Manning School Program Marks 10 Years of International Collaboration and Learning
Image by Ed Brennen
Since it was launched at the Manning School of Business in 2014, the Global Entrepreneurship Exchange program has attracted more than 1,500 students from 23 countries.
07/31/2024
By Ed Brennen
Whenever Zubeida Aqsa returns home to India from vacations in Oman or Dubai, she finds herself craving snacks from those Middle Eastern destinations.
“I developed a fondness for the local flavors,” says Aqsa, an MBA student at St. Joseph Engineering College in Mangalore, India. “This inspired me to think about making these unique snacks more accessible to others who have a similar passion for global cuisines.”
Aqsa turned her idea into a winning project during UMass Lowell’s recent Global Entrepreneurship Exchange (GE2) summer program, a weeklong virtual workshop that brings together undergraduate and graduate students from around the world.
More than 1,500 students from 23 countries have participated in GE2, either in person or virtually, since it launched in 2014. Run by the Jack M. Wilson Center for Entrepreneurship, GE2 promotes global collaborations on entrepreneurship education and research among the Manning School of Business and international institutions.
This year, 17 UML students were among 270 GE2 participants from 10 countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Guyana, India, Japan, Kenya, Myanmar, Thailand and the United States.
Each day featured 90-minute workshops, led by Manning School faculty, on topics such as customer discovery and idea validation, venture financing and venture implementation.
Image by Ed Brennen
Assoc. Dean of Graduate Studies and Research Yi Yang is co-director of the Jack M. Wilson Center for Entrepreneurship, which runs the GE2 program.
Aqsa’s team, GlobalPalate, took top honors for its plan to provide “an accessible retail and online store offering a diverse selection of authentic, high-quality imported snacks … to cater to snack enthusiasts, expatriates and international students seeking global flavors.”
Aqsa heard about GE2 from one of her professors and teamed with four classmates from her university in the pitch competition.
“I wanted to participate in the GE2 program because I am passionate about entrepreneurship and eager to learn about the process of turning creative ideas into viable businesses,” she says. “This program offered a unique platform to gain practical experience, receive mentorship and challenge myself in a competitive yet supportive environment.”
A team from Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications (NUPT) in China took second place for AdsMatch, its plan to simplify influencer marketing. The team of WenJing He, Baoming Wang and Chen Zhang proposed a “comprehensive evaluation model that helps companies measure the influence and commercial value of content creators, streamlining decision-making and optimizing matches between brands and influencers.”
Three teams — Luminous, Peaceful Plates and RoboLink Integrators — tied for third.
Theda Hout, a student from Cambodian Mekong University in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, is a four-time GE2 participant. Last year, her team won the pitch contest with Modern Optical Store, an app that helps people choose eyeglasses.
Although she was initially nervous about joining the program because of her limited English language skills, Hout says she quickly met new people, gained confidence and saw her English improve.
“Even though I am not a business owner or an entrepreneur yet, I can apply the skills I have learned from GE2 toward my future goals,” she says.
Rist Family Endowed Dean of the Manning School of Business Bertie Greer congratulated all of the participants for developing a “vibrant global community.”
“With your innovative ideas and entrepreneurial spirit, you have the power to make a significant impact, and that’s what makes the world a better place,” she said.
The Wilson Center’s co-directors — Assoc. Dean of Graduate Studies and Research Yi Yang and Emeritus Assoc. Teaching Prof. Ashwin Mehta — both led workshop sessions, as did Assoc. Prof. of Management Michael Ciuchta, Emeritus Assoc. Teaching Prof. Deb Finch and adjunct faculty member Bill Yelle.
Mehta, who started GE2 in 2014 when he and Finch took nine UML students to India, was proud to see how far it has come over the past decade — despite a global pandemic that forced it to move online in 2020.
“It’s because of you, the students, that this program has been so successful,” he said during the pitch competition award ceremony.
Aqsa says her team “definitely” plans to pursue its snack business idea.
“Winning the GE2 pitch competition has validated our idea and provided us with the confidence and motivation to explore the potential of turning it into a real business,” she says.