Students are our future, and it’s looking good on the global side of things! Global Chamber® San Francisco hosted the Global Case Challenge 2016, where undergraduate and graduate student teams from the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond were invited to compete and pitch innovative ideas and solutions addressing a particular global or local problem or issue. Students presented their ideas to a panel of judges and were evaluated on their performance and business plan. In addition to gaining valuable professional experiences, including a formal presentation for their new venture and their business plan in a competitive environment, they met other like-minded globally oriented peers and had the opportunity to earn professional recognition and special accolades for their performance.
The competition brought students together in an international student ideation and business pitch competition that demonstrated the power of innovation on a global stage.
Students were asked to develop a new venture to uniquely address a particular global or local issue. The judges were impressed with all of the submittals and each team’s performance, passion and preparation. The awards for Global Case Challenge 2016 are:
First Place
Team “Life Chair” from Yonsei University in South Korea. The co-founders Jin Seok Ha and Hee Won Jin are biomedical engineers. The team created an innovative and proprietary product design for a combo chair and personal flotation device. They were inspired to develop the product in the aftermath of the recent ferry tragedies in Asia. The judges were very impressed with the team’s presentation, product design, bold vision and potential for considerable social impact.
Award
Lunch with legendary Silicon Valley venture capitalist Tim Draper, founder of Draper Associates, DFJ and the Draper Venture Network, a global network of venture capital funds.
Second Place
Team “CarbonCraft” from San Jose State University (SJSU), USA. Matthew White and his team developed a unique online gaming and education platform focused on climate change, environment and sustainability issues. The platform will offer a one-stop-shop for apps and games developed by both CarbonCraft and external developers.
Award
Externship with Silicon Valley startup EVAOS, which develops, builds and sells innovative vehicle add-on systems that upgrade light-duty and medium-duty trucks into plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicles. EVAOS currently offers upgrades for Ford F-150, F-250 and F-350 pickup trucks. Special thanks to EVAOS CEO Richard Simpkins for coming out and presenting the special award to the team!
Third Place
Team “H2fl0w” from San Jose State University, USA. Comprised of students Michelle Vu, Manpreet Singh, Kent Tran, Mohak Rastogi and Emilie Wang, the team is developing an innovative water conservation and sensor-based product solution, which will allow homeowners to more effectively monitor water usage at each outlet.
Award
Career counseling, coaching and preparatory sessions with Randstad Professionals, gaining invaluable insights and guidance to learn how to more effectively market and position themselves in the marketplace.
To learn more about Global Case Challenge 2017, email us.
