International students win DKK 10,000 for a company idea about sustainable mango ‘leather’
Five international students win a large cash prize and an entrepreneurship award with their idea for sustainable mango leather.
Tons of mangoes go to waste every year and just rot up. But this is preventable, which is why a group of students from our international bachelor's degree programme in Innovation and Entrepreneurship have worked on an idea on how to reuse mangoes for computer covers and holders for business cards.
The winning idea emerged from a childhood memory
Two South American group members incorporated childhood experiences into their concept development during their classes in the 'Start-Up Programme'.
Together with three others, they further developed the idea, which became so good that in April the group won the Jutland Regional Championship in Entrepreneurship for Short and Medium-term Higher Educational programmes.
With the award came an admission ticket to the Danish Championship in Entrepreneurship on 2 June in Copenhagen, where the group won a special prize of DKK 10,000 from Tønder Energy and Environmental Foundation for their business idea LeatheRE.
Five nationalities
The team consists of Maj Jensen, Martin Nad, Joseph Anzalone Mola, Eva Sophia Valencia and Roc Jimenez Colomer.
Together, they represent five different nationalities (Slovakia, Columbia, Venezuela, Spain and Vietnam).
Social Entrepreneurship
The idea was inspired by the two South American team members who, as children, witnessed how thousands of tons of mangoes go to waste and just rot every year. At the same time, unemployment is sky-high, and the team, therefore, set out to develop an idea that could connect and link these two problems into something value-creating.