Young entrepreneurs: Let’s think some business
Crystal Water Bottle for clean drinking water wins first prize.
LAHORE:
Twenty-five project-based business presentations were made at the University of Management and Technology (UMT) on Friday as a part of the two-day Pakistan Entrepreneurship and Leadership Programme (PELP) 2011.
The Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CENTIN) business graduates presented ideas that they suggested could be used by the corporate sector.
Students saw the event as a platform to sell their ideas to the market.
Out of the 25 projects, the Crystal Clear Bottle won the first prize. Designed to solve safe drinking water problem, the team of students prepared a portable handy bottle with a filter that took care of more two thirds of the bacteria present in the water.
Salahuddin Khan Khakwani, one of the team members, said that the filter in the bottle trapped bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi. He said “We desperately need clean drinking water as almost half of the diseases are caused due to unclean water.”
Saquib Mohiuddin, the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Authority (SMEDA) support fund CEO, one of the chief guests, appreciated the efforts of the students and said the projects were creative, practical and feasible. He said the entrepreneurship development not only facilitated small and medium enterprises, but also supported micro enterprises that were on their way to becoming successful SMEs.
He encouraged the students to pursue their ideas, suggested in the presentations, into practical use. He assured the students of SME assistance in providing opportunities for business worldwide.
The second prize was won by a group of students who had designed Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) ticketing system. The RFID detection devices would be installed at local transport buses in which manual ticketing will be replaced by prepaid RFID cards. On swiping the cards in the machine, travelling fares will automatically be deducted. They said this system will help curb pilferages.
Dream Decorators were third on the winner’s list. The students had designed beds and closets to fit in small rooms.
Awais Javaid, the Green Circle Agritech marketing director, said that starting businesses did not require millions of rupees. He said businesses started with a few thousands of rupees could be expanded to have a turnover of billions of rupees given commitment, motivation and innovative ideas. “We started a business with Rs28,000 only. Now we are annually earning Rs1 billion from it.”
Rehmatullah Javaid, from the Ministry of Labour and Manpower, advised the young entrepreneurs to “think out of the box” and explore opportunities to pursue their targets. He explained to them the importance of effective communication skills
The winning teams were presented cash prizes of Rs50,000; Rs25,000; and Rs10,000 respectively.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 30th, 2011.
Twenty-five project-based business presentations were made at the University of Management and Technology (UMT) on Friday as a part of the two-day Pakistan Entrepreneurship and Leadership Programme (PELP) 2011.
The Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CENTIN) business graduates presented ideas that they suggested could be used by the corporate sector.
Students saw the event as a platform to sell their ideas to the market.
Out of the 25 projects, the Crystal Clear Bottle won the first prize. Designed to solve safe drinking water problem, the team of students prepared a portable handy bottle with a filter that took care of more two thirds of the bacteria present in the water.
Salahuddin Khan Khakwani, one of the team members, said that the filter in the bottle trapped bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi. He said “We desperately need clean drinking water as almost half of the diseases are caused due to unclean water.”
Saquib Mohiuddin, the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Authority (SMEDA) support fund CEO, one of the chief guests, appreciated the efforts of the students and said the projects were creative, practical and feasible. He said the entrepreneurship development not only facilitated small and medium enterprises, but also supported micro enterprises that were on their way to becoming successful SMEs.
He encouraged the students to pursue their ideas, suggested in the presentations, into practical use. He assured the students of SME assistance in providing opportunities for business worldwide.
The second prize was won by a group of students who had designed Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) ticketing system. The RFID detection devices would be installed at local transport buses in which manual ticketing will be replaced by prepaid RFID cards. On swiping the cards in the machine, travelling fares will automatically be deducted. They said this system will help curb pilferages.
Dream Decorators were third on the winner’s list. The students had designed beds and closets to fit in small rooms.
Awais Javaid, the Green Circle Agritech marketing director, said that starting businesses did not require millions of rupees. He said businesses started with a few thousands of rupees could be expanded to have a turnover of billions of rupees given commitment, motivation and innovative ideas. “We started a business with Rs28,000 only. Now we are annually earning Rs1 billion from it.”
Rehmatullah Javaid, from the Ministry of Labour and Manpower, advised the young entrepreneurs to “think out of the box” and explore opportunities to pursue their targets. He explained to them the importance of effective communication skills
The winning teams were presented cash prizes of Rs50,000; Rs25,000; and Rs10,000 respectively.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 30th, 2011.