Sharks in Suit has been declared the champion of ‘Over the Wall’, Marico Bangladesh Ltd’s flagship entrepreneurship and product innovation campus competition.
The winners were announced following the competition’s grand finale, held at the Radisson Blu Dhaka Water Garden’s Utshab Banquet Hall.
The Grand Finale was concluded with a gala event, with teams ‘Incognito’ and ‘Work in Progress’ becoming the runners-up of the competition, reads a press release.
The laudable accomplishment of Sharks in Suit was achieved after completing four riveting and challenging rounds of assessments and idea pitching.
The competition kicked off with a whopping registration of more than 1000 teams from 40 universities countrywide, consisting of over 2,800 university students.
The initial round required participants to utilize their cognitive capabilities in an online gamified assessment, and over 600 teams completed their respective assessments.
The second round required participants to submit a business proposal of a disruptive and innovative product idea within the personal care industry.
This round saw 268 diverse business proposals and the top 20 ideas then entered the semi-final round, out of which seven stellar teams made it to the grand finale.
The seven finalist teams that qualified for the grand finale were: Team Incognito, Extra Drill, SquarePants, Levi Squad, Sharks in Suit, Absolute Zero and Work In Progress.
In the final round of the competition, the teams pitched their product ideas to a panel of distinguished judges, namely Rajat Diwakar, managing director of Marico Bangladesh Ltd.; Naser Ezaz Bijoy, CEO of Standard Chartered Bank; and Shehzad Munim, managing director of British American Tobacco Bangladesh.
After an excellent round of seven compelling product idea pitches, Sharks in Suit emerged victorious.
The champion, first runner-up, and second runner-up teams all received attractive prize money.
The top two teams were also rewarded with an international internship and future career opportunities with Marico Bangladesh Limited.
Furthermore, it was revealed that the top three teams will have the opportunity to participate in the grand finale of Marico Over the Wall Season 10 in India, where the business competition has been active for nine years.
Speaking on the occasion, Rajat Diwakar, country head of Marico Bangladesh Limited said: “At Marico, we believe that innovation and empowerment is at the heart of what we do, and Marico Bangladesh is undoubtedly the hub of some of our strongest innovators. I believe that the talent pool seen in Over the Wall is a clear reflection of the brilliance and passion of young students in Bangladesh. Their work is truly the best-in-class and I believe they have the talent to take Bangladesh forward to its potential.” He added, “I hope that Over the Wall was an enriching experience for all participants!”
Shehzad Munim, managing director of British American Tobacco Bangladesh said: “Over the Wall proves that the more opportunities we create for the young students of Bangladesh, the more they can build their confidence and take their capabilities to a global stage. Thanks to Marico for taking this initiative and providing such an important opportunity for the talented youth of Bangladesh.”
Naser Ezaz Bijoy said: “Thank you to Marico for planning such a timely event. We need innovation in our DNA.”
To the participants, he said: “Business is about connecting with a purpose and making lives better—and that’s what you have done. It is truly wonderful to see the passion and courage on display here today.”