The Hult Prize 2023 Global Finals concluded grandly in Paris in September. The RiiVERSE team, comprising students from NTU’s EiMBA and GMBA programs, performed outstandingly in fierce competition with more thanover 15,000 teams from across the world, with this year’s theme being “Redesign Fashion.” They became the only Asian team to achieve a top-six global ranking that year. NTU and Taiwan’s innovative approach to sustainable innovation garnered unanimous recognition from the audience.
RiiVERSE converts recycled clothing into plastic particles and employs patented customized technology to produce items such as computer keyboards, gifts, furniture, and clothing. This initiative integrates the principle of the circular economy into value chains, leading to a reduction in average carbon footprints by 83% during the manufacturing process.
Among the RiiVERSE team members, Hsiao-An Chen, who co-founded the DYCTEAM brand, has been deeply involved in sustainable fashion for many years, such as using recycled yarn from oyster shells; . To-Chun Lin, works for a renowned international sportswear brand; Hsin-Yi Lin is a supply chain and digital marketing expert; Yu-Chu Chen is the head of Impact Hub Taiwan and the world’s largest social innovation network; and Yi-Chun Lin is now currently workingemployed forby a global luxury baby products company and possesses excellent English presentation skills.
The Hult Prize is the world’s largest student entrepreneurship competition led by the United Nations. It harnesses the concept of crowdsourcing to mobilize collective efforts to address the planet’s most pressing issues and encourages students to collaboratively innovate solutions.
The RiiVERSE team: NTU GMBA student Yi-Chun Lin (second from the left), and EiMBA students To-Chun Lin, Hsin-Yi Lin, Hsiao-An Chen, Yu-Chu Chen (from left).
Before heading to the finals in Paris, President Wen-Chang Chen of NTU presenting the flag of the RiiVERSE team.
The RiiVERSE team has received extensive support and assistance from many sectors along their journey, including support from NTU professors and instructors of the EiMBA program and entrepreneurship courses, as well as cooperation from various industries.