A team of students from the Department of Marketing and the Masters in Business Management programme participated in the Hult Prize Challenge 2013 on March 1 and 2. A team of five consisting of Sauptak Banerjee and Anastasiya Boykova from the Department of Marketing and Shubhronil Talukdar, Pragnya Venigalla, Ehjaz Habeebullah from Business Management together ventured into a quest to solve the problem of Global Food Insecurity in Urban Slums.
The challenge was to develop a sustainable social enterprise to provide a healthy and nutritional diet to the underprivileged slum dwellers and empowering them with proper tools to develop themselves as individuals and their community. The creator of the challenge was none other than ex-President Bill Clinton as a part of his Global Clinton Initiative.
While dealing with the problem the team faced challenges in the form of applying feasible business models and taking into account the immediate surroundings and social concerns that apply to the area where the pilot project was to be implemented. The final solution provided by Team Strathclyde for a sustainable food security was a blend of urban farming and community kitchens for the slums. The business model was planned such that it will be operated and developed by the people of slums themselves. The simple yet effective plan may not have been the winning model but was greatly appreciated by members of the Hult Challenge and other participants of the challenge.
The Challenge provided the participants with an exposure on a global level. The Hult Prize challenge regionals in London saw a plethora of business schools participating from all over the World ranging from South Africa, Nigeria, UK, Egypt, France, Germany and many other European countries. Some of the well-known Institutes Strathclyde went up against were Oxford University, Cambridge, EDHEC, London Business School, ESADE Business School, and Antwerp Business School among many others.
The Challenge was closely scrutinised by a panel of eminent judges who were Directors, CEOs and Marketing heads of various brands such as Google, Coco-cola, Unilever, P & G, Solar Aid and Accenture amongst others. The challenge was much more than a competition, it was a platform to bring a diverse group of people from all over the world and build valuable networks and an opportunity to make friends on an international level.
The participants, members of the Hult Challenge and the judges alike were very welcoming and interactive, sharing ideas and thoughts giving an insight on various topics of discussion. Team Strathclyde also benefitted in abundance from an exposure on such a massive scale and were able to learn and broaden their scope of knowledge meanwhile leaving a significant impression of themselves and the University in the minds of many.