Hult Alumni Magazine | Page 69

The power of a good mentor Hult students become judges Several Hult MBA and Master of International Business students were able to hone their mentorship skills at the Pitch@Palace 9.0 and 10.0 competitions. At the 9.0 event, their brief was to tailor their support for the budding entrepreneurs around three key areas: social media strategy, pitch promotion strategy, and publicity strategy. Michael Neidhardt, one of the chosen MBA experts, was paired with team Blink, whose bright idea to enable pedestrians to interact with self-driving vehicles saw it progress to the final on April 25, 2018. All of the Hult mentors continued to work with a team which, despite not making it beyond the semi-final stage, was able to compete for the People’s Choice Award. Students from the MBA, Master of International Business, and Master of International Marketing programs were also invited to partake in the selection process of the entrepreneurs from 38 Commonwealth countries for the Pitch@Palace Commonwealth competition—giving priority to Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Pakistan, and Trinidad and Tobago. They helped select the entrepreneurs that showed both the most potential and the greatest commitment to the ethos behind the Pitch@Palace movement. Karin Andersson (Master of International Marketing, 2018) was a member of the judging panel and a Bootcamp mentor. She helped a Kenyan student who had created a business transforming electrical waste into fashion accessories. She obviously gave some sound advice, as the student has now sold a piece to actress Anne Hathaway! The successful partnership continued in early October 2018, when five Hult postgraduate students were chosen to mentor the selected entrepreneurs for the Pitch@Palace 10.0 Bootcamp that was held at Cambridge Judge Business School on October 4, 2018. The mentor group also supported their entrepreneurs at the finals at Buckingham Palace on November 8, 2018. “Being able to chat with C-level staff at Facebook, professors, and successful entrepreneurs was a great experience. I came away with valuable contacts and knowledge.” Jacob Notlöv CEO and Founder No Paper Menu MBA, Class of 2016 Pitch@Palace 9.0 Mentors, Class of 2018 From left to right: Grace Mak, Karin Andersson, Holly Swenson, and Amanda Chidekel from Masters in International Marketing 69