PETITION TO HULTPRIZE  TO STOP IRREGULATIES

I wanna to take this opportunity to thank the Hultprize for celebrating 10 years of existence with their positive idea of changing lives through a social change for youth to compete for $1M dollar. However, as a participant before I have found a number of irregulaties concerning this movement. Therefore, I have decided to petition HultPrize both in courts of law and online for using youth movement around the world yet there are unaddressed challenges with this Hultprize which has exposed many startups un protected, unhelped and hopeless after competition. Since  Hultprize only targets one winner from a random pool of lottery of best business idea for one $1M dollar. The movement has been joined by many university youth focused on winning this money without knowing there are irregulaties with this competition. A lot of concerns which has been running within the movement and have been kept un addressed thought its existing. As a participant, Since I left Nairobi I have been doing deep research concerning how things have been working. It has come to sense that some of the past winners of Hultprize  business ideas have created less impact that what is expected to be done out of $1M dollar. To my belief and analysis after finding out that there was a number of issues with Hulprize participants, I decided to come out to petition Hultprize  before next year this competition resumes. I will start sending out documents to all universities, courts of law, former USA president Bill Clinton to stop this movement unless these concerns are addressed before another competition is organized. It sounds cool but its worth for me to fight for a better social impact change not limited to $1M. the following are iregularities in the Hultprize.

JUDGES.

Through the research I did from different participants in different regional finals. A case study of Nairobi regionals almost judges were repeated to come and student’s startups. While in the hall at brookehouse, during final competition after elimination round, one judge asked a team “I remember you were here last year with same project” this is a team that was from Kenya and the same judge coming from Kenya. Imagined in a competition like this is not something that can be brought on stage where thousands of other teams travelled specifically for this and a judge brings in a home element issues. I have a voice recording on this when judging was asking this! And rest of participants witness this behavior happening. Check Nairobi footage final competition round of six in brookehouse hall.

In Lagos, according to reports majority of these competitions have been falling in hands of those that influence judges and choose who should be considered according to those who are behind them. Many innovations from this region with powerful brains accompanied with best prototypes ready to change the world but majority have not succeeded despite huge creativity invested in.

The fact that the competition took place in Kenya, almost judges were from Kenya. A part from few whites who still are settled in Kenya have been working there for so long made competition to fall in favors of the judges dominating the finals to have more Kenyans teams considered regardless of their capacity.

During competition there was as session where judges interacted with participants in the room to capture student’s ideas concerning about a team’s business plan and their sustainability. Participants were required to vote give errors, advises and choose a team that has a better project. This information was captured but judges neglected it because they had alternatives.

Actually in this competitions, judges make a lot of branders because they have all the necessary powers. This year’s challenge was simple create 10,000 meaningful jobs to unemployed youth. During the finals, every student saw comedy when a scarf knitting startup made it to finals. Let’s ask ourselves, a scarf costs a round 3$, how long will take for this startup to raise $5,000 dollars and at the same time creating 10,000 meaningful jobs? For more details check knitting project from a Kenyan team Nairobi regionaals.

Another wonderful team still selected to finals of round of 6 teams was also from Kenya that with their startup focused of producing gas and a bi product of petrol and diesel after heating collected garbage to 700 celcious degrees? This was a repeating team competition for second year in Hultprize. Check this project from Kenya team and you will have same imagination beyond mine.

The same judges are biased according to how some of these startups emerge and how they plan to start and operate. I witnessed this when a team from Uganda Christian university came with a very wonderful project concerning virtualiarity and use of drones.  The moment judges heard of this, they were dubious about use of this technology and was seen as something impossible. My question is when shall we think of projects beyond agriculture? For proof check virtuality technology on tourism by Uganda Christian University team.

Even though, all these thing are happening rotating a round judges, but also I blame it on management according to arrangement. You could find in room there many powerful startups competing together and in other rooms are weak startups. Besides there was no extra room for those who felt were cheated.

