Shanghai meeting shows green creativity

A group of students and young entrepreneurs gathered in Shanghai to share business ideas on sustainable development during a youth conference from Aug 6 to 9.

They were attending the 2020 Changemaker Summit organized by the China branch of Young Sustainable Impact, a Norwegian-initiated nonprofit organization aiming to empower young entrepreneurs with training on sustainable development knowledge and business skills.

It is the third year that the organization has held a conference in China. Around 50 young people with business proposals were selected from more than 300 applicants after three rounds of interviews that started in March.

Their business plans ranged in topic from the environment and education to gender equality and public health, and during the three-day conference the participants exchanged ideas in discussion panels, and visited companies in Shanghai before presenting their projects on a roadshow.

A smart pillbox developed by Zeng Jingqiang, a young entrepreneur from Guangdong province, won the best project award.

The palm-sized pillbox, with an internet connection, can remind elderly people when to take their medicine, what medicine to take, and whether they have already taken the medicine.

The idea came from Zeng's personal experience with his grandmother who suffers from diabetes and high blood pressure.

When Zeng lived with his grandmother, he found that she often forgot to take her medicine or took the wrong pills.

At that time, Zeng was a graduate student at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, studying information technology and entertainment industries with a focus on mobile application. Using what he learned at the university, Zeng designed the smart pillbox in 2016.

After inputting a medication plan, the pillbox will give reminders by flashing, sounding a loud alarm and vibrating, and it can also give instructions and reminders through a speaker.

Zeng received an initial investment from the university and founded a startup company. During the conference roadshow, two investors also showed great interest in his project.

"Entrepreneurs in the elderly care industry are mainly middle-aged people, and I hope more young people can join us," Zeng says.

Before coming to the conference, the participants have a two-month online incubation, during which time the organizer puts them in contact with business mentors and angel investors and teaches them team building, project execution and commercialization skills.

"The advice I got from mentors in established companies broadened my horizons. They put forward specific suggestions and pointed out the shortcomings of my project," Zeng says.

Besides the smart pillbox, other projects included one that turns leftover milk into a sustainable fabric for making clothes, a sex education program and a wearable device for the visually challenged.

Participant Lin Yijie says: "I am very interested in startups or NGOs with social influence. The conference taught us entrepreneurial knowledge, provided technical and psychological support, and pushed us out of our comfort zone to cooperate with partners with different personalities."

During the conference, participants also visited a number of companies and organizations, including the Norwegian consulate in Shanghai, PwC China Innovation Center and Coca-Cola to learn more about their social entrepreneurship and startup projects.

Dai Kai, chief executive officer of YSI China, says: "Business shouldn't be only about profit. In the midst of pandemic, we should realize the importance of sustainable development than ever. In the future, YSI China will continue to empower more aspiring young people to use business to solve social problems and promote sustainable development."

Gu Yuhan contributed to the story.