Sanitary pads from waste banana tree fibre? Harvard honours Indian student for social venture

Harvard University. (Photo: DC/File)

PTI New York Bureau 

New York, May 2 (PTI) Four Indians are among the winners of a Harvard Business School competition that awards prizes worth over USD 300,000 to new and innovative business and social impact start-ups conceptualised by the US institution's students and alumni.

Harvard MBA student Amrita Siagal won the grand prize in the 'Social Enterprise' category at the 18thHarvard Business School New Venture Competition for her venture 'Saathi', which she co-founded with Oracle engineer Kristin Kagetsu.

Saathi provides affordable sanitary pads made from waste banana tree fibre to women in rural India.

Siagal and Kagetsu, who both hold mechanical engineering degrees from MIT, received a USD 50,000 prize at the competition, which supports both students and alumni launching new business and social impact ventures inspired by "belief that one simple idea can change everything".

Saathi also got the audience choice award through an electronic crowd vote. The winner in the business track category was the start-up 'Alfred', being launched by Saurabh Mahajan, Marcela Sapone and Jess Beck.

Alfred is a concierge service individuals can use for their daily and weekly tasks, including dry cleaning, house cleaning, groceries, laundry, and more.

The Alfred team also won USD 50,000. The runner-up in the social enterprise track was 'Tomato Jos' founded by MBA students Mira Mehta and Mike Lawrence.

'Tomato Jos' is a vertically integrated tomato processing company that helps small farmers in Nigeria grow tomatoes that can then be made into tomato paste.

In the business category, 'Booya Fitness' founded by MBA student Pritar Kumar won the runner-up award and a USD 25,000 cash prize.

The venture is an on-demand video platform featuring workouts created by the industry's best boutique gyms and instructors.

The capstone event of the HBS's expansive offerings in entrepreneurship, this year's competition attracted 150 Harvard MBA candidates as well as students from six other Harvard graduate schools.

In addition, HBS graduates from 17 HBS alumni "hub" clubs worldwide participated in 14 regional competitions. As part of the finale programme, a member of each venture delivered a 90-second pitch to the audience, leading to an electronic crowd vote.

Over the course of the entire competition, which began last fall, more than 200 judges and mentors took part.

Alumni winners were chosen by an online crowd vote by other HBS graduates around the globe, HBS students, and a panel of judges in three categories most innovative, greatest impact, and best investment.

Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs are targets of violence: Obama

PTI Washington Bureau
Washington, May 1 (PTI) US President Barack Obama has acknowledged that even today a number of people from the South Asian origin — particularly those from Hindu, Muslim and Sikh communities — are becoming victims of hate crimes in America.
“Even today, South Asian Americans, especially those who are Muslim, Hindu and Sikh, are targets of suspicion and violence,” Obama said in a presidential proclamation that recognized the contribution of Asian-Americans in the
socio-political and economic milieu of the country.
“Like America itself, the AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) community draws strength from the diversity of its many distinct cultures – each with vibrant histories and unique perspectives to bring to our national life,” Obama said.
“Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders have helped build, defend and strengthen our Nation – as farm
workers and railroad laborers; as entrepreneurs and scientists; as artists, activists, and leaders of government.
They have gone beyond, embodying the soaring aspirations of the American spirit,” Obama said.
Noting that May month marks 145 years since the final spike was hammered into the transcontinental railroad, an achievement made possible by Chinese laborers, who did the majority of this backbreaking and dangerous work, Obama this May, they will receive long-overdue recognition as they are inducted into the Labor Hall of Honor.
“Generations of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders have helped make this country what it is
today,” he said.
“Yet they have also faced a long history of injustice -from the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii and its devastating impact on the history, language and culture of Native Hawaiians; to opportunity-limiting laws like the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the Immigration Act of 1924; to the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II,”
he said.
Obama reiterated his determination to pass comprehensive immigration reform that would modernise the legal immigration
system, create a pathway to earned citizenship for undocumented immigrants, hold employers accountable, and strengthen the border security.

He said with courage, grit, and an abiding belief in American ideals, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders have challenged the Nation to be better.
“Nearly 5 years ago, I re-established the White House Initiative on AAPIs. The initiative addresses disparities in
health care, education, and economic opportunity by ensuring Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders receive equal access to
government programs and services,” Obama said.