不良研究所

Imagine piling atop your graduate studies the trifling task of developing a startup aimed at doubling the income of 10 million people living in slums, or one that restores the rights and dignity of 10 million refugees within the next five years. Why would you take that on? And where would you even begin?

Those refugee and income questions were the pressing social issues to which the international $1-million  was seeking innovative solutions, in its 2016 and 2017 challenges. The quest for university teams is to build a social enterprise 鈥� for-profit, sustainable and scalable startups 鈥� that address a grand challenge. Hena Qureshi, a master鈥檚 student in health economics at the Cumming School of Medicine, answered the call, taking part in University of 不良研究所 teams both years.

As to why she took on the challenge, Qureshi says what drives her is a desire to a make a difference in her community, to disrupt the current system and make it better. 鈥淢y path might seem disjointed 鈥� with school and my charity work and this competition 鈥� but that passion to contribute fuels everything.鈥�

And as for where to begin, Qureshi says it helps to have a great multidisciplinary team, accomplished mentors, and expertise from the outside to lean on.

A history of Hult Prize successes

Last year鈥檚 University of 不良研究所 Hult Prize team tackled the issue of raising income in crowded urban spaces, and made it to the regional competition in Dubai.

Qureshi鈥檚 Hult Prize team this year included fellow University of 不良研究所 students Sultan Khetani and , and alumna Salimah Kassamali, BA鈥�14. They worked over several months to address the Hult Prize refugee resettlement question, and made the decision their social enterprise, Co-Fuge, would focus on housing.

鈥淲e have all been touched by the refugee experience, whether through our work or personally,鈥� says Qureshi, who was a Scholar鈥檚 Academy member. 鈥淲e knew most our competitors would tackle the issue by addressing language barriers. We decided to tackle a more complex and much needed issue for refugees, which was housing.鈥�

Co-Fuge provided a platform to connect refugees and landowners, offering a tax break in return for slightly reduced rent. The team鈥檚 pitch got them as far as the regional finals in San Francisco in March along with 60 other teams, quite an accomplishment given there are nearly 20,000 prize entrants every year from around the world.

鈥淲ith the feedback we received there, and some outside expertise from some very helpful people, we鈥檝e taken a bit of a pivot on the idea now, looking at improving the housing situation with students by focusing on peer-to-peer connection,鈥� Qureshi says.

Reacting to feedback by adapting, persisting, and seeking outside expertise seems to be integral to Qureshi鈥檚 approach to social enterprise. 鈥淧erseverance, being resourceful and open to change are key ingredients to have for success and growth.鈥�

Building a better business through mentorship and collaboration

That outside expertise came in the form of senior leadership at the university, the , and tax experts. Team member Yangyang Fang, former   for the Graduate Students鈥� Association, reached out to her broad network, including members of the university鈥檚 Board of Governors.

鈥淚 am so impressed with the willingness of our university鈥檚 senior leadership to support students in their initiatives,鈥� she says. 鈥淲hen you come to them with an idea that鈥檚 innovative and new, even when it may not have anything to do with your academic studies, they respond with such enthusiasm it really boosts your confidence! We鈥檙e extremely grateful for all the people that have generously offered us their time, energy, and networks.鈥�

Fang says one of the barriers to embracing entrepreneurialism is it sounds like something you have to work hard to become. Instead, she says: 鈥淏eing an entrepreneur is less about who you are and more about the mindset you take on. It鈥檚 about being open to trying out new ideas, collaborating across departments, and tackling problems by adopting different perspectives. There鈥檚 a real synergy that can result from working in interdisciplinary teams.鈥�

As some students don鈥檛 know quite where to start their entrepreneurial journey, Fang recommends plenty of resources, including the Hunter Centre as well as Skunkworks, and the new Innovation Development Award launched in January by the GSA.

Qureshi is such a believer in the power of social enterprise that one of the primary objectives of her non-profit organization,  in Pakistan, is to teach girls and women business skills, to help them escape poverty and dependence.

鈥淔irst, we provide food, clothing and shelter to the orphans we care for. Then, it鈥檚 education and skills training,鈥� Qureshi says. 鈥淲e want them to learn how to create a small business for themselves, to empower the women to be independent and self-sufficient. That鈥檚 the ultimate goal.鈥