- More than 9,400 University-Student-Led Start-Ups from Across
the Globe Joined Competition Aimed at Solving One or More of the
Seventeen U.N. Sustainable Develop Goals
- Semi-Finalists Head to Ashridge House in England for Three Week Global Accelerator
Working on their Business Plans and Investment Pitch
- Six Finalist Teams will be Chosen to Compete for Million-Dollar
Investment Prize in London on
September 6, 2024
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., July 10,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Celebrating 15 years of social
entrepreneurship, the Hult Prize competition today announced
that sixteen university-student-led start-ups would compete as
semi-finalists for $1 million USD in
investment funding. More than 9,400 start-ups entered into the
competition aimed at solving some of the world's biggest
sustainable development challenges as defined by the United
Nations.
For fifteen years, Hult Prize has been a
leading social entrepreneurship competition focused on improving
the planet.
These sixteen start-ups, representing more than twenty-five
countries, will depart in August to Ashridge House, just outside of
London, England, to engage in the
Global Accelerator round. Start-ups will continue to work on their
business plans and investment pitches through extensive mentoring
from experts, with six teams chosen to compete in the finals in
London on September 6, 2024.
"For fifteen years, the Hult Prize has created opportunities for
students to become innovators and problem solvers working to make
measurable improvements within their communities and the world,"
said Lori van Dam, Chief Executive
Officer, Hult Prize. "Through the support of the Hult family, Hult
International Business School and EF Education First, we can
demonstrate that for profit, for-good start-up companies can change
the world for the better, solving some of the most complex
challenges in our time."
Semi-finalist teams (listed in random order) include:
|
Company Name
|
University
|
Location
|
Description
|
|
ProtonCraft
Innovations
|
Indian Institute of
Technology, Roorkee
|
Roorkee, Uttarakhand,
India
|
Creating Hydrogen
Goldmines: Only way to decarbonize the industries.
|
|
Reagan
Technologies
|
Africa
University
|
Mutare,
Zimbabwe
|
A climate-smart
pavement kinetic tile technology that generates green electricity
from human motion.
|
|
Plastus
Biotech
|
University of
California, Berkeley
|
Berkeley, California,
United States of America
|
Converts organic waste
into PHA biodegradable bioplastics through precision
fermentation.
|
|
Owanga
|
Emory
University
|
Atlanta, Georgia,
United States of America
|
Provides affordable,
on-demand electricity through portable battery packs, ensuring
accessible and sustainable energy solutions wherever and whenever
needed.
|
|
Viridescent
|
University of New South
Wales
|
Sydney, New South
Wales, Australia
|
Sustainable Algal
biodiesel for farmers produced by farmers.
|
|
Sea
Energy
|
Dartmouth
College
|
Hanover, New Hampshire,
United States of America
|
Sea power harnesses
ocean wave movement to generate zero-emission
electricity.
|
|
Agroficient
|
Baku Higher Oil
School
|
Baku,
Azerbaijan
|
Innovating a
biodegradable hydrogel to support farmers in regions where
irrigation is limited or unavailable, ultimately boosting their
yields sustainably.
|
|
Madlab
|
Columbia
University
|
New York, New York,
United States of America
|
Creating the first
self-administered pre-exposure test to detect the five deadliest
lacing agents in recreational drugs and drinks.
|
|
Korion
Health
|
University of
Pittsburgh
|
Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, United States of America
|
Enabling high-quality,
affordable, and engaging health screenings from home to combat
heart and lung disease.
|
|
Bluekali
|
Tecnológico de
Monterrey
|
Monterrey,
Mexico
|
Developed nature-based
technology to clean rivers and oceans and environmental tools,
making waste management tasks more efficient.
|
|
Lothgha
App
|
Mansoura
University
|
Mansoura, Dakahlia
Governorate, Egypt
|
An innovative app that
enables you to speak confidently and improve your linguistic
abilities, serving as a solution to treat speech
problems.
|
|
ExoHeal
|
Constructor
University
|
Bremen,
Germany
|
Revolutionizing hand
paralysis rehabilitation with accessible, advanced robotic therapy
for faster, at-home recovery.
|
|
Rethread
Africa
|
University of
Nairobi
|
Nairobi,
Kenya
|
Making the next
generation of biomaterials from agriwaste to be softer than natural
fibers, more sustainable than plastic synthetics, and biodegradable
at their end of life.
|
|
Xatoms
|
University of
Toronto
|
Toronto, Ontario,
Canada
|
Purifying water with
quantum chemistry and AI.
|
|
Bean
Around
|
University College
Dublin
|
Dublin,
Ireland
|
Repurposing company
with a strong focus on the circular economy that transforms used
coffee grounds into value-added products.
|
|
HerLens
|
Universitas
Indonesia
|
Depok, West Java,
Indonesia
|
Transforming cervical
cancer screenings by empowering doctors, midwives, and healthcare
professionals with AI-enhanced interpretations of VIA (Visual
Inspection with Acetic Acid) tests.
|
"Congratulations to all the semi-finalists, and while one
start-up will win the investment prize, we hope that this
experience will help each of these worthy ventures continue on to
develop into thriving businesses that make this world a better
place," added van Dam.
Hult Prize: Competition Overview
In total, approximately 40,000 students representing more than
9,400 start-ups entered the year-long Hult Prize competition, which
started on campuses in 113 countries around the world in
September 2023 and went through
several elimination rounds.
In June 2024, semi-finals were
held via online review and live events in seven cities worldwide,
including Mumbai, Nairobi, Lisbon, Dubai, Bangkok, Monterrey MX, and Boston.
A narrowed field of sixteen semi-finalist teams will move to the
Global Accelerator, which starts virtually in July.
In August, semi-finalists will move to Ashridge House in the
United Kingdom, where they will
transform their ideas into investment-ready social ventures during
three weeks of intensive 1:1 mentoring and coaching ahead of the
global finals.
The final winner will be announced on September 6, 2024, in London.
In September 2023, Banofi Leather
was the most recent start-up business to win the Hult Prize. The
sustainable fashion company converts banana waste into a
sustainable vegan leather.
The Hult Prize started at Hult International Business
School, whose pedagogy and commitment to experiential learning
remain embedded in how the competition works. The competition and
prizes are funded by the Hult family, founders and owners
of EF Education First.
The seventeen United Nations sustainable development goals
(SDGs) are as follows:
- No Poverty
- Zero Hunger
- Good Health and Well-being
- Quality Education
- Gender Equality
- Clean Water and Sanitation
- Affordable and Clean Energy
- Decent Work and Economic Growth
- Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
- Reduced Inequalities
- Sustainable Cities and Communities
- Responsible Consumption and Production
- Climate Action
- Life Below Water
- Life on Land
- Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
- Partnerships for the Goals
You can learn more about each goal on the United Nations
Sustainable Development Goals website:
https://sdgs.un.org/goals
Interested in attending the invite-only global finals in
London? Please contact us at
media@hultprize.org.
ABOUT HULT PRIZE
Hult Prize inspires student entrepreneurs to solve the world's
biggest challenges through innovative social enterprises with
positive global impact. Through our year-long competition, over
180,000 young people in more than 110 countries work to create
high-impact start-ups that address the UN Sustainable Development
Goals. Finalists pitch their businesses to a panel of expert
judges, and the winning team receives $1
million USD in funding to make their idea a reality.
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SOURCE Hult Prize Foundation