The MIT Node conducted entrepreneurial training for eight secondary school teams selected as finalists by JUMPSTARTER IdeaPOP! — Hong Kong’s student startup competition under AEF GO-GETTER! powered by Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund. In its inaugural year, the competition featured prevailing themes focused on mental wellness, energy consumption, waste reduction, smart home or school, and education, engaging young innovators to propose impactful solutions.
Across four consecutive weekends, these students worked online with MIT Node staff and experienced team coaches to refine and develop their startup pitches. The training included further problem discovery, coming up with tech-enabled solutions that better address customer painpoints, developing a business plan to support the viability of the idea, and improving their craft of pitching. In true entrepreneurial spirit, students worked fervently in the weeks leading up to an impressive showcase of their final presentations held over zoom on March 6, 2021.
Solutions ranged from a new mechanical process to compact recycled styrofoam, to an assistive device to alert the hearing impaired of environmental signals discreetly, an interactive platform to connect high school seniors with career professionals for personal development, and more.
Further information about the program and final results can be found here.