BRACU Student Team wins $1,500 Prize in International Pitch Competition for bio-leather Venture

‘Team Rindco Leathers’ from BRAC University has won a US $1500 first prize in International Pitch Competition for bio-leather Venture for their vision of a more sustainable leather sector for Bangladesh. The team of Shanen Gomes from Mathematics and Natural Science Department, Md. Shabab Hossain Meher from the School of Law and Eliya Nandi from Computer Science and Engineering Department presented their project virtually during an international pitch competition as part of an international program on social entrepreneurship on the night of December 10, 2023. The team envisions to make wastes its resources. Rindco Leathers ventures to utilize the qualities beneath fruit peels (primarily jackfruit and mangoes) to prepare leather and clothing, as an alternative to traditional production mechanisms.

The Social Entrepreneurship Practicum, taught by Dr. Sebastian Groh of BRAC Business School, forms part of a broader effort co-led by BRAC University to create global educational collaboration for social impact, the Open Society University Network (OSUN). The course featured teams from Al Quds University in Palestine, the American University of Central Asia in Kyrgyzstan, the American University in Bulgaria, Bard College in the United States, The European Humanities University in exile in Lithuania, The University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) is a public university in Ghana, and StreetBiz Foundation from South Africa. OSUN has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to seed a self-perpetuating, inter-university social innovation ecosystem. This ecosystem will connect local needs, resources, and initiatives through a global, digital platform to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).