With the purpose of cherishing and celebrating the entrepreneurial month of November, Nepal Entrepreneurs’ Hub (NEHUB) in collaboration with Kathmandu University, successfully organized the 11th edition of Startup Weekend Kathmandu.
The program was conducted this year as University Edition for the first time. Startup Weekend Kathmandu: University Edition 2017 was held at the premises of Kathmandu University School of Management (KUSOM) at Nov 10, 11 and 12 (Friday-Sunday). The one-of-its-kind program encompassing a series of events, concluded in Kathmandu at 12th Nov 2017, with the announcement of the top Startup ideas. The major sponsors of the event were, Unilever Nepal Limited and the other sponsors were, Khalti, ads, Worldlink, New Business Age, Sparrow, Professional Education Consultancy.
TechStars Startup Weekend is the world’s starting point for entrepreneurship. It is a 54-hour event where designers, developers, marketers, and startup enthusiasts come together to share ideas, form teams, and launch startups. Startup Weekend has been running for 10 years and (NEHUB) has taken the initiation to organize Startup weekend in Nepal and has been organizing this program in Kathmandu for the past 4 years.
Through this event, NEHUB and Kathmandu University promoted and wakened the spirit of entrepreneurship amongst university level students. The aspiring entrepreneurs’ participants pitched a total of 65 ideas, out of which 12 ideas were selected and worked on, over the weekend. The top 12 ideas that were pitched during the weekend are:
1. Green Heels
2. Rani Sanitary Pads
3. Chef on Ride
4. Sajilo Kotha
5. Smart Agriculture
6. Portable Washing Machine
7. Ambulance Sewa
8. Investomania
9. Second Hand Books Website
10. Go Green: Recycle the Plastic
11. Chew — Ra
12. Cookie for a Cause
After 54 hours of mentoring, the 12 selected ideas contested in front of the judges. The judges for the event were:
1. Mr. Pranaya Raj Hada (Marketing Manager at Unilever Nepal Limited)
2. Mr. Jay Maharjan (Public Policy Leadership Scholar at the University of Southern California Sol Price School of Public Policy)
3. Mr. Kishore Maharjan (Former CEO of Civil Bank Limited and Sunrise Bank Limited)
The Top 3 Ideas of Startup Weekend Kathmandu: University Edition is:
Rani Sanitary Pad (Winner)
Flavoured Chew-Ra (1st Runner-Up)
Smart Agriculture System (2nd Runner-Up)