Hult Prize Announces Six Finalists Set to Help 10 Million Refugees

NEW YORK, Sept. 12, 2017 -- Today, the Hult Prize announced that six finalists, selected from a pool of 50,000 student entrepreneurs, have advanced to the final round of its annual competition and will compete for $1M at the United Nations Headquarters.

The event will be held on September 16 and officially open Global Goals Week at the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly. 

The Hult Prize uses social enterprise to tackle some of the world’s toughest issues and the 2017 challenge, chosen by President Clinton, is to develop an enterprise that can help 10 million refugees in five years. Over 500 campus competitions were held in response to the challenge, which also attracted thousands of online applicants, leading to the advancement of the following six startups:

• Dignify (Harvard University, United States) has developed a digital platform that will connect refugee workforces with outsourced micro-work secured from Fortune 1000 corporations.
  
  
• Empower (York University, Canada) is the world’s first demand management web browser that will allow refugees to access internet content offline.
  
  
• EPOCH (University of Waterloo, Canada) has developed a mobile platform that works as a skills and services marketplace that connects refugees and community members and uses time as a currency.
  
  
• Roshni Rides (Rutgers University, United States) is an electric rickshaw service powered by solar energy, which will travel set routes strategically placed near schools, hospitals, and marketplaces.
  
  
• Kwado (University of Calgary, Canada) is an education and skill-matching system designed to transform the way people are trained and find work, and certifies workers upon training completion.
  
  
• U-gas (Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México, Mexico) has developed ecological dry toilets that will be provided to refugees in slums. The waste will be collected and transformed into biogas.

The winner will be announced by President Clinton on September 16.

For more details about the challenge and all the finalists, visit www.hultprizesix.com.

Press Contact
Jenny Harler
Head of Communications
Hult Prize Foundation
[email protected]

About the Hult Prize
The Hult Prize is the world’s largest program for emersion-driven student entrepreneurship and mobilizes young people in more than 100 countries every year. Its annual prize of $1M is announced at its global final in New York, which is held in September and run in partnership with the UN Foundation, the UNDP, and the Hult International Business School. For further information, visit www.hultprize.org.