Winning the right way

Winning the right way

The Venture unveiled local faces of the social entrepreneurswho will represent Thailand on the global stage

SOCIAL & LIFESTYLE
Winning the right way
The panel of judges, from left, Na-chanok Ratanadaros, Alex Mavro, Patrick Castanier, Ariya Banomyong and Nopporn Wong-Anan.

Chivas Regal organised the final Thai round of "The Venture", an international campaign to inspire people to succeed, whilst making a positive impact on the lives of others, recently at the stylish Manhattan Bar of JW Marriott Bangkok.

The competition invites social entrepreneurs from 16 different countries to search for the best social project that can inspire others to use business as a force for good by thinking about both business profits and society.

The winning team, who "won the right way", was Socialgiver, by Arch Wongchindawest and Aliza Napartivaumnuay, who took home the 1.8 million baht prize, and will be invited on a week-long, entrepreneur's training camp in Silicon Valley, California some time later this year.

There, the couple will meet leading companies, be mentored by experts and also represent Thailand in the global round and compete for the US$1 million cash prize from Chivas Regal.

Socialgiver is a project that links businesses to society under the "new form of sharing" concept. The plan is to contact various businesses, such as hotels, restaurants, and other sectors to give back to society by offering vouchers and services for the public to buy. The money generated will then be donated to a charity of the consumer's choice.

At the event, Chivas Regal transformed the Manhattan Bar into a sleek, sliver presentation room, adorned with white and red flowers, to allow the five finalist teams — Begreening, Local Alike, Kokoboard, Socialgiver and Hubba — to explain the concept of their projects in a cosy, yet business-like environment.

The panel of judges were five experts from different fields — Patrick Castanier, managing director of Pernod Ricard Thailand; Nopporn Wong-Anan, editor-in-chief of Forbes (Thailand); Ariya Banomyong, business manager of Google (Thailand); Alex Mavro, chief of operations at Sasin Centre for Sustainability Management; and Na-chanok Ratanadaros, CEO of G Original Design and G Enterprise.

The four other participating teams also received complimentary prizes and 300,000 baht each to allow them to take their social entrepreneurship projects to the next level.

Begreening proposed the environmentally friendly project of reducing the use of polystyrene and plastic food containers, by offering betel leaf as an alternative biodegradable material.

The Local Alike team presented a responsible tourism project aimed at encouraging tourists to bring happiness to local communities by improving the environment, society, and culture in a sustainable way.

Kokoboard offered a project to eradicate poverty among farmers by processing waste materials into wood alternatives. This would be cost-effective, non-toxic and environmentally friendly and also help reduce the need to burn waste, and carbon dioxide emissions. It also helps reduce deforestation and global warming.

The final participating team, Hubba, presented the concept of opening a fully-equipped co-working space to create a new working atmosphere that encourages people to share both the space and their work ideas and experience in various industries. Here, their customers would be able to present their products and services in a simpler and faster manner.

After the presentation, Patrick Castanier, managing director of Pernod Ricard Thailand, invited all participants to a gourmet dinner at the New York Steak House, which was decorated in a sparkling and glamorous gold colour, befitting the grand evening of success.

Do you like the content of this article?
COMMENT