Student Startups Target SDG Problems At DIU Hult Prize Grand Finale

Daffodil International University (DIU) hosted the grand finale of the Hult Prize campus round on February 19, bringing together student teams to pitch business ideas designed to tackle social challenges through scalable, market-based solutions.

The finale was held at DIU’s permanent campus in Ashulia, where shortlisted teams presented their ventures before a panel of judges from the entrepreneurship, technology and development sectors.

The judging panel comprised Al-Amin Kabir, Founder and CEO of Marketever; A.H. Ali, CEO of Ninjas IT and founder of Campus To Career; Md. Masud Parvez, Programme Officer at ActionAid Bangladesh; Md. Abdur Rashid Sohag, founder of Pupil School Bus Ltd and president of the Startup Association of Bangladesh; and Fahim Shahriar, CEO and co-founder of Sustain Launch Labs and former regional director of the Hult Prize Foundation.

Judge Al-Amin Kabir said Bangladesh produces plenty of ideas, but startups ultimately win on execution. He said the teams that stood out were those building solutions that can scale globally, backed by standardised operations, clear compliance and a model that can work across different markets.

After multiple screening stages, Team BrickSTER emerged champion, while Team Nector and Team Ecolary secured first and second runner-up positions respectively. Organisers said the final three were selected from eight teams in the last round, after the campus round began with 33 competing businesses.