On October 21st, the 4th GT Start-Up Challenge of Guangdong Technion – Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT) was held successful. The competition was hosted by GTIIT Association of Commercial Entrepreneur (ACE), organized by GTIIT Youth Committee and co-organized by Shantou Young Entrepreneurs’ Association.

Lin Danming, Pro-Vice Chancellor of GTIIT, Liao Xuequan, director of GTIIT Student Affairs, Zhuang Zhenda, rotating president and chief supervisor of Shantou Young Entrepreneurs' Association, Huang Rongzhe, member of Shantou Youth Federation and vice president of Shantou Youth Association of Modern Agriculture Advancement, Canny Wang, teacher from GTIIT Career Center and instructor of ACE, attended the event.

This year's Competition has a strong judges team. Leaders and guests from Shantou Municipal Bureau of Commerce, Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Shantou Young Entrepreneurs’ Association, Shantou Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese and many companies were invited as judges on the final roadshow.

" I hope that the students can show themselves , train themselves, use business as the soil, and plant the seeds of innovation." As Prof. Lin Danming said, this competition is a test of the students' comprehensive qualities. From data collection, mentor communications, visiting and searching to business plan writing, the students’ can comprehensively improve themselves through this competition.

Different from previous competitions, this year’s competition gives students three months to prepare their projects. At the beginning of the competition, an entrepreneurial training camp was held to enrich the students’ business knowledge, provide opportunities to visit the companies of the cooperative mentors. Mentors from the Shantou Young Entrepreneurs' Association gave the participating teams business advice and guidance in terms of business direction and model, and helped the teams explore the innovation and feasibility of the project. The competition attracted many students, and 9 teams eventually entered the finals. The project topics involved food, education, pet funeral, women's health, digital agriculture, GenAI technology and many other fields.

During the finals, students showed the creative concept, social values, development plan and future direction of their projects. Finally, the "Pet Hospice Service" project which aims to build a one-stop pet hospice service platform won the first prize, and the "Immediate Commodity Platform Entrepreneurship"won the second prize and "On-campus Second-hand Commodity Trading and Information Exchange Platform" projects won the third prize.

The Competition is a great opportunity to explore students’ potential and career interests. Here, the contestants demonstrated the innovative spirit and passion of GT students, as well as the humanistic care and social responsibilities of young people.

Text: ACE, Shantou Young Entrepreneurs' Association, GTIIT Career and Learning Center, GTIIT News & Public Affairs

Photos: Shantou Young Entrepreneurs' Association