‘Pardon Us, Coming Through’ brings win for BUP

In the modern world, innovative ideas and executions lead to extraordinary products; to emphasise the importance of such revolutionary changes around the world, BAT (British American Tobacco) Bangladesh has been organising the "Battle of Minds" competition since 2004. Since the beginning, the competition has played a pivotal role in the youth's development of ideas and provided them with opportunities to shape the global community through innovations.

Managing Director of BAT Bangladesh, Monisha Abraham said, "This is our 21st edition of this competition. The alumni of Battle of Minds have consistently risen to eminence, occupying leadership positions in global and local sectors. They have been key players in developing the country."

This legacy's 21st grand finale at the national level was held on Thursday, November 28, at the Radisson Blu Water Garden Hotel in Dhaka. The competition's motto--Disrupt with Purpose--conveyed the idea of pitching innovations and ideas. Over 3,700 individuals from more than 70 universities participated in the 21st edition of Battle of Minds; from them, 250 teams were selected to submit video pitches and after excruciating levels of the competition, ultimately five finalist teams competed on Thursday. This year, participants got to pick between two challenges--product or AI revolution-- and both contributed to the wellbeing industry.

The event's chief guest was Professor Niaz Ahmed Khan, vice-chancellor of the University of Dhaka. During his speech, he emphasised the transformative power of empowering the youth and highlighting their immense potential to fuel the country's economy and drive positive changes across the community. He applauded 'Battle of Minds' for their exceptional work in providing young people with practical experience.

SeedSync, Neurons, Team Cookies, Team Shark, and Pardon Us, Coming Through -- they were the five finalists for the competition's national stage. Each team showed immense prowess in pitching their innovative ideas on stage.

The first runner-up was SeedSync, a diverse team-Samiha Masud from the Islamic University of Technology (IUT), Mohammad Fasiul Abedin Khan from BRAC University, and Arpa Saha from Khulna University of Engineering & Technology (KUET). Their business plan featured Bubble, a wellness drink line designed to support women's hormonal health and enhance their well-being throughout their cycles. With three tailored variants, each drink combines natural ingredients with effective formulations to address specific needs.

Neurons secured the second runner-up position; the team consisted of Abir Mohammad Shad and Sadia Ahmmed from United International University (UIU) and Farhan Ishtiaque from the Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST). Starting with a pitch on how marketing evolved over decades and how the lasting impression of any advertisement is very rare, the team pitched an innovative concept about a different kind of marketing policy. It explored neuromarketing using electroencephalogram or EEG to analyse subconscious consumer behaviour, including the consumer's positive or negative emotions towards the respective campaign. This is to help businesses design more effective campaigns, products, and communications. They plan on using mindwave analytics using AI models, with a financial plan of charging Tk 500,000 project-bases and Tk 25,000 monthly basis.

To announce the champion team's name on stage, Managing Director of BAT Bangladesh, Monisha Abraham, and the chief guest of the event, Professor Niaz Ahmed Khan arrived. Tick… Tick… Tick.. and then they announced the name--Pardon Us, Coming Through. They handed over the trophy to the winning team; after a series of photo sessions with the winners, Monisha Abraham and Niaz Ahmed Khan called for the first runner-up and second runner-up team, and then all five finalist teams for group photos.

By being the champion, "Pardon Us, Coming Through" made history for Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP) as this is the first-ever Battle of Minds national win from BUP. They will participate in the global round and compete against winning teams from 25 countries. The winner of the global round will receive UK £50,000 as a seed fund to catalyse the launch of the idea presented.

The winning team comprising Md Nahian Hasan, Adeeba Rukaiya Hasan, and Ridah Tarannum Mehmood demonstrated their prowess by outshining the four other finalist teams. Their business plan focused on Jaco Natural Jackfruit Chips, which reimagines jackfruit as a versatile, sustainable super-snack. In addition, they plan on making this the first healthy snack in Bangladesh. By offering innovative flavors like Classic Savoury, Achari Twist, BBQ Delight, and Grilled Cheese, Jaco combines bold taste with clean and nutrient-rich ingredients. In terms of finance, they plan on charging Taka 30 for each pack and having a profit of 1.25x of initial investment by the end of the first year.

They also emphasised that they plan on expanding the product globally after primarily launching it in Bangladesh. Right after their pitch, the judges commented that their Jaco Chips tasted delicious.

"Pardon Us, Coming Through," the team said when asked about expectations about the global round, "This will be the first time for us to participate in an international competition, so we are of course a bit nervous. However, at the same time, we look forward to seeing a lot of other great projects and learning more."

"At this moment, we feel overwhelmed as this is the first time BUP has won the competition on the national stage," added the team.

BAT Bangladesh prides itself in organising this sort of competition, where the youth of the country can challenge themselves for the better, push their boundaries, and prepare for the real world. The more the youths will be competing in this sort of arrangement, the more they will learn to think out of the box. Here's a congratulations to the team "Pardon Us, Coming Through" for winning the grand finale of the national stage, and best of luck for the global stage.

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