Finally, there is criteria that after presentation if judges don’t call you back for clarification and ask more questions, automatically you are nullified to the next round. This is not right and a fair process is surely needed for this movement keep doing its work in a mannerly order.

CAMPUS DIRECTORS

They suffer a lot especially here in east central Africa. Remember Hultprize does not provide any facilitation to them to arrange these trainings for students, invited judges and meetings. I can surely tell you that the people who do this job of raising thousands of youth with brilliant ideas are not catered for apart from a promise that the ones who perform well will have a chance to go to castle. If you don’t consider these people who make us to love these competitions, then what is the meaning of all this! I saw how my campus director was suffering to the extent of even missing lectures but all what he wanted to make sure we participate in competition.

STUDENTS PARTICIPATION IN HULTPRIZE.

Many students going to hultprize competition is a direct winning lottery game for 1 million dollars which has become “winning theory thinking! All what I have to do Win at campus no matter which way then go to finals in any applied regionals” this involves a lot of costs from registration, patenting copyrights and prototypes development for additional value in order to have high chances of winning others in a knocked round.

We come when know all of us we have best projects to win this competition but in reality all of us we can’t win this. We expect much more which we can’t gain at the end. The hopes we raise while coming with our ideas and dreams, majority die from there when the completions end. Its only the strong ones who survives.

THE HULTPRIZE ESCAPE GOAT

When you participate on campus and you don’t win. They will tell you to come to and submit you idea online. They will consider you to go to regionals. When you complain on regionals they call for wild cat submission. This is all what they are doing to keep every challenge unaddressed and the movement keeps exploiting through escape goat method.

Why did I decide to petition Hultprize as an individual and as a former participant to Hultprize on both online and in courts of law because of the very many complaints, unheard voices, hopes that you give to these young men and women and turns to be hopeless? A lottery dream of 1 million dollar that has to be competed for and leave other startup exposed and used with people with money?

Firstly, I want the teams that makes it to the round of six, four teams receive a startup package of each at least minimum of $10,000 USD each go and start operating with basics until full scale up. The team which wins regions should not receive any package since they are going to the castle. With existence of ten years creating a movement that creates a social change, Hultprize has the capacity with its traffic to have this funding provided to all regionals. Why I brought this, many students incur a lot of money to come all this far and end up being demoralized when these competitions end and went back to zero since they only focused and planned with expectation from prize. Majority of university in Africa don’t fund these competitions and if they fund it is always in pea nuts. I have revised a plan how this can be done. There are other more ways of HultPrize can help more startups to create more social impact than all of us focusing on one million dollars.

Secondly, the competition needs international judges of different backgrounds from different countries at the regionals. With local judges are purely biased and no one can stop them at whatever they decide on whom to choose. If we are competing for one million dollar, to create jobs, change lives and create social impacts then don’t give regionals judges who are jeopardizing the system. On top of that having judges from same country having same attachements with their fellow nations also ia a problem to the completion. Either we submit our proposals then a review committee sit and decide wihich is the best than us leaving competition with complaints.

Thirdly, I wanna meet the Ceo and founder of hultprize on the grounds of that the Hultprize he started 10 years agao is not the same today. Generation has changed therefore we are not going to stick fighting for one million. There are other agendas which I have not written in this petition which will be out in courts. If I say to meet Ceo please its him not any other else. Otherwise I will  read every one but I won’t meet anyone if not Mr. Ahmed.

The limit of 1-million-dollar lottery winning should be revised considering things have changed regarding generation. I would love to see a 1-million-dollar movement to $10M, $20M up to $100M as generation changes. But all this has been tramped on because no one ever had chance to open his mouth and air out these with no fear.

Last but not least, campus directors should be included in the plan because they are your eyes and there are the core organizers for the success of this movement. How much can you pay a company or to hire someone to do this for you?

Open doors to investors to participate in these competition of new ideas to invest in. companies like Microsoft, google, Samsung and many more which are credible can come and be part of these competitions if you open the door. But right the window opportunity is closed to us.