By Nur Aina Islami
GOMBAK, 28 November 2019: The biggest entrepreneurship competition in the world which collaborated with the United Nations, Hult Prize, had an exclusive training session conducted by the IIUM Hult Prize 2020 Organisation at Mini Auditorium, IIUM at 8.00 pm last Friday (22 November) .
This is the second programme of Hult Prize 2020 after an introductory session held on 8 November. It was organised to help and train either the team or individual students who want to join Hult Prize competition to approach the potentials of turning their startup dreams into reality to be the next change makers.
Shitab Daiyan Akasih, Kulliyyah of Economics and Management of Science KENMS) is among the top six finalists in the United Kingdom and Bangladesh.
“We were four people united by our passion to improve lives for our customers, smallholder farmers in Nigeria. And that was the biggest driving factor,” according to Shitab Daiyan Akasih.
Youth unemployment, last year Hult Prize challenge, brings him to involve in the Hult Prize competition. As he mentioned about the idea he said, “We build an automated irrigation solution for rice farmers in Nigeria that would increase revenue by a multiple of 10.”
The session gave highlighted five points or steps: “First step, find the gap in the market you are passionate about. Step two, read the challenge document to improve your idea and make sure it is first the criteria. Third, generate your business model, look at past pitches. Fourth, test your idea. Lastly, put your start up on a pitch deck and rehearse to the big day,” Shitab Daiyan Akasih said.
“The first and second step combined would be the most important step in my opinion,” he added.
The training session was attended by Team Corolla, Team Ripple, Team Eelmoo, Team Thorkay, and two individuals. ***