OSUN Pitch Contest: “Team Repurpose” emerges as winners
A multinational student team, “Team Repurpose,” including three BracU students, has won the first prize of USD 1,500 in the prestigious “Launch a Different World 2024” pitch competition sponsored by Bard College. The team consists of three BracU students, Mohiuddin Ahmed (Senior, BBS), Abtahi Abrar (Junior, BBS), Mohammad Imran Uddin (MBA, Marketing) and two international students, Wei Jou Huang (National Taiwan University) and Maria Vlaykova (American University in Bulgaria), bagged the winning title with their actionable plastic recycling project. This contest is part of the Social Entrepreneurship Practicum course under the Open Society University Network (OSUN).
The project, which involved 36 teams comprising around 200 participants worldwide, focuses on transforming recycled plastic into affordable 3D printing materials and sustainable products. This initiative aims to reduce plastic waste and empower communities through functional solutions. Students made social entrepreneurship-themed project pitches, which were evaluated by a panel of experts. Dr.Sebastian Groh (Professor, BBS) and Neealana Naushin(Lecturer, GenEd) groomed the team for the competition.
While sharing their experiences, Team Repurpose stated, ‘Deep research with strong storytelling became our trump card in winning. Also, the course’s unique teaching approach has proven helpful.’ They think working with a multinational team broadened their vision. About the future endeavors, they said, ‘We are planning to produce the first batch of filaments targeting firms that produce architectural models and personalized gifts. Also, collaboration with Eindhoven University of Technology, Tangible Creative, and Recycling Fabrik is in the process. We are also prototyping a machine to simplify plastic detection and sorting.’ The team believes today’s meaningful action can be the seed for a better tomorrow, and they are thriving with the vision of achieving a clean Bangladesh.
