Hult Alumni Magazine NEW Edition Hult Alumni Magazine 2017 | Page 42

THE HULT PRIZE

2016 Finalists

Simprints
University of Cambridge
Magic Bus
Earlham College
The five regional finalists hailed from all around the globe and offered some of the most transformative ideas the Hult Prize has seen to date . Representing regions that included Boston , San Francisco , London , Shanghai , as well as 2016 ’ s online finalist , the ideas presented by the teams were the product of rigorous competition .
The finalists competed against more than 10,000 participating students from over 150 countries , who collectively represent more than 350 colleges and universities . Their social businesses are innovative , disruptive , and catalytic . The five strongest teams were selected by a group of judges that includes top-tier executives from the private , public , and nonprofit sectors . All of their ideas are now one step closer to changing the lives of some of the world ’ s poorest people .
Simprints is a nonprofit tech company committed to improving the lives of the poor . Accurately linking people to their digital records is a critical bottleneck in the delivery of mobile services in healthcare , microfinance , and aid distribution . We ’ re building a mobile biometric scanner and open-source software to empower the mobile tools used by researchers , NGOs , and governments around the world .
Magic Bus is an organized text-based ticketing service that aims to make bus transport more reliable and accessible by reducing waiting times and increasing the productivity of both commuters and buses . Magic Bus will double the income of the bus operators and its community-based ticketing agents . Moreover , it will better position slum dwellers to participate in a broader economic market by supporting financial saving and transportation to opportunities .
Team Synergy
BRAC
Musana Carts
Hult International Business School
Pro Trash
Tecnológico de Monterrey
Synergy provides entrepreneurs with a collaborative business platform that vastly expands their reach and connects them with capital , goods , and partners through a human network . The team made it to the top five in 2015 , and this year returned better and stronger to win and represent BRAC University and Bangladesh at the Global Final .
Musana Carts provides more efficient infrastructure to street vendors in Kampala , allowing them to conduct their business in a safe , legal , and innovative way . Their carts are powered by solar energy and are customized according to the activity of the street vendors . Their products take street vendors right to their customers and are affordable . After considering street vendors ’ appetite for financial risk , each Musana Cart will cost USD 400 . This includes access to finance and business training . The combination of time and energy savings and access to more customers with each Musana Cart will double the average street vendor ’ s income .
Pro Trash is Mexico ’ s first privately owned social enterprise waste management company . Through a novel and robust trash collection and recycling business model , Pro Trash capitalizes on the USD 54 billion waste opportunity in Mexico , while simultaneously empowering and employing local mothers who , for the first time , can turn waste into opportunities .
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