Team using Vietnam’s rice drying technology wins int’l startup contest

SunRice team from the University College of London with its rice drying model based on Vietnam’s rice grain drying technology has won the first place of the Hult Prize competition for start-ups.
Team using Vietnam’s rice drying technology wins int’l startup contest ảnh 1SunRice team from the University College of London with its rice drying model based on Vietnam’s rice grain drying technology has won the first place of the Hult Prize competition for start-ups (Photo: VNA)
New York (VNA) – SunRice team from the University College ofLondon with its rice drying model based on Vietnam’s rice grain dryingtechnology has won the first place of the Hult Prize competition for start-ups.

The global finals of the Hult Prize - the world’s biggest engine for the launchof start-ups emerging from university, took place at the United NationsHeadquarters on September 15, with the participation of six teams.

A member of SunRice Kisum Chan said the team’s technology is based on the ricegrain drying technology of Vietnam, which has been handed over to Myanmar, thenimproved to suit local agriculture.

SunRice’s business model aims to reduce the amount of wasted rice during the dryingprocess and benefit rice farmers in Southeast Asia, which helps to ensure foodsecurity in the future.

The model bridges the gap between off-the-shelf rice drying technology and ricefarmers that could not afford it thus making the drying technology moreaccessible for poor farmers. 

The ninth annual Hult Prize attracted more than 100,000 universitystudents from 121 countries and territories worldwide. This year’s theme is“Harnessing the power of energy to transform the lives of 10 million people”.

The Hult Prize is the biggest and most prestigious start-up event in the world,and awards millions of US dollars in investment to young budding entrepreneurs,including a grand prize of 1 million USD.

It is run in partnership with the United Nations and support of former USPresident Bill Clinton. Each year the Hult Prizeprovides one million dollars in seed capital to the winning impact enterpriseof its flagship programme. Funding is also available through nationalprograms which have a similar structure.

National Director of Hult Prize Vietnam Ho Quang Hung said the competitionholds huge potential which will contribute to Vietnam’s educational andeconomic and social development.-VNA
VNA

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