The Entrepreneurs’ Organization UAE chapter invited its members and people from across the UAE to watch as one of eight finalist ‘studentpreneurs’ from the UAE went head to head for the title of Global Student Entrepreneur. On Saturday, 18 February 2017, Rishiv Jalan, student and Founder of BITS Pilani and Wrappup, was crowned for the first time in the inaugural UAE Entrepreneurs’ Organization Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (EO GSEA) national competition. Rishiv Jalan, will now advance onto the final round, flying to Frankfurt to be a part of the GSEA global finals. Here, Rishiv Jalan will compete with contestants from over 50 countries to win from over $400,000 worth in prizes. In addition, Rishiv Jalan has won US$3,000 of Aramex shipping for his business, and has been introduced to The GCC Harvard Business School Club who will provide mentorship support between now and the global finals in Frankfurt.
The Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA), a programme run by Entrepreneurs’ Organization, is the premier global competition for students who own and operate a business while attending college or university. Student entrepreneurs compete against their peers from around the world in a series of local or national competitions in hopes to qualify for the EO GSEA Finals. This is the first time GSEA is being held in the UAE and wider Middle East region, which is a huge accomplishment for both the local chapter, the region and the organization as a whole.
The vision of the program is to empower student entrepreneurs’ to become the world’s most influential change-makers, giving them the opportunity to accelerate their success, challenge the status quo, connect to an instrumental peer group and make the greatest impact possible on their community. The panel of judges is made up of leading entrepreneurs, business executives, university campus leaders and members off the media, with sponsorship from Aramex, HBS Club of the GCC, Man’oushe Street, Sheraa, shjSEEN, The Young Vision, and UAE University Science and Innovation Park. One of the judges, Paul Kenny, also a member of Entrepreneurs’ Organization, comments “we were all extremely impressed by the finalists’ presentations, but we are sure that Rishiv Jalan will do the UAE proud in the global championships in Germany. The student entrepreneurs who took part in the UAE’s first competition of its kind were outstanding academics with a keen eye for business, and I know I speak on behalf of all of the judges when I say that we are excited to see what they have in store for us over the coming years of their inevitable success.”
The Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) is a global business network of more than 12,000 business owners in more than 160 chapters and 50 countries. Founded in 1987 by a group of young entrepreneurs, EO enables small and large business owners to learn from each other, leading to greater business success and an enriched personal life. The organization’s vision is to build the world’s most influential community of entrepreneurs, which aligns with its mission of supporting entrepreneurial education and engaging entrepreneurs to learn and grow.