By Saiful Bahri Kamaruddin
Pix CESMED and Hult Prize Foundation

BANGI, Selangor, Feb 2 2016 — Four students of The National University of Malaysia (UKM) have advanced to the regional finals of the seventh annual Hult Prize, the world’s largest competition and start-up platform for social issues.

The team members, Fahim Sarwary,  Rachel Mahasen , Sareeka Balakrishnan  and Nalina Santhiran,  are from the Faculty of Information Sciences and Technology and Faculty of Law, consisting of.

According to the Hult Prize Foundation, the team has been involved with social entrepreneurship together with The Centre for Entrepreneurship and SMES Development UKM in helping those in need.

Backed by former US President Bill Clinton, the competition sees top-tier schools go head-to-head in world’s largest student competition, competing for $1 million (RM4.2 million) in start-up funding to create sustainable businesses that double the income of 10 million people living in crowded urban spaces – a challenge Clinton personally selected.

The competition crowd-sources ideas from MBA and college students after challenging them to solve a pressing social issue around topics such as food security, water access, energy, and education.

Ahmad Ashkar, CEO and Founder of the Hult Prize, attributes the success of the competition to the shift in the global economy and the millennial generation’s refusal to live in a world with inequality.

“We are giving entrepreneurs from around the world a platform to innovate and revolutionize the way we think about servicing the poor,” he stated.

Each team selected was chosen from more than 25,000 applications received from over 500 colleges and universities in over 150 countries.

UKM will compete in Dubai at the regional level which will take place on March 11 to 12, 2016.

Other venues will be in Boston, San Francisco, London, Dubai, and Shanghai.