Elevate hosted once again the Hult Prize Local Competition on the AUBG Campus. The winning team, PetLawn, will represent AUBG and Bulgaria in the next stage of the Hult Prize.
Founded by senior students Aleksander Aleksandrov and Kristiyan Filipov, PetLawn develops real-grass hydroponic patches that serve as natural, eco-friendly, and odor-free indoor toilets for pets living in apartments. After several more steps in the upcoming months team has the chance to advance to the Hult Prize Global Accelerator, taking place this summer in London.
Seven AUBG Elevate Accelerator teams pitched their ideas in front of a distinguished jury.
- Evelina Van Mensel, Entrepreneurship Professor at AUBG and Executive Director at the Democratizing Innovation Institute
- Metodi Baykushev, Mayor of Blagoevgrad
- Borislav Tochevski, Owner of Bulcapital Group
- George Sidjimkov, Managing Partner at Sofia Angels Ventures
Apart from the winner of the competition, two other teams were awarded with a special prize by prof. Van Mensel. Robotnik, that engineers an AI-powered autonomous robot that uses computer vision and lasers to eliminate weeds without herbicides, and FoodFalcon, an eco-friendly drone food delivery service transforming last-mile logistics through fast, contactless, and zero-emission operations, will have a special access to the Democratizing Innovation Institute’s global accelerator program.
Hult Prize is a global student competition for social entrepreneurship that empowers young founders to tackle the world’s most pressing challenge. Through a highly competitive, multi-stage process, teams compete for the opportunity to secure $1 million in funding in exchange for 10% equity, along with access to the Hult Prize’s global accelerator and mentorship network.
