Fifth Global Entrepreneurship Bootcamp (GEB) was held from 27th to 30th June in Bangkok, Thailand. More than 160 participants from 40 different countries had participated in the bootcamp.
According to press statement issued by GEB, the bootcamp gave special priority to the new dimension in the entrepreneurial ethos called 'social entrepreneurship' in this edition. GEB is an intensive bootcamp that brings together many young entrepreneurs, students and professionals from around the world and place them on a common platform to innovate and create new startups by collaboration.
In the fifth edition of the bootcamp, Professor Muhammad Yunusa, social entrepreneur and Nobel laureate who had won Nobel Peace Prize (2006) for introducing the concept of social business, was the keynote speaker. Yunus highlighted on the importance and feasibility of social businesses in order to address growing social problems as per the press statement. He also stressed that such businesses can play a great role in empowering the youths socially.
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A total of 15 different teams were formed as soon as the bootcamp kicked off on June 27. The teams worked in order to design business ideas on their own and then pitched those ideas in front of the organizers, speakers and fellow participants on the third day.
'iMed'— a medicine reminder and health tracker application—designed by a team of five youths became the winning idea of the bootcamp. Alisse I.A. Nasser, Siham Fuad Ahmed Emam, and Sandra N.S. Muallem from Palestine, Dao Thi Phuoc Hao from Vietnam, and Amenan Couboura Sidiki from Ivory Coast were the team members for 'iMed'. GEB also conferred a team the title of 'Best Team' every year.
In the 5th GEB, a team that pitched the idea for 'K20'—a platform to support Micro Finances in optimizing their activities—was awarded the 'Best Team' title. The 'K20' team included Ekote Nelson Nnoko from Cameroon, Sadia Kabir Dina from Bangladesh, Robih Hilman, Ardiatama from Indonesia and Jean Dalmeida, Guenoukpati Ayawovi, and Sitti Kafui Akoko from Togo.
Apart from the competition for designing business models, GEB has incorporated interaction sessions, expert guidance, and network formation among young minds, entrepreneurs, and investors ever since its inauguration. The bootcamp also featured cultural exchange. The participants and the speakers collaborated in the cultural night on the third day to share their culture, personal beliefs and views.
The sessions by speakers and team works were carried out alternately throughout the bootcamp. Participants of the GEB also observed the Social Business Day organized by Yunus Center, Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) on June 29.
