The Enterprise Challenge supports scholars to come up with an original idea to tackle a pressing social need. Through business development workshops, professional mentoring and teamwork, our scholars produce proposals for innovative social enterprises, learn essential problem-solving skills and transferable business knowledge. In a very short time, scholars develop the confidence to test ideas in the real world, to learn from failure, and to lead in a context in which the outcome is uncertain.
This strand of the WHT Leadership Programme culminates in a pitch of all the social enterprises to business leaders, entrepreneurs and potential investors.
The Enterprise Challenge has genuinely been a thought-provoking exercise. Coming up with an idea to tackle pressing social needs and developing it has been an exciting adventure. It has led to the Mothers Matter Initiative, an educational app to provide accessible and affordable on and offline training to maternity care teams to handle obstetric emergencies.
— Brenda Tanyi Mpeh Efeti, Cameroon, MSc International Health & Tropical Medicine
GRoW@Annenberg, Annenberg, Oxford-Hoffmann, Lincoln
If I had told myself a year ago that I would be participating in one of the most prestigious enterprising fairs in Oxford with my own start-up, I would have hardly believed myself. In a nutshell, this is what this year with the Enterprise Challenge has been for me – believing in myself and, more importantly, in my abilities.
— Irina Gribanenkova, Russia, MSc Water Science, Policy & Management
Oxford-Hoffmann, Worcester
At the end of her year in Oxford, WHT alumna Tamarie Rocke (2020-21) rolled out her social enterprise in Belize, with seed funding from the Trust, winning first prize in the Belize Entrepreneurship Fest 2021. Fledgling business ideas from Tamarie’s WHT cohort included drone reforestation in Myanmar, online doctor support in Pakistan and a last-mile delivery company in Zimbabwe.
Here’s a message from WHT alum Tamarie’s Rocke about the WHT Enterprise Challenge:
Enterprise Challenge Highlights
On behalf of The Drop team:
The drop project aimed to ensure sustainable and equitable access to drinking water in challenging coastal regions of Bangladesh by employing low-carbon transportation methods to deliver water directly to people’s homes.
Zahid from The Drop project from (2021-22) pitched The Drop project at the 17th International Conference on Community-Based Adaptation to Climate Change (CBA17) from 22-25 May 2023 in Bangkok, Thailand. The project won the category of best business case.
On behalf of the Hace la fuerza team:
“Hace la fuerza” (Makes the strength) is a community of women professionals of Latin America that provides mentoring opportunities for female undergraduate students in their transition to the workforce and to high school students in their transition to university.
The Hace la fuerza venture was highlighted by UK Foreign Minister James Cleverly in his speech during his visit to Latin America.
On behalf of the Sustainversity team:
Sustainversity offers students a platform to trade and exchange goods, promoting sustainability through second-hand markets, reduced food wastage, eco-friendly delivery, and affordable bike options.
The Sustainversity team has made a strategic decision to take the project forward. They have updated the website and are working on developing a new and innovative app.