September 11, 2019
Following an exciting live pitch, Team Agrivengers from Taiwan took a well-deserved first place in BeChangeMaker 2019 with their innovative business idea for using nanobubble technology to reduce environmental pollution.
Second and third place was awarded to teams Zelij Invent and Seaskin, both from Morocco, for their ideas for turning plastic waste into eco-friendly construction materials and transforming fish waste into climate-neutral fashion.
The three teams will each receive €1,000 seed funding and support to continue developing their social business ideas.
BeChangeMaker offers people ages 18–35 the opportunity to team up with others to develop their skills in a competition to design a socially responsible business. Two hundred seventy teams from 38 countries applied to join this year’s competition—only 30 were chosen to take part. The teams participated in online pitch competitions with five chosen to present their social business ideas live at WorldSkills Kazan 2019 in Russia.
During the three-month competition, the teams took HP LIFE courses and had access to tools and resources to help them advance their business ideas. They were supported by 56 HP employee volunteers from around the globe who served as mentors, sharing their skills and expertise to help the teams hone their ideas and improve their pitches. Another 10 HP employee volunteers served as judges.
“BeChangeMaker is about making things happen,” said HP Lead Government Relations Central Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa, Markus Schwertel, one of the competition judges. “It gives the next generation of social entrepreneurs the opportunity to use their skills in a meaningful way, learn from others, and turn their ideas for positive social change into reality. We’re proud of all of the teams who’ve joined us this year and taken their first steps towards making their communities, and the world, a better place.”
Find out more about BeChangeMaker 2019.
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