A FILIPINO student and his Singaporean partner topped the recently concluded 16th annual FedEx Express-JA International Trade Challenge (ITC) finals.
Jakecob M. Jacob from the Philippines and Jamie Yau Li Ting from Singapore of Team J Cubed bested 58 other student-finalists with their “sustainable beer” idea called “Loaf” that uses surplus bread to address food wastage.
After hurdling the three-day online competition from August 9 to 11, Jacob and Yau impressed regional business leaders with their winning idea.
“We are overjoyed to be named winners…[and] especially…chosen among a very talented peer group,” the duo said. “Through this competition, we have worked together as a team [and learned from the experiences] of our mentors and judges…It has been really inspiring, and made us even more committed to begin our [entrepreneurial] journey.”
The duo Sultans of Sales, composed of Simar Singh from India and Tatsuru Taguchi from Japan, was first runner-up with its nutritious, eco-friendly range of drinks called “Das Bubble” made from herbal tea, purified algae and seaweed from the Baltic Sea.
The tandem of Supaseth Julerttrakul from Thailand and Ilangovan Harishiga from Singapore, who comprised the Magna Victoriam team, placed third for their concept “Cura,” a compostable alternative to traditional sanitary napkins made from water hyacinth that seeks to help address the 200,000 tons of waste produced each year from conventional feminine hygiene products.
FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. and JA Asia Pacific, a member of JA Worldwide, jointly organized the ITC program 16 years ago. Since then it has aided more than 36,500 students from Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa (AMEA).
This year 4,800-plus learners who represented Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam competed. They were mentored by 40 FedEx volunteers from 13 regional markets.
The teams were tasked to create a market-entry strategy for a physical product that centers on sustainability targeting the German market. The challenge was timely, given the consumers’ increasing focus on the environmental impact of products, and the growing discourse on the role businesses should play to help tackle climate change.
“We chose to center this year’s theme on sustainability, as it is such a prescient issue for FedEx, the business community, and everyone on our planet,” said Salil Chari, FedEx Express senior vice president for AMEA marketing and customer experience. “The knowledge and ideas these young entrepreneurs demonstrated within the competition on…real-world challenges were…inspiring.”
Chari added: “These…participants are our future leaders, creators and innovators. We’re incredibly proud of our continuing collaboration with JA, and look forward to helping fuel the pipeline of entrepreneurship in the years ahead.”
“Since its debut in 2007 the FedEx Express/JA Asia Pacific ITC has been invaluable in transforming traditional classroom learning to real-life, hands-on experiences,” noted President and CEO Maziar Sabet of JA Asia Pacific. “[Our] belief in the youth of this region has never been stronger. I am so pleased to see a truly representative group of participants, [as well as a crucial and timely theme focused on sustainability. Both support JA’s global vision which demonstrate] that young people truly have the skillset and mindset to build thriving communities.”
Impressive ideas
AT such a young age, the students impressed the judges not only by their efforts, but also their novel concepts.
“[It’s] totally impressive to see how these potential young entrepreneurs put together holistic, purpose-driven businesses that are sustainable for the planet, people, and ultimately profit,” said Johnwei Muljono, founder and managing director of Moncrete International of Indonesia.
“The finalists demonstrated core skills like problem-solving, creativity, and communication,” Goodwall (Switzerland) Cofounder and Chief Operating Officer Omar Bawa added. “They went above and beyond.”
“Seeing the world…becoming more complex at present, more problems arise that need to be addressed,” Nutriasia Inc. (Philippines) Group Head of Customer Marketing and E-Commerce Marju P. Geslani said. “We saw how entrepreneurship can be learned in conversations by these young students. Getting yourself in the right mindset and managing expectations may be the thing that saves the business.”
She continued: “Understanding…concepts is only the start, while putting it in an application is another thing. Today I saw the potential of a lot of ideas presented in this competition. Kudos and congrats to this batch of young entrepreneurs!”
Sharing the same sentiment, Dropee (Malaysia) Cofounder Lennise Ng was amazed by the promising entrepreneurs’ capabilities: “I’m wonderfully surprised by the level of creativity and innovative solutions the teams presented today. The future holds a lot of excitement with these young leaders of tomorrow, [as] they share a similar passion to solve real-world issues…they do it with great optimism and courage. Big congratulations to all their efforts!”
FedEx Express and JA Asia Pacific were lauded for organizing the virtual contest which, per Woven (Philippines) Founder and CEO Trish Lim, was a key venue for the youth to meet and discuss present social and environmental problems.
“I could feel the passion and hard work…they put into their presentations, and I was inspired by their creativity and perseverance as aspiring entrepreneurs,” Lim enthused. “Congratulations to…the finalists! I have such high hopes for all…”
“It was great to see these school students think this much about a sustainable future. The next generation is not taking the environment for granted,” French Crown (India) Founder and CEO Ilesh Ghevariya added.
The executive provided tips to learners about the success of their company to solve a “dead-stock problem” in the clothing industry, as it helps the environment while achieving profitability: “From the entrepreneurship perspective, I would advise only one thing to all of the students: ‘If one can solve just one problem in the industry, profits will automatically skyrocket.’”