Mohamed Muse Hassan
Director, Institute of Innovation, Tech, & Entrepreneurship at SIMAD University
Mohamed Muse Hassan is the Founding Director of the Institute of Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship (IITE Institute) at SIMAD University, a hub for nurturing innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship education in Somalia and beyond. Mohamed obtained his MBA from Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (Tokyo, Japan). He is a Mentor for the Ashinaga Africa Initiative Young Leaders for Africa in Tokyo; the Innovation Manager for Kakehashi Africa; the coordinator of the Empower NextGen Somalia, a one-year program sponsored by the US Embassy to Somalia to mentor, guide, and build the skills for 40 Somali youth; and the coordinator of The Next Economy, a four-year job creation program for the youth in Nigeria, Mali, and Somalia.
Judge’s selections
WeGreenify Prize
Green Road : Upcycling plastic waste to pave roads
ASIA GREENROAD COMPANY LIMITED
First of all, well done for being a very responsible citizen who decided to take matters into his hands and decided to do something about it? A great mindset indeed. We have much recyclable waste around us. And producing upcycled products from such plastic waste is indeed very much needed by our planet. The challenges I see with your solution is that is based on volunteerism. It’s not bad, but it affects the long-term sustainability of the solution. I’m also wondering whether you have a team as part of this solution. I say this because in the video you said, “People sent it (the waste) to me.” That indicates this is an individual effort and in a small scale. Think of expanding your team and building partnerships.
Green Hospitality Prize
nornnorn - Circular economy-based mattress subscription platform
nornnorn
As they said, one great way to come up with innovation is from experience. And this circular economy-based mattress subscription platform demonstrates exactly that adage. Congratulations for identifying pain points in the hospitality business (your family’s business being one of them) and responding with an innovative business model. Another good thing I like about this project is that it integrates into its business model the industry standards such as the hospitality industry’s 60- and 120-months replacement cycle. This is great indeed. The only challenge I see here the perception clients will attach to this type of subscription service. Imagine what customers staying such hotels will think of if they see the “nornnorn” labels on their pillows and matters? Won’t they think of the hotel as unable to purchase high-quality mattress hence decided the subscription model
Green Life Prize
TaiSugar Circular Village
Bio-architecture Formosana
We all need our governments to prioritize the circular economy as part of revolutionizing their economies. And this is a great example of what could be achieved if governments set a good foundation for a thriving circular economy. focusing on circular economy concept in the built environment. I also see this as a cost-effective solution for governments in the developing world. It also contributes to job creation opportunities for these countries in which unemployment is a hurdle to tackle. The issue this is implemented by a private sector company. Therefore, I need to know how this happens? How does the project get funded? And how the circular village is being used? Do residents need to pay rents or can purchase the property?
CIRamics Prize
NIKKO Circular Lab
戦略本部 マーケティング室 コミュニケーションデザイン課
Giant corporations joining the efforts to create awareness for the circular is one of the best ways to achieve a wider adoption of the circular economy. It is for this reason that I picked up this project as one of my favorite choices. Well done to Nikko Corporation. Adopting a cross-organizational research and development project that promotes the creation of recycling-oriented ceramics within NIKKO is such a great initiative worthy celebrating. I was expecting to read the results so far and the reactions of the stakeholders involved such as the employees. I also wanted to read the cost and revenue numbers. This is very critical to examine the initiative’s long-term sustainability
Earth Pills Prize
Planting the Seed of Change with Sheedo Studio
Startup / Ltd
I fully agree that we need to revolutionize the paper and merchandising sector. And it’s super innovative to “plant the seed of change”, a paper made with recycled cotton from the textile industry that grows into plants. This is a great innovation indeed. We all need to be closer to nature. But I need clarifications of how you will achieve scale here? Is it B2B or B2C? Also, what is your traction so far? And the cost and revenue model?