Compassion Driving Innovation: Meet the Global Student Challenge Winners
Preventing dangerous falls among seniors. Crafting sustainable and affordable 3D-built homes. The 2024 winners of the Babson Collaborative Global Student Challenge, a global contest that challenges undergraduate and graduate students to think of impactful business concepts, are paving the way for a higher quality of life for some of the world’s most vulnerable populations.
Each year, students across the Babson Collaborative member schools are asked to create a positive change through business. These students create and present a new business venture, designed to directly address the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
A total of 2,990 students from 28 Collaborative member institutions took part in the 2024 Global Student Challenge, representing 21 countries, breaking records in all categories. Collectively, they presented 800 new business concepts addressing the U.N. Global Goals. Both undergraduate and graduate Challenge winners are then invited to Babson’s campus, where they further advance their venture using the resources available at Babson Build, a weeklong summer entrepreneurship bootcamp.
In addition to the Babson Build scholarship, this year’s winners received an award of $2,500, thanks to the sponsorship of Social Impact Patrons, Ramón Mendiola ’86, P’20 ’21 ’23, Sage Business, and Babson Global Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership. Patrons also sponsor cash prizes for runner-up teams between $1,500 and $2,000.
Get to know more about this year’s winners and their ventures:
Undergraduate Winner: NatureSole
In Ignacio Gordillo Juan’s and Antonio López López’s home country of Spain, there are roughly 223,000 serious falls among elderly people each year, 80% of which happen in their own homes. Juan and López from EDEM Business School founded NatureSole with the aim of creating a shoe worn in the home that could reduce the risks of fall-based injury while also helping older populations remain independent for longer.
Juan and López pulled from their expertise in the footwear industry to create a shoe that could be easily customizable. The shoe features a removable insert that enables doctors to modify the shoe with custom orthotics based on the wearer’s unique needs.
“For us, having the opportunity to pass different rounds internationally has proven that NatureSole has a bright future if we keep pushing the project,” Juan and López said. “It is a huge validation and recognition for our next steps.”
Undergraduate Runners-up
2nd place: Harvested Robotics (Mahindra University, India). Team members: Sai Phani Rahul Arepaka, Pranav Mogli, Nitesh Reddy, Atin Sakeer, Sanjay Pramod, George Mathew
3rd place (tie): NOVA land (Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, Ecuador). Team members: María José Cabrera Quizhpe, Amanda Kaola Riofrio Macas, Ramiro David Berrú Ortiz
3rd place (tie): Extrive Innovations (Mahindra University, India). Team members: Abhishek Pratap, Ronak Oinam, Prem Ningombam, Yashaswi Matla
Graduate Winner: Wasi 3D
Nearly 40% of the world’s global population will need access to adequate housing by 2030. However, as it stands, roughly 80% of cities worldwide lack affordable housing opportunities to support their current populations.
Elinore Cruz, Diego de La Torre Lostaunau, and Álvaro Valarezo of the EAE Business School in Spain aim to revolutionize the construction industry and increase the availability of affordable housing globally by introducing accessible and affordable 3D-printed houses.
“Democratizing affordable housing is our goal as a company and as individuals, and we believe that this milestone is a significant and important step toward our journey of becoming a company that inspires the world to build more efficiently and sustainably,” de La Torre Lostaunau said.
Graduate Runnner-up
2nd place: H2nOt (EAE Business School, Spain). Team members: Alegría Vásconez, Daniel Mesa Gómez
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