JA Asia Pacific and FedEx Express Hold 16th International Trade Challenge
August 17, 2022
Last week, JA Asia Pacific and FedEx Express held the International Trade Challenge. Held virtually, this marked the 16th edition of the annual regional competition. Presenting partner FedEx has sponsored JA competitions around the world since 2007, including regional Company of the Year competitions, the FedEx Junior Business Challenge in the U.S., and the ITC in Asia Pacific. The FedEx/JA ITC provides young entrepreneurs with an opportunity to gain experience, connect with other like-minded people, and understand the importance of community involvement and social responsibility.
Pairing together two students from different locations, the ITC asks them to work together to imagine a market-entry strategy for a product or service that solves a real-life problem. This year’s challenge? Create a market-entry strategy for a physical product that places sustainability at its core for the German market.
More than 60 students from 10 locations—China, Hong Kong SAR–China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, and Vietnam—participated in this year’s ITC. Pairing students with those from different locations encourages and fosters cross-border collaboration and learning.
On Day 1, JA Asia Pacific CEO Maziar Sabet welcomed students to the competition, and Salil Chari, Senior Vice President, Marketing & Customer Experience, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, FedEx Express gave a keynote speech. Students then sat in on a roundtable discussion with JA Asia Pacific alumni. Finally, they received the challenge.
Students participated in the Entrepreneurial Journey Speaker Session with speaker and Grand Final judge Trish Lim Francia, co-founder and CEO of Woven on Day 2, and they worked in their respective pairs to address the challenge. Of the 30 teams, six finalists went on to the grand finale:
Finalists
Pizza Party—Cindy Hui, Hong Kong SAR–China, and Putra Zayan Bin Mohd, Singapore—pitched a reusable period pad called Anheben that aims to solve the world’s dire landfill problem.
J Cubed—Jakecob M. Jacob, Philippines, and Yau Li Ting Jamie, Singapore—imagined Loaf, a sustainable beer brewed from surplus bread that aims to tackle food waste head-on and rethink how we produce and consume two popular German staples.
Sultans of Sale—Simar Singh, India, and Tatsuru Taguchi, Japan—imagined an eco-friendly and nutritious food product called Das Bubble, a combination of purified blue-green algae, seaweed, and petunia herbal tea.
Markendise—Kunhee, Korea, and Kanak Arjunwadkr, Japan—pitched BrewABike, a bicycle made from used beer cans, that is not only a sustainable product but also recycles leftover materials from a popular German pastime.
Magna Victoriam—Supaseth Julerttrakul, Thailand, and Ilangovan Harishiga, Singapore—created Cura, a compostable sanitary napkin made with water hyacinth, that not only provides a greener solution for tomorrow, but also educates people about menstrual health.
Centri—Andy Baik, Korea, and Goh Zhi Yu, Malaysia—conceived Restart, a kit of essentials that contains toiletry essentials, including a bamboo toothbrush and zero-waste toothpaste, made entirely out of sustainable products.
Grand Final judges
In the Grand Final, Pizza Party, Sultans of Sale, Magna Victoriam, J Cubed, Markendise, and Centri pitched their products and market-entry strategy to a panel of four judges, who selected the top three teams:
Third place: Magna Victoriam
Second place: Sultans of Sale
First place: J Cubed
Congratulations to the winners!