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Grameenphone Accelerator 3.0 conducted their Regional Design Thinking Bootcamp in Sylhet in an effort to find the best startup ideas from aspiring ideapreneurs. The day-long Bootcamp is designed to equip the participants with defined knowledge and skills by using the Design Thinking Principles. For this event, GPA selected the top 25 ideas from this region to validate their ideas along with a unique proposition.
This time the Regional Design Thinking Bootcamp took place in Sylhet on the 27 August 2022 at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) and Grand Mostafa Hotel Ababil. To engage the participants in this day-long event, the training sessions were divided into 7 segments. The sessions followed the following structure:
In this interactive session, the participants were taught the six-step process of Design Thinking; observation, ideation, rapid prototyping, user feedback, iteration, and finally, the implementation of HCD to formulate robust business strategies. Moreover, they were taught the tools & techniques of Design Thinking, and how Design Thinking principles can serve as a systematic and innovative tool to solve complex real-life challenges. They also acquired real-world insight on how practical global and local brands/products have excelled using HCD principles.
This session was carried out as a group activity. Here, the participants were given a real-life problem and were divided into random teams. The application of critical thinking by the participants was required to devise a solution to address the problem using the HCD principles taught earlier.
Following the ‘Prototype & Experiment’ session, the teams were asked to present their solutions in front of everyone. Along with the solutions being presented, business presentation skills were also focused on in this session.
This was an interactive session where participants were given an in-depth idea about the different elements of the Business Model Canvas and how they can be used at the initial stage of one’s business. Furthermore, they were taught how new product ideas could be planned and generated, and identified what methods are used to evaluate new product ideas. They also gained knowledge about real-world practical global and local products that can be developed using HCD principles.
As the name of the session suggests, this segment was focused on teaching the participants about the dos and don’ts of the art of pitching so that they can present their ideas to investors and secure investments for their venture. This was an interactive session where the participants got all their questions answered about pitching.
Followed by the session on the ‘Art of Pitching’, the participants were given 20 minutes to prepare to pitch their business ideas in front of the judges.
At the end of the Regional Design Thinking Bootcamp session, the participants presented their business ideas to the judges. Each participant was allocated 2 minutes. At the end of the pitch, they received valuable feedback from the judges that helped them improve at pitching.
A total of 23 participants were present in this day-long Bootcamp. Accordingly, 23 startup ideas were pitched in front of a judging panel. The participants were marked based on the implementation of the knowledge and skills acquired throughout the Bootcamp and the feasibility of the idea. At the end of the Bootcamp, the two best ideas were chosen as winners of this Regional Design Thinking Bootcamp. The ideas were, Class Bus & Water Lifesaver, and they were awarded a cash prize worth BDT 15,000.
The regional partner for GPA 3.0 Design Thinking Bootcamp in Sylhet was Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) Career Club, which helped facilitate the event. The Bootcamp ended with a closing ceremony in which the following guests graced:
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