Grameenphone Accelerator 3.0 Conducts Regional Design Thinking Bootcamp in Rajshahi

The Regional Design Thinking Bootcamps are a part of the Grameenphone Accelerator 3.0 catered towards aspiring ideapreneurs. These Bootcamps aim to find the best startup ideas from across the nation. For this, GPA selects the top 25 ideas from each region to validate their idea along with a unique proposition through the Design Thinking Bootcamp. The day-long Bootcamp is designed to equip the participants with defined knowledge and skills by using the Design Thinking Principles.

This time, the Regional Design Thinking Bootcamp for the Rajshahi region was conducted at Syed Ismail Hossain Siraji Academic Building, University of Rajshahi, on the 25th of June 2022. To engage the participants in this day-long event, the sessions were divided into 7 segments. The session followed the following structure:

Session 1: Design Thinking in Business & Human Centered Design(HCD)

In this interactive session, the participants were taught the six-step process of Design Thinking; observation, ideation, rapid prototyping, user feedback, iteration, and finally, the implementation of HCD to formulate robust business strategies. Moreover, they were taught the tools & techniques of Design Thinking, and how Design Thinking principles can serve as a systematic and innovative tool to solve complex real-life challenges. They also acquired real-world insight on how practical global and local brands/products have excelled using HCD principles.

Session 2: Prototype & Experiment

This session was carried out as a group activity. Here, the participants were given a real-life problem and were divided into random teams. Application of critical thinking by the participants was required to devise a solution to address the problem using the HCD principles taught earlier.

Session 3: Group Presentation

Following the ‘Prototype & Experiment’ session, the teams were asked to present their solutions in front of everyone. Along with the solutions being presented, business presentation skills were also focused on in this session.

Session 4: Product Development & BMC

This was an interactive session where participants were given an in-depth idea about the different elements of the Business Model Canvas and how they can be used at the initial stage of one’s business. Furthermore, they were taught how new product ideas can be planned and generated, and identify what methods are used to evaluate new product ideas. They also gained knowledge about real-world practical global and local products that can be developed using HCD principles.

Session 5: The Art of Pitching-Pitch Clinic

As the name of the session suggests, this segment was focused on teaching the participants about the dos and donts of the art of pitching so that they can present their ideas to investors and secure investments for their venture. This was an interactive session where the participants got all their questions answered about pitching.

Session 6: Individual Pitch Preparation

Followed by the session on the ‘Art of Pitching’, the participants were given 20 minutes to prepare to pitch their business ideas in front of the judges.

Session 7: Pitch Presentation & Feedback

In the last session of the Regional Design Thinking Bootcamp, the participants presented their business ideas to the judges. Each participant was allocated 2 minutes. At the end of the pitch, they received valuable feedback from the judges that helped them improve at pitching.

The sessions were conducted by Omar Farhan Khan, Senior Business Consultant at LightCastle Partners.

In this day-long Bootcamp, a total of 21 participants were present. Accordingly, 21 startup ideas were pitched in front of a judging panel, and the participants were marked based on the implementation of the knowledge and skills acquired throughout the Bootcamp and the feasibility of the idea. The best idea that was chosen as the winner of this Regional Design Thinking Bootcamp was ARTS, a startup idea focused on making furniture from a composite of Tea Production Waste and was awarded BDT 15,000.

The regional partner for GPA 3.0 Design Thinking Bootcamp was Rajshahi University Business Club, which helped facilitate the event. The Bootcamp ended with a closing ceremony which was graced by the following guests who attended the GPA 3.0 program:

Professor Choudhury M. Zakaria, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, University of Rajshahi
Professor Md. Imran Hossain, Assistant Professor, University of Rajshahi

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