{"id":76726,"date":"2023-12-01T08:23:33","date_gmt":"2023-12-01T14:23:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=76726"},"modified":"2023-12-01T08:23:35","modified_gmt":"2023-12-01T14:23:35","slug":"cambodia-based-team-wins-fhsu-entrepreneurial-challenge-competition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=76726","title":{"rendered":"Cambodia-based team wins FHSU Entrepreneurial Challenge competition"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A three-member team of students from the American University of Phenom Penn\u00a0(AUPP)\u00a0took home first-place honors\u00a0and a $2,500 top prize\u00a0in the 10th<\/sup>\u00a0annual FHSU Entrepreneurial Challenge event\u00a0at Fort Hays State University. Students\u00a0Chanrattnak Mong,\u00a0Seth Tharo Hour, and Techngoun Leang\u2019s business plan titled \u201cWatt Wise\u201d offered an innovative solution to a pressing sustainability issue in Cambodia. \u201cWatt Wise\u201d is a proposed\u00a0energy auditing web app that tracks electrical energy consumption, helping identify areas where energy is wasted so consumers can realize significant cost savings and reduce their overall carbon footprint.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The focus of the EPI\u00b2C Challenge, formerly known as Kansas Startup Weekend, has changed over the last several years from a pure entrepreneurial business competition to one that includes an additional focus on sustainability. The \u201cWatt Wise\u201d plan focused on two of the 17 Sustainability Goals<\/a> set forth by the United Nations, including Goal #7: Affordable and Clean Energy and Goal #12: Responsible Consumption and Production. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to AUPP business professor and \u201cWatt Wise\u201d team coach Olta Myslimi, \u201cIt was a truly transformative experience for the team, as it marked their first participation in a challenge organized by our partner universities. The process of coming up with an idea for the challenge demonstrated their innovative mindset and desire to develop solutions that address real issues in their communities.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second place in this year\u2019s entrepreneurial challenge went to \u201cWatt Spot,\u201d an off-grid solar-powered charging station capable of self-sustained operations in relatively remote locations like parks and campgrounds. A \u201cWatt Spot\u201d charging station prototype was installed at FHSU in the spring of 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An innovative and cost-effective water filtration solution for the livestock industry called BIA took home third-place honors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBargainBite,\u201d an online hub for distributing unused restaurant food at a discount, was awarded the Founders Prize.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This fall\u2019s competition marked the tenth anniversary of FHSU\u2019s annual entrepreneurial challenge, so EPI\u00b2C Challenge organizers placed great importance on expanding the opportunity to participate to students from the university\u2019s partner institution in Cambodia. In addition to \u201cWatt Wise,\u201d two other teams from AUPP participated in this year\u2019s competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFHSU is a global leader in international education and online learning and the first university in Kansas to integrate students from a range of nations, cultures, and time zones in a hands-on, entrepreneurial learning experience,\u201d said EPI\u00b2C Challenge Coordinator and FHSU management instructor Henry Schwaller. \u201cI see this as a great opportunity for all of our global partner institutions for our next event this spring.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

FHSU business professor Dr. Ed Vengruskie, who serves as a liaison between the FHSU Robbins College of Business and Entrepreneurship with AUPP, pointed to Profesor Myslimi as an essential element in the successes of the Cambodian teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe was always there with her AUPP students throughout the late nights and early mornings and the 11-hour time difference,\u201d Vengruskie said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Myslimi credits the remarkable students she got to work with on this challenge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am incredibly proud of their unwavering enthusiasm and proactive spirit in seizing opportunities for growth,\u201d Myslimi said. \u201cDespite the physical distance between our students and their fellow FHSU participants, they felt a strong sense of connection. Competing alongside their fellow FHSU peers made them feel like equals, fostering a sense of belonging that transcended geographical boundaries.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2023 EPI\u00b2C Challenge Winners<\/strong>   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

First Place<\/u><\/strong> ($2,500)<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

WattWise<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Electricity Consumption Monitoring Web App<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n