The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) in Bangladesh recently awarded three groups of young entrepreneurs under its 'Young Entrepreneur Awards (YEA) 2011 programme.

The winning teams - Gold, Silver and Bronze - were awarded with cash prizes along with a chance to participate in a weeklong entrepreneurial tour in Hong Kong SAR, said a press release.

The gold team will also compete with other best teams from Brunei, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Philippines, Shanghai and Thailand for the regional championship.

The Gold award winning team ‘Stalwarts' - Upoma Dutta, Shehreen Kamal, Nusrat Sharmin – was from Institute of Business Administration, University of Dhaka. Their business plan was ‘CocoCrete’ that offers an eco-friendly, high-strength but low-cost concrete using coir fibers from coconut husks, an agricultural by-product, for making buildings more resistant to earthquakes.

‘The Entrepreneurs’ of Dhaka University Business Faculty won the Silver Award for their project ‘Greennovationn Technologies Inc’ that offers production of environment friendly, geographically sustainable and 46 per cent cost-effective housing material, made from jute - a locally abundant raw material. The team was comprised of three members - Mahadi Hasan Sagor, Nausheen Ahmed, Badhan Mazumder – from the faculty.

Another team ‘Niloy’ from Institute of Business Administration (IBA), University Of Dhaka won the Bronze Award for their business plan on mini water treatment plant in a packet for rural Bangladesh. The plan offers removing of arsenic, pathogens, and bacteria from water effectively and inexpensively. Haider Dewan, Laura Amin, and Lamia Bashar were the member of the team.

The jury panel included HSBC chief risk officer Johnson K S Chang, HSBC divisional heads Sadik Reza, institutional banking, Saiful Islam, payment and cash management, Riaz A Chowdhury, corporate banking, Iftekhar Hasan, acting head of marketing and communications of the bank.

News: Daiy Sun/ Bangladesh/ Apr-27-2011