In the modern world, young people are increasingly interested in and engaged in startups, seeing them as opportunities to realize their ideas and influence the future. This trend contributes to the development of innovations and the formation of a new wave of entrepreneurs who are ready to solve modern problems.
On May 17, 2024, “ALATOO HUB BATTLE” – the first international student startup competition in partnership with Accelerate Prosperity, took place at Ala-Too International University (AIU). The startup competition provided students with a unique opportunity to present their ideas and receive investments for their implementation.
“ALATOO HUB BATTLE” is not just a competition, but a specially designed international platform where participants can present their startups to investors and industry experts, as well as establish valuable contacts with team members from various countries.
16 teams from seven universities of Kyrgyzstan were selected to participate in the final part of the competition: AIU, Issyk-Kul State University, KNU named after Zh. Balasagyn, Adam University, Asian Medical Institute named after Satkynbay Tentishev, AUCA and KSTU
Radmir Gumerov, coordinator of the Center for Innovative Development and Research of the AIU as the organizer of the event, said that the purpose of the competition was to create a platform not only for local students, but also for foreign students so that they could present their startups aimed at solving various problems. This platform allows to attract investments for the further implementation of projects.
The honorable guest at the event was Mohammad Sabur Khan, Chairman and Founder of Daffodil International University in Bangladesh, as well as President of the Association of Universities of Asia and the Pacific. He noted that entrepreneurship should develop in all aspects:
“I am grateful for the organization of such events by the AIU, because young people have many ideas that can be implemented. I believe that more entrepreneurs will bring significant benefits to both the country and the economy, for example, one entrepreneur can create many jobs. I believe that preference should be given to educational institutions, since they hold most of these events in the pitching format, which gives students the opportunity to express themselves.
As part of the international startup competition, I saw students from AIU and other educational institutions demonstrate their talents, as well as skills to convince investors through communication, marketing and business planning. I am sure that this will bring innovative diversity and benefit to society. I want to emphasize that we should strive to support them by allocating funds, providing mentoring and other opportunities.”
The total investment amount for the winners was from $10,000. According to the results of the competition, the following winners were identified:
1st place: “Cargo Tracker” is a real-time cargo tracking system from the point of loading to the point of unloading. (AIU)
2nd place: “Smart-ozonator” – an intelligent device for low-temperature sterilization, which allows medical institutions and laboratories to sterilize medical products from harmful microorganisms and viruses. (KSTU)
3rd place: “Picaso” – a personal wall robot for drawing images, which allows to create unique works of art directly on the wall. (AIU)
Emirbek Nurbekov, a 4th-year student of the Faculty of Engineering and Informatics of the AIU, one of the winners shared his impressions:
“Today we presented our startup “Cargo Tracker”, a system that allows real-time tracking of goods shipped from Kyrgyzstan to the Russian Federation. In a short period of time, we managed to convey to the jury the importance of our startup and its benefits to society. Having successfully presented our project and answered all the questions of the jury, we took first place. But we do not stop there and will continue to develop our startup, as we have a great responsibility. I would like to thank the organizers for such an interesting event, which provides many opportunities.”
The jury consisted of experts in the field of sustainable development and social innovation, company founders and representatives of the business accelerator “Accelerate Prosperity”. This event was an important step in the development of youth entrepreneurship and opened up new horizons for students seeking to bring their innovative ideas to life.
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