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Students pitch their 'socially responsible' business plans | the winners 2022

Published: 14th July 2022 Last updated: 14th July 2022

After months of hard work and dedication, the finalists of the Tilburg University Challenge were all set to present the pitch of their lives. On Thursday, July 7, was the Grand Finale. From over 50 entries and 14 finalists who entered the competition, the prizes were awarded as follows. The Business Ready Award went to Mindful Sprint, the Ideation Award to Focus and the Audience Award to Eternal Books.

Tilburg University Challenge

The Tilburg University Challenge is a competition for entrepreneurial students at Tilburg University. The competition offers students the opportunity to participate with their innovative and entrepreneurial ideas. During the challenge, these ideas are developed into a feasible and profitable business plan in co-creation and under the guidance of coaches from the business community. For this third edition, more than 80 students applied, which resulted in more than 50 projects competing. From these, 14 teams were selected for the finals. They had the opportunity to pitch their idea to an expert jury during the Grand Finale.

The Tilburg University Challenge is organized by Tilburg University IQONIC.

Tilburg University Challenge 2022

Audience Award: Eternal Books

Laura-Stefana Vida, Andrei Scutelnicu

Eternal Books is about implementing an environmentally friendly system for all universities in the Netherlands, so that books can be passed on from one generation to the next. By creating a stock, students can rent them for a year at a price of about 35% of the actual price + 10 € deposit. Each book can be used by at least 4 or 5 generations.

Ideation Award: FOCUS

Ethel Pruss, Anita Vrins, Jos Prinsen en Caterina Ceccato

FOCUS is about an innovative brain-computer interface learning system that consists of a wireless EEG headset, a smartphone application and optionally a smartwatch (a Fitbit for your brain). Based on the EEG data, an engagement index is calculated, which estimates whether the student is in a good workflow state and whether they are keeping up with the material they are being presented with. Based on this, they ask users to redirect their attention or repeat parts of the material. All this to optimize learning and give students complete control over their brains and academic success.

Business Ready: Mindful Sprint

Zoia Shakhova

The digital age has its advantages and disadvantages. It brings new opportunities, but also many threats. We sometimes struggle to turn off the phone, watch TikTok for hours and scroll on Instagram. Then dream of success but do nothing to achieve it. Digital technologies evolve rapidly, so we don't have a chance to learn how to manage them. The training/workshop that won the Business Ready Award is about how to use technology effectively. Since it is not a skill, but more of a set of habits, simple instruction is not enough. The Mindful Sprint training ensures that participants make changes in their lives and that they are supported on their way there.

More information about the projects and finalists Tilburg University Challenge