Sasin School of Management at Chulalongkorn University and SCG Chemicals Public Company Limited (SCGC), a sustainable chemicals business, have joined forces to organize the SCG Bangkok Business Challenge @ Sasin 2023 Thailand Competition. This event aims to discover undergraduate, master's, and doctoral student teams from universities across Thailand to compete in developing startup business plans that focus on sustainable business models addressing social and environmental challenges under the theme “Planting the Seeds of Innovation.” The Thailand round will take place on March 17-18.

Professor Dr. Ian Fenwick, Director of Sasin School of Management stated, “We are facing increasingly severe global warming. Sustainable business practices are urgently needed. Achieving sustainability requires an entrepreneurial mindset, the ability to find new solutions, doing more with less, thinking creatively, and acting swiftly. The SCG Bangkok Business Challenge @ Sasin is designed to be a platform to showcase entrepreneurial capabilities, selecting students with sharp ideas for sustainable business creation. This competition provides opportunities for those who will drive change, stimulate new thinking, and help us succeed in a better, smarter, and more sustainable world (inspire. connect. transform for a better, smarter, sustainable world), as intended by Sasin.”

Dr. Suracha Udomsuk, Senior Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer of SCGC said, “SCGC is committed to creating chemical innovations that enhance people's quality of life, addressing megatrends by introducing environmentally friendly innovations and solutions aligned with circular economy principles. This approach guides the development of products and services to achieve tangible sustainability goals. Beyond driving corporate sustainability, SCGC recognizes that supporting and promoting startup entrepreneurs at the higher education level through the SCG Bangkok Business Challenge @ Sasin is another way to foster widespread sustainable business development. This marks the 8th year that SCGC has collaborated with Sasin to help Thai startups scale up to a global level and promote a Startup Ecosystem with a global network.”

“SCGC has research and development partners both domestically and internationally, covering Asia, Europe, and America. Additionally, we have the i2P (Ideas to Products) Innovation Center, which serves as a hub for ideas to create innovations that meet the needs of customers, consumers, and the environment. This can bridge startup teams from the SCG Bangkok Business Challenge @ Sasin to develop products and technologies with SCGC and partner networks, equipping startups with the skills and perspectives needed to create practical innovations. We are ready to leverage our experience and expertise to help propel Thailand's startup technology to grow rapidly and sustainably in the future,” Dr. Suracha added.

Mr. Kongpan Pramoj na Ayutthaya, Director of SCG Bangkok Business Challenge @ Sasin said, “We want to instill a sense of innovation in the younger generation, encouraging them to think outside the box, explore the commercial viability of innovations, and prepare for the real business world. Participants will gain insights into business operations from successful entrepreneurs serving as judges, gaining experience and opportunities to further develop the innovations presented in the competition.”

This year, the competition is divided into a national round (Thailand Competition) and a global round (Global Competition). The winning team from the Thailand round will earn the right to participate in the Global Competition scheduled for June 22-24, 2023, competing for a prestigious trophy and cash prizes totaling over 1,500,000 baht, along with opportunities to meet teams from around the world.

The 9 teams that advanced to the Thailand Competition from a total of 63 applicants are:

  1. Team C-Wallet from Chiang Mai University
  2. Team Verity from Thammasat University
  3. Team Chatplern from Chulalongkorn University
  4. Team Thrifty from Chulalongkorn University
  5. Team The Hominians from Chulalongkorn University
  6. Team HerbFact from Panyapiwat Institute of Management
  7. Team Sigma from Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology
  8. Team Chaut from Chulalongkorn University
  9. Team Deepa from Hatyai University

Support the competing teams in the national round on March 17-18, and for more information, visit the Facebook page www.facebook.com/bangkokbusinesschallenge or the website https://bbc.sasin.edu/2023.