The semi-finals of the Hult Prize was held at IOE on Saturday, February 5th, in the cool morning air, with Bajra Technologies, Team Vertex Nepal, Impact Hub Kathmandu, and Daraz. Ms. Suniti Shrestha, the media coverage manager, addressed the tough audience of 47 teams that had advanced to the Semi-finals, the judging panel, guests, and all those present on this thrilling and long-awaited day.
She commended the contestants on their efforts to get thus far amid stiff competition. She informed the audience about the Hult Prize’s experience at IOE thus far, which included four entrepreneurial speaker series and one mentorship session.
Mr. Bishal Bashyal, Campus Director, addressed the audience, the judging panel, participants, and visitors with a warm welcome speech. He stated his excitement in having some of the most influential entrepreneurs assist and mentor the participants and always motivate them to improve their primitive ideas across all of the events so far. Ms. Suniti presented and thanked all of the sponsors and media partners, without whose consistent support and coverage the Hult Prize at IOE could not have achieved the degree of success it has.
Mr. Nishesh Tiwari, a representative from Bajra Technologies and Senior Director at Hardware Solutions, delivered the keynote for the Semi-finals “Dreaming Big” as the event continued.
Hult Prize Semi-Finals Event Details
Pitching and Musical Performance by Mr. Aabhiskar KC
Ms. Suniti then introduced the panel of judges and warmly greeted them, following which she explained the guidelines that participants must observe during the event while presenting their ideas. Following the rigorous pitching, with each team receiving three minutes for the pitch and two minutes for the Q&A round, the participants were rated on the areas of Problem and Customer Definition, Solution Viability, Impact, Team, and after that the long day was coming to a conclusion.
A spectacular musical performance by their guest, Mr. Aabhiskar KC-the voice behind “Ma Timro” in songs, Naganya Maya, Mellow, eased the exhausted participants in between pitching times.
A Discourse with Mr. Saunak Bhatta and Angad Daryani
Mr. Saunak Bhatta, the day’s first guest speaker, delivered a motivational speech on the action, effect, and ethical framework. He also took questions from the crowd. The project manager, Ms. Aakriti Sharma, then introduced the day’s guest speaker, Mr. Angad Daryani, the founder and CEO of Praan, an innovator, and a social entrepreneur. She spoke candidly with Angad Sharma about his experience designing a 3-D printer at the age of thirteen and how the idea came to be.
Revisiting his trip, he revealed how he constructed a 3D printer from the ground up because purchasing was not an inexpensive option at the time. He urged the attendees to learn from experts all across the globe and scale it to the group of people they are catering to, and he underlined the importance of building the greatest project that is sustainable, inexpensive, and leaps and bounds better than existing enterprises. He also discussed the obstacles it presents, and then he discussed his firm Praan and his experience as the Founder of Praan as a second-year college student and today the CEO of Praan.
Also Read: Hult Prize at IOE Completes 2nd Episode of “Entrepreneurship Talk Series”
Former Miss Nepal Ms. Evana Manandhar graces the semi finale
Then there was an equally exciting session with Ms. Evana Manandhar, a former Miss Nepal and successful marketing entrepreneur, where she spoke on marketing and branding for the teams. Before developing chances, an entrepreneur must be prepared to calculate and accept risks.
She emphasized the significance of preparing, putting your concept on paper, and conducting a thorough analysis before beginning, as well as the need of implementing the idea with a team. She concluded her presentation by emphasizing the need for stability, consistency, and devotion for an entrepreneur, as well as monitoring and expanding with the industry.
“Random Nepali” answers interesting questions from the audiences
Mr. Rastra Bimochan Timalsena, the day’s second guest speaker, is none other than one of the most sensational media presences, an incredibly popular Youtuber known as Random Nepali, who is also involved in the fields of law, crime, and entrepreneurship. He discussed his path as a Youtuber and psychologically prepared the aspiring YouTubers of today. He also advised any aspiring content producers to develop the image they want to show to the world and addressed the hazards of losing oneself in maintaining the public image, which he experienced.
He challenged the participants to create material that they like creating while focusing on the quality of the content. On the subject of time management, he admitted to devoting his daytime to his professional career and his nights to his hobbies. He admits to taking time for self-care and relaxation in between. In response to a question from the audience, he stated his thoughts on the legality of cryptocurrency in Nepal and openly attacked policymakers’ incapacity to adapt to new vistas and technologies rather than outright prohibiting it.
The most anticipated moment of the day had arrived when Mr. Sandesh Karmacharya, Director of Human Resources and Operations at Bajra Technologies, introduced the 18 finalists for the Hult Prize at IOE. An event filled of energy, optimism, experimentation, surprises, amusement, information sharing, and a small bit of worry had came to a conclusion with this.
Finalist Teams
