VSSTU students' startup won the International Championship 'Youth and Entrepreneurship'
VGTU presented four student projects at the prestigious competition, one of which took first place in its league. Olga Vasyokha and Alina Semenchenko are ready to create an island for children called "Junior", where little fidgets can immerse themselves in the world of games, draw with sand, and do twisting (finger sculpting of plasticine pictures) with animators.
– In large shopping centers, you notice children bored near fitting rooms waiting for their mothers. Running around the pavilions is their only entertainment, – says Olga Vasyokha. – And here they can spend their time usefully. Of course, we understand that working with little ones is not easy, so we approach the matter responsibly.
The competitive advantage of such a mini-center will be low prices and a rich program for children of different ages. The girls plan to open a trial island in the Vitebsk shopping center Green when they find an investor. If the launch is successful, then "Junior" islands will appear in other shopping centers in Vitebsk and Polotsk.
At the startup project presentation, Olga and Alina performed in bright costumes, conducted a master class on creating figures from inflatable balloons, and showed a spectacular soap bubble show, thereby winning over the jury. Along with the diploma, the girls were presented with a certificate for the free creation of an animated promotional video.
The project "i-FerMir" by marketing students Ekaterina Mironova, Semen Gushcha, Alexandra Korban, and Tamara Arakelyan was called the most innovative at the championship by the chairman of the Republican Confederation of Entrepreneurship, Vladimir Koryagin. The judges were impressed by the easy-to-implement, relatively inexpensive project, and awarded it a diploma as the best in the eco-direction. To date, this is a unique startup: there are no IT farms in Belarus yet.
The idea is to grow ecologically clean vegetables, fruits, or berries according to a plan approved by the customer and on a land plot chosen by them. The customer can monitor the planting and crop care process online from their office: video cameras with satellite internet access will be installed on the plot. If desired, one can visit the garden at a convenient time and work in the fresh air. The harvested crop will be delivered directly to the client's home. Thus, they will be 100% confident in the quality of the products.
It is planned to involve students in agricultural work on such a farm, and to use the existing summer cottages of the project initiators at the initial stage. In addition, "i-FerMir" provides for the organization of educational excursions for schoolchildren. Galina Yasheva, Head of the Department of "Economic Theory and Marketing" at VSTU, Doctor of Economics, Professor, said that something similar can be found in the state of Vermont (USA), where an association of farmers has created an entire eco-complex for the production of agricultural products.
Other VSTU student startups were no less interesting. Thus, Elizaveta Minina and Karina Zubor are concerned about the negative impact of plastic on the Earth's ecosystem. They propose to process it into granules and subsequently use them in the production of fabrics, in the construction industry, etc. The stumbling block is the collection of secondary raw materials and the high cost of equipment. Investor assistance is needed to implement the plan.
Sewing technologists Elena Fedorova and Dmitry Koteshev are taking their first steps in personal safety. Their project "Invisible Defender" will allow the purchase of... a bulletproof T-shirt.
It will be useful at mass sporting events, where clashes between fans of different teams sometimes occur. However, walks around the city at night will also become much safer in it. The research supervisor, Associate Professor of the Department of "Design and Technology of Clothing and Footwear" Daria Pankevich, demonstrated a prototype. Hidden inside the eco-friendly cotton t-shirt are pockets for plates that are impenetrable to cold weapons and even bullets of certain calibers. In the future, the student team plans to develop bulletproof jackets and cloaks.
The teachers emphasize that all ideas for startup projects were proposed by the students themselves, and they searched for the main information independently. The future belongs to their business approach and creativity, and the university's task is to help young men and women realize their potential and gain professional confidence even before receiving their specialist diplomas.