Just a little update on the whole hype about Hult Prize that you had all been witnessing. Hult Prize at IBA has successfully held another edition of the global competition right there at IBA’s Main Campus. The main event took place on 21st November 2020 (Saturday). This follow-up article is to commend the efforts of the winning team, the owners of the idea of “Organic Valley”. They burnt the midnight oil and moved on to the Regionals of 2021 Challenge.
The Overall Event of Hult Prize at IBA
Before moving on to team Organic Valley, allow me to give you all some BTS facts. The entire host team worked tirelessly for four months to bring this event to you all. Asad Ahmad Leghari, the Campus Director and President, led the team. Other prominent members of the top hierarchy were: Romesa Razzaq (CEO), Abdul Samee Peracha (MD), and Ghufran Ahmed (CFO).
Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 and against everyone’s wishes, we had to hold the Hult Prize online initially. However, The team made it possible to host the final pitch at IBA, in the G&T Auditorium. The Host Team invited Three distinguished guests to judge the final pitches. Namely: Dr. Najam A. Anjum (Asst. Professor at IBA), Mr. Khizrum Ahmed (CEO, GoWaiter) & Mr. Asad Ayaz Ansari (President, Rotatory Club of Karachi Entrepreneurs).
The Teams and The Winner
12 teams registered for the event during the registration time. However, only 4 out of those 12 were shortlisted to appear for a final pitch. One lucky winner was supposed to get the ticket to move forward into the competition. The teams were given 2 days to prepare for the presentations. The final pitch of the Hult Prize took place on 21st November 2020. Each team was given 8 minutes to present. While the judges keenly observed all the pitches and they announced Team Organic Valley, who was the 3rd team to present, as the winner.
Muhammad Anas Hasham – Team Leader – Organic Valley 
Mustafa Moiyadi – Team Member – Organic Valley
Experience of Organic Valley’s Team Leader at Hult Prize
The winning team was team Organic Valley. So we decided to interview Anas Hasham, who was the team leader and the brains behind the idea presented. He told us how he came across a social media post of Hult Prize at IBA and it motivated him to apply. He was late though, the deadline for registrations had already passed. But as the team was destined for a win, they were able to request an extension in the deadline.
He did not have any idea when he first registered, but after giving it a lot of thought, Anas came up with the idea of an Organic Valley. This idea was related to urban farming. But what made it different from other ideas was that it used the existing infrastructure of buildings in the urban areas. They proposed to convert the vacant rooftops of existing buildings into farming areas for fruits & vegetables. Their start-up also meant to include job training and nutrition education in their objectives. Their goal is to bring more productivity to the agricultural sector of Pakistan and also to eliminate food poverty.
The motivation and dedication of the entire team and their faith in their own abilities helped them win the Hult Prize. Anas told us that the 2 days before the final pitch were really tiresome, but in the end, the hard work paid off.
Our opponents were from the MBA and other seniors too, which intimidated us, but we had our faith in Allah and did not lose hope. After a 20 minute break, the results came and by the grace of Almighty Allah, Organic Valley had won!
– Muhammad Anas Hasham – Team Leader
What Happens Now?
Team Organic Valley has now qualified for the Regionals that will take place in 2021. While there are speculations going around about whether the Regionals would be Online or if they will manage to hold a physical competition, IBA has also submitted a bid to host the event at the Main Campus (let’s hope they get to do that so we all get to attend it). Regardless of where or how the event takes place, IBA Today wishes IBA’s team the best of luck for the Regionals and hopes that they are able to move on to the accelerator of Hult Prize, and hopefully In Sha Allah win the whole competition.
