GSM EMBA students' "TEAM ROOTS" wins international pitch competition Disrupt to Sustain in New York
Through Brac University’s engagement in the The Open Society Network University (OSUN) network, our EMBA students this semester for the first time had the opportunity to undergo a very special experience: The Social Entrepreneurship Practicum. Co-taught by Associate Professor, Dr. Sebastian Groh from the GSM, in collaboration with professors from AUCA in Bishkek, TecnoCampusin Mataró, AQB in Jerusalem, and BARD in the Hudson Valley two student teams from the GSM (Roots - with a model of early childhood education in Bangladesh's slums, as well as MEDIQ a 360-degree app for health services)) student teams ideated and developed models for social enterprises from across the world. In the end, both teams qualified to compete at Disrupt to Sustain on Sunday, Dec 13, in virtual New York City in front of a high stacked international jury. There ROOTS bagged the first place with a prize of US $1,500 to support the development of their ideas.
Launching something new requires real world experience and a network of supporters to which too few of our students have access. Our network collaboration this fall shows that we can close this access gap. In the OSUN Social Entrepreneurship Practicum we demonstrated that we can equip students across a range of disciplines and cultures to launch engaged experiments to address pressing needs in their communities. 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).
CONGRATULATION TEAM ROOTS
Sakib Ahmed, Managing Director at ROOTS, EMBA student - sakib.aahamed[at]gmail[dot]com
Abu Sifat Mahmud, Marketing lead at ROOTS, EMBA student - asm.sft[at]gmail[dot]com
Md. Abrar Ul Hoque, Operation Lead at ROOTS, EMBA student - maestro.abrar04[at]gmail[dot]com