homes, a mobile phone can really be a lifeline. Empower works to make connectivity more available,” Akash said.
The team will take part in a boot camp style incubation program this summer to prepare for the final competition this September. They will face five other teams and have a chance to win $1,000,000 to change the world through Empower.
The Hult Prize Foundation is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to launching the world’s next wave of social entrepreneurs. It encourages the world’s brightest business minds to compete in teams to solve the planet’s biggest challenges with innovative ideas for sustainable start-up enterprises.